Airlines Are Giving Passengers ‘Hoe Bags’—But You May Be Owed More When Your Luggage Goes Missing

A Southwest Airlines passenger says her luggage went missing on a flight to Detroit, and the airline handed her what she calls a “hoe bag”: a plastic bag containing a toothbrush, razor, mouthwash and deodorant. “This is a care package for hoes.” Comedian Delo Brown, who posts as @keepitonthedelo, says Southwest lost her luggage “last week.” She expected a voucher or some sort of credit. Instead, she got toiletries to use while they looked for her belongings. “Take this hoe bag and be happy.” Watch Delo Brown’s Southwest Airlines toiletry kit unboxing. Then she starts pulling out the contents. There’s a brush, facial pads and cotton swabs, a toothbrush, a razor, wipes, mouthwash and a tiny deodorant. The razor gets a particularly enthusiastic explanation of what it might be used for. By the end, she’s sold: “This is the best hoe bag I have ever received in my life. This is a caring hoe bag. This is a care package for hoes. I love this. Thank you, Southwest, for my hoe bag.” A “hoe bag” means a bag with the overnight essentials you’d bring when you might wind up spending the night at somebody else’s place. Toothbrush, deodorant, something to clean up with, perhaps fresh underwear. A couple of the better comments: “I used to leave those in the top drawer of nightstand on the other side of my bed.” “Got your hoe bag but still missing a WHOLE BAG.” Other commenters think the plain plastic bag and generic toiletries look more like a hospital admission kit or something handed out in jail. Several compare it to the $148 Skims advent calendar that drew complaints over its inexpensive accessories. These are meant to get you through a night without your checked bag, whether your luggage didn’t arrive or a disrupted trip leaves it somewhere you can’t get to. You’d get the at the baggage service office. And you’ll find them at other airlines, too. In a 2009 comparison of airline overnight kits, Wired actually picked Southwest as best overall. Its kit came in a reusable bag with pockets and a hanging hook, and included Speed Stick, Colgate, Scope, Pert Plus and TRESemmé. That was a much more elaborate kit than the plastic bag in this video. Passengers still need their bags back. Expenses in the meantime may be covered by the credit card they used to purchase the ticket, and airlines have to reimburse reasonable, documented expenses caused by delayed baggage. That can include necessary toiletries and replacement clothing. Hotels can help, too. Ask the front desk before buying a toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream or comb. Many have complimentary basics, while deodorant, mouthwash, makeup wipes and other items depend on the property. A hotel’s lobby shop often isn’t the only option. I wrote about “Hyatt Has It” when it launched in 2013. What I liked was that Hyatt would actually tell guests what was available and invite them to ask. At participating full service hotels, they’d deliver the items, knock and leave the bag on the doorknob. Hyatt still advertises the program, including requests through the World of Hyatt app. Holiday Inn’s “Forget Something?” service can offer complimentary toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream, razors and combs. Of course, some hotels would rather sell you the basics. I covered a stranded Marriott Ambassador member who said the Detroit Metro Airport Marriott wanted $12 for deodorant and another $12 for mouthwash. Their shuttle would take him anywhere within a mile, but the drugstore was 1.1 miles away. He moved to a Hyatt Place and got the toiletries for free. Topics on this page