All The Things You Need To Do When Your Luggage Gets Lost

One of the few things that travelers hate would be lost luggage. It’s bad enough that checked luggage are included in the fees, so to lose them is more than just a waste of time. As the years pass by, airlines have implemented stricter rules to ensure that there are fewer (if none at all) bags lost. In fact, from seven bags lost per 1,000 passengers, the number has dwindled down to 3.24 bags lost per 1,000 passengers.

Okay, so the truth of the matter is that, lost luggage is unavoidable. We can only hope and pray that it isn’t our bags that are lost the moment the luggage carousel starts to turn. Or worse, that it turns around empty. While airlines control the rules, you can still employ a few simple strategies that can help minimize the permanent loss of your precious bag.

A Before you check your bag:

1. Take a photo.

Airport authorities will have an easier time locating your luggage if they had a photo of it. Remember, the more details, the better.

2. Put your name in the bag.

Aside from the bag tag outside your luggage, put your contact info inside, too.

3. Remove tags from previous trips.

While you may consider them as souvenir, the tags may confuse the airline employees. The result? Your bag getting lost.

4. Don’t check what you need upon arrival.

This includes your laptop, keys, medicine and jewelry, too. They should always, always be in your carry-on luggage.

5. Use a tracker.

Bag trackers are handy especially for those who have to travel frequently. Place them inside your bag so you know where they are the moment you land.

6. Know your airline.

Do a research on the number of times your airline of choice has lost a bag and if they’ve ever actually found it and returned it to the owner.

B When your luggage gets lost

1. Report it, stat.

Never dilly-dally on lost luggage. Resist the urge to make a call to the customer service and instead head to the airport luggage office to file the necessary docs for your lost bag.

2. Ask the airline for reimbursement.

There are a few major airlines that will reimburse or gives its passengers money for the luggage that was lost. This however, is on a case-to-case basis…which leads us to number 3.

3. Negotiate.

You don’t need to take the first offer right away especially if you happen to be a frequent flyer member of the airline.

4. Call your credit card company.

Some credit cards offer bag protection, some of them allotting as much as $100 per day of loss.

5. Get the bag fee back.

If you lose a bag while flying with Delta Airlines, chances are, they will give a rebate of $25 in travel certificates, sometimes even up to a maximum of $50.

6. Persist.

Do the following up as the airline office may not be able to give you a call right away.

7. Patience is a virtue

Sometimes, it can take as long as a month for your bag to be returned. When it’s unfortunately lost forever, the airline will reimburse you for the depreciated value of your belongings.

Heed these handy tips whenever you travel. Better to be safe than sorry and having your luggage lost just when you need it the most.