Lost Luggage Here's What to Do

How to Reduce the Risk of Lost and Mislaid Luggage

Aug 7, 2008 John Howe

Two years ago USA Today claimed that American airlines lost or delayed 10,000 pieces of luggage. There is no reason to believe that any airline is any better.

So what do you do when you are standing all alone by the carousel and with that sinking feeling and realise your bags and you will not be reunited soon.

Don’t panic but report your missing luggage to the airport baggage handling office, there you will be presented with a number of forms to complete, you will asked to describe the case and may be given a book of photographs to identify the make and model.

The staff will do a computer search looking for the electronically scanned luggage tag. If this draws a blank they will make a physical check around the terminal and perhaps in the airplane’s luggage hold. If the errant bag still can not be found a claim number and telephone number will be given to you so that you are able to check progress and if necessary make a claim for damages or loss.

Photocopy Travel Documents

Photocopy all the forms and return the original to the airline staff. If the airline declares the luggage lost you must complete a more detailed form with information about the bags’ contents. So it will be useful to make a list of the contents including:

• brand names
• clothes sizes, colours and quantities
• make and serial numbers of equipment like cameras, mobile phones etc.

How to Identify Your Luggage on the Carousel

The sameness of mass produced luggage makes it easy for someone to pick up your luggage by mistake. To make identification easier there are some simple things you can do:

• use luggage that is a different colour say green or blue or pink
• use luggage with a distinctive design
• tie a piece of brightly coloured material to the handle or around the case itself
• decorate your cases with self-adhesive mini-flags of all the countries you have visited
• take a photograph of the case and carry it with you to give to the airline staff
• arrive at the airport in good time for the baggage to be processed

Helpto Search, Identify and Recover Your Luggage

There are some other things that will aid the search and return of your luggage:

• put your name and mobile phone number on a label on the outside of the case
• place a larger label inside the case.
• place a copy of your travel plans inside the case along with the three letter airport code for your destination
• remove any old destination tags from your bag
• make sure that the check-in staff have the correct current destination code on the outside of your luggage
• leave at least two hours between connecting flights as a shorter transit time will increase the risk of baggage mishandling.

If you consider that the value of your luggage is greater than what the airlines will offer you in case of a loss buy “excess valuation” and this will increase the airline’s liability.

Take the precautions above and you and your baggage should never be parted no matter where you are in the world.

The copyright of the article Lost Luggage Here's What to Do in E Asia Travel is owned by John Howe. Permission to republish Lost Luggage Here's What to Do in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Lost luggage

Baggage Claim