Lost Baggage

Losing your luggage while traveling is not a pleasant experience, but one that happens quite a lot. Losing one’s baggage happens to human error, or in some cases, because people check in too late, or have security problems before boarding the plane. The good news is that about 98% of lost bags eventually arrive where they are supposed to. However, if you ever lose yours, these are the things you have to do before being reunited with it.

If you wait at the luggage carrousel for your bag and it doesn’t show up, don’t go home. Many travelers do this mistake. Instead, wait a bit more and search for your airline representative to to file a report. Doing this is very important for damaged bags, but the process might be more complicated if the TSA caused the damage.

Losing your temper and screaming will not make your bad magically appear, so try and keep a calm and polite tone and attitude. Furthermore, mentioning you had something of value in your bag won’t impress anyone, for airlines take no responsibilities for these items.

If you must pack a lot of items, make sure you keep a list of all the items, and possibly pictures as well. The photos must include the bag itself and the claim tags. Make sure the writing on the tags is clear and readable enough, especially in your picture.

If your problem is not solved the same day, or you’re told your bag arrived in a different city, and to keep in touch until it gets to you, do not stop the communication with your airline representative. Giving as many useful details in a polite manner will be more successful than other methods.

If everything else fails and you travel in USA, check out the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Alabama. This is actually a store selling the contents of unclaimed bags.