tonight on "nightline." fortune in fees. airlines raking billions in fees. extra charges for reservation changes. we look at how else airlines are making money, like buy-selling your lost luggage. plus proposal planner. will you marry me? four simple words and some men are paying big bucks to make the big moment just right, but does it really count if the groom gets help? and holy feast. you want to eat like you're in the promised land. a star philadelphia chef shares his secrets you won't soon

forget. good evening. i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin with air travel and the new data out today that the fees airlines took last year for checked baggage and reservation changes added up to $5.7 billion. the anger many americans have long felt over those fees crystallized last week when soldiers coming home posted a video to youtube explaining how delta had charged 34 of them a total of almost $3,000 of additional luggage. ryan owens discovered when it comes to airlines and your bags, there are some surprising twists. >> reporter: it's the eye popping number sure to send frustrated fliers into orbit.

$5.7 billion. that's how much we paid in airline fees last year. most to check bags. some to change reservations. in exchange for shelling out all of that dough to check a bag, you would expect it to be there when you land. 99% of bags make it, but every year, millions do not. >> excuse me. hi, you lost my bag. am i supposed to spend the entire weekend with the clothes on my back? >> reporter: it happened to ben stiller in "meet the parents." he was forced to wear his girlfriend's robe. >> what's with the robe? >> it's pam's. >> reporter: imagine how humiliated he would be if while he was stuck in the pink robe, someone else was here, buying his pajamas, his shoes, even his cologne. welcome to the unclaimed baggage

center in skots borough. >> brenda is the store spokesperson. today at least, it's spokes model. >> the shoes i have on, the dress i have on, even the wedding band i have on. >> reporter: you're a walking sample of this store. your wedding band. >> got it for a couple hundred dollars, had it resized and buffed out. >> reporter: it is astounding what you find here. >> we get in diamonds and pearls. >> you even got ipads already. >> we do. >> people didn't hold on to these very long. >> you can get this for 1800 dollars. >> this is a sign of modern travel. >> we have thousands and thousands of neck pillows. >> reporter: this is the only store of its kind in the u.s. if a bag is unclaimed for 90 days, it's legal to sell whatever is inside.

and we do mean whatever. >> cut. >> really? clothes are a big seller. what goes under them sells surprisingly well too. they promise it's all been cleaned. >> we actually have one of the largest dry cleaning facilities in the state. >> reporter: items are 20 to 80% off suggested retail. this mom outfitted her 7-month-old. >> these are jordan shoes and they are really expensive. i think i got them for $12 here. >> he didn't know they belonged to somebody else. >> he don't care. >> reporter: this all started 40 years ago when a couple bought some suitcases left on a bus and sold them out of their home. today their store is as big as a walmart. >> we have people every year from all 50 states, probably 40 or 50 foreign countries. >> reporter: some people marvel at what other humans pack.

men often pack their wedding rings when they go on business trips. that's a whole other story. >> it didn't come in off the lost and found. it came in on packed baggage. >> reporter: women pack some of their finest jewels. >> 5.8 carat diamond ring. >> how many of these do you think are mine? evidence of our digital addiction is everywhere. that laptop you left in the seat back pocket, it's here. same goes for the camera you got for your birthday. >> when we get the cameras in and the digital cards, we clear all of that. >> you're not getting a camera with other people's photos on them. >> no, that's not going to be on the camera you get. >> reporter: speaking of weddings, they have that handled too. >> we don't know if these were lost on the way to the wedding or after the wedding. >> reporter: if a bride can

outfit her entire party here, surely this correspondent could pined a few things. it's all marked up. look at this. people's names on it. i actually need a tie today. i would rather buy somebody's tie than their old underwear. >> this one is $15. >> $15. this is kind of a nice coat. what do you think? >> very nice. >> reporter: the truth is, the selection here has gotten slimmer lately since airlines started charging for checked bags, more people are carrying on and less luggage is being lost. >> i'm not checking my bag. >> it's what ben stiller did for the trip home. >> the only way i would let go of my hand is if you came over an tried to pry it. >> reporter: if you do check your beloved bag and never see it again, at least now you know it wasn't really lost. it just landed in a new home.

i'm ryan owens for "nightline" in alabama. >> i don't know if that's supposed to make us feel better. just ahead, it's one of the most nerve-racking moments in most men's lives. we'll introduce you to a woman who helps them. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ introducing purina one beyond a new food for your cat or dog. introducing purina one beyond took some wild risks when i was young.

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made up. he buys a ring, waits for his chance. when the time is exactly right, he gets done on bended knee and pops the question. simple, right? for many men, no problem. for those who have something more elaborate in mind, there's sara peas who has made a business of helping men pull off the perfect marriage proposal for a price of course. >> reporter: after a month of planning, the big moment is finally here. >> my heart is beating so fast right now. >> they're on their way up right now. >> oh, my gosh. >> this is it. >> reporter: mike is about to ask carrie that question that will change their lives forever and we're watching from just a few feet away.

we have front row seats because this isn't just mike's proposal. it's also sara's. sara is the proposal planner. >> will you marry me? >> reporter: but we're getting ahead of ourselves. before you hear the answer, let's start at the beginning. >> i want to do something simple and romantic. >> reporter: it's one month earlier. mike is meeting with sara for the first time. >> how cute is she? >> fun, outgoing. >> gorgeous. it could work. >> reporter: mike, a sales rep for a windows and roofing company decides it's time to pop the question to carrie, his girlfriend of two and a half years. >> obviously she's going to say yes, right? >> i hope so. >> knock on wood. i've got a good track record. you got that going for you. >> sara is the proposal planner. yes, that is trademarked. guys from all over the world hire sara to take their proposals from pathetic to perfect. >> the guys that come to you, are they lazy guys?

>> most of them recognize this is a huge deal and they want to make sure this is a home run. >> how do you think carrie is going to feel when she finds out you enlisted a planner? >> first off, she probably would say i should have saved the money for a house. i think she'll appreciate i went the extra mile. >> reporter: not going the extra mile could have dire consequences. >> i wanted to ask you to marry me. >> reporter: just look up proposal fail on youtube for some cringe worthy examples of things gone bad. the key to getting the yes, according to sara, it's got to be original. >> there was a couple coming from oklahoma and they were really into wine and really into food. i felt this idea of having a cooking class. why not have them in a kitchen in new york city, working side by side to create something. we invited them into a tasting room and we had it decorated. she didn't say yes, she said

absolutely. >> reporter: that of course is the answer mike is hoping for when he proposes to carrie. in just over two weeks, which means it's time for sara to present her idea. >> what i'm going to find for you is a rooftop that's overlooking. when she walks in, not only is she surrounded by her favorite flower, but you're going to have a memory tree. >> i love it. >> are you happy with the concept. >> i love it all. it's perfect. ♪ >> reporter: with mike's blessing. it's time for sara to kick into high gear. >> i need a tree with white lilleys. >> i'm looking for a saxophone player for an hour. >> do you know what she likes. >> classic. >> super elganlts and not overly done. the name of the garth brooks song is the dance. it's not i got friends in low places. >> reporter: if you forget all the hard work doesn't come

cheap. how much do you charge for your fees. >> usually starts around $2,000. >> goes up to? >> over $10,000. >> what's left for the wedding? >> the wedding is the bride's day. the proposal is the chance for the groom to knock it out of the park. >> reporter: sara has found the perfect location, the posh surrey hotel on manhattan's east side. >> i love it. absolutely gorgeous. >> check it out. this is all for you. >> totally what i had planned. if i could have imagined what i wanted, this would be it. >> reporter: with less than 24 hours to go, mike is feeling the jitters. >> i couldn't sleep. hopefully there's an angel on my shoulder and everything goes smooth. >> reporter: finally, the big day is here. this is a gorgeous day for a proposal. >> the most important part is the memory tree. it's got all their memories. it's going to grow for the rest of their lives. they're going to be adding

photos. >> where is the down on one knee happening. >> right here in front of the tree. >> reporter: with all the details in place, including our own hidden cameras, we get word that mike and carrie are about to walk in. ♪ >> this is for you, babe. >> are you kidding me? >> you know i love you with all my heart. i want to spend the rest of my life with you. you're my love, my soul mate, my best friend. will you marry me? >> yes, of course. oh, my god! oh, my god! are you kidding me? >> congratulations. >> you are on "nightline" right now. >> i'm sara, i'm the proposal planner. very nice to meet you. congratulations. can we see the ring? >> yes. >> oh, my god, you're shaking.

>> reporter: before mike and sara walk off into the sun set, they have to make it official. >> it's official. >> reporter: i'm andrea canning for "nightline" in new york. [ male announcer ] if you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, on second thought... ♪ she got an attitude ...you never will. the 2011 jeep wrangler. adventure is never ordinary. ♪ she got attitude now sign and drive a jeep wrangler sport 4x4 with zero first month's payment, zero down and zero due at signing for qualified lessees. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder

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chef michael first made his reputation with a restaurant in philadelphia. there seems to be no cuisine he hasn't mastered. it's the roots in the holy land that pique his pallet. watch him tonight at work in tonight's "plate list." >> i dropped out of college and ended up back in israel.

the only job i could get was cooking. i was like an art major dropout that spoke terrible hebrew. i fell in love with cooking, the creative aspect of it, i guess the lifestyle. >> we're going to make a little bit of hamas. with mushrooms. lafa is an iraqi style peta. it's water, sugar and salt. we're going to throw it in our wood burning 0 oven. we're going to hit it up with olive oil, little bit of zatar, popular spice in the middle east. throw it back in for another second and plate it up. thing about israeli hammus, it's more nutty and creamy. this is ready to go.

off the charcoal, we've got some broiled trumpet mushrooms. we're going to hit it with p paprika and parsley and olive oil. my grandmother and i didn't speak the same language for years. in the last years of her life, luckily, we got to talk about food. i got to listen to her stories and her accounts of her life and the things that she cooked and the things that were like so important to her that i could relate to. we got our lam shoulder. we've been cooking it over charcoal. we're going to put it in a pan. this is pom granite juice, fresh. chick peas that are soaked with water and baking soda. of the baking soda loosens up the skin a little bit. we're going to throw it in the oven. >> my mother would make stir fry all the time. she would sneak in liver, you

know, that was like how i would start eating liver would be like underneath brown sugar and sherry. >> we're going to yank it out as gently as we can. we serve it with crispy persian style rice. herbs into the rice. this is a lamb shoulder. good stuff. delicious. the cooks that we have here are now cooking things that my family has cooked forever. my people, not to sound like biblical. we get to make so many people happy here on a regular basis. that is something that i love. ♪ the recipes are on our website. that's our report for tonight. we hopeou