According to the BBC article "Airlines attacked over lost bags" on Tuesday, 17 March 2009: "Airlines around the world 'mishandled' 42 million bags in 2007 and irretrievably lost more than a million." The information was based off a study by the Air Transport Users Council (AUC) and it is distressing news for travelers worried about losing their luggage. Here are some tips to protect luggage in transit.
Protect Your Luggage With Lost Luggage Insurance Before You Go
Passengers with travel insurance should check the fine print to see if lost luggage insurance is included. If not, an add-on policy might be a simple way to cover potential lost luggage Sometimes credit card companies will also offer insurance for lost bags if the traveler uses that card to buy a ticket.
Airlines often require receipts for items of value lost or damaged while in transit. It's always a good idea to have evidence in the form of receipts and an itemized list of each suitcase's contents.
Putting contact information on absolutely everything, not just on the outside tag, is a good way to make sure that bags get back to their owner should they end up somewhere else. External tags can fall off or become illegible, so putting a note inside with name, address, phone number and email can help identify bags even without identifying information on the outside. Some people even physically paint their name and email on the suitcase or on important items within.
Pay Attention at Check-In to Prevent Lost Baggage
Often, missing luggage is the result of sloppy handling by passengers or employees. The luggage tag that goes on the outside of bags does no good if it gets left on the counter at check-in or placed on the wrong suitcase. And a minor computer error could accidentally send luggage to a different destination if the wrong tag gets printed at the desk. Checking that everything is properly labeled and that the baggage claim ticket matches the tags on the suitcase and includes the correct destination can be a great preemptive step to take before leaving the check-in counter.
When sending something fragile or extremely valuable that can't travel in a carry-on, consider shipping it to the destination instead. Shipping will probably be more expensive, but the peace of mind might be worth it.
When Airline Luggage Gets Lost
If things do go missing, travelers should ask for an missing baggage report from the airport luggage desk, which will help you get any bags back if they are found. Also, travelers should get a written claims for damages (sometimes on the same form.) If the missing luggage is never found, this could help ensure proper compensation for what 's been lost.
While many bags do get lost, it's not the majority of them. When luggage doesn't appear on the baggage carousel after a flight, there could be a simple explanation. Contact the workers at baggage claim before leaving the airport and ask them to check again. If a suitcase has simply been delayed on a later flight, the airline will generally send the bags to the traveler's home or hotel when they arrive, so there's no need to stay at the airport.
According to the BBC article up to 70 million bags could be mishandled a year by 2019. But the steps individuals can take to protect their bags are simple, so there's no need to become part of this statistic.
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