Lost or delayed luggage can be among a traveler’s worst nightmares. Anxiety increases and questions abound. When will it arrive, then what happens? How long will airlines search for your lost bags, what if any reimbursement am I entitled to, and what happens to those bags that go unclaimed?
Lost and delayed luggage can be irritating and sometimes difficult to track down. Although most people take many flights without losing luggage, more often than not, it seems that the airline delays your bag on the outbound flight, you’re left with only the clothes you've travelled in, and might end up spending money on last-minute clothes and toiletries to get you through until they hopefully find your luggage.
Most luggage is actually only delayed for a few hours because there isn’t enough room on the plane or it didn’t make a tight connection. Less than .7% of all luggage is lost, delayed or damaged and that number is declining.
First things first, report it
Once you notice your bags are missing or damaged, report your problem to the appropriate airline, right away, before you leave the airport. If you had connecting flights, with more than one airline, you should report it to the last airline you traveled with. Rules vary by airlines, but generally once you notice your baggage is missing, you have 24 hours to initiate a claim, and the airline has 21 days to return your luggage to you, before you can claim compensation for a lost bag.
When filing a claim with the airline, you’ll need to fill out a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airline’s counter at the airport. This is the form you get from customer services in the baggage claim area. If you cannot report the claim at the airport, contact the airline or use their website to report the problem, and in return, get the airline to confirm that they received your report. Make sure to keep a copy of your PIR or written confirmation to help with your claim.
Some airlines also have small kits of basic toiletries and loaner car seats available at the airport, so it’s good to ask when you file your claim.
What’s next for your luggage?
When your bag first goes missing, it’s most likely just going to hang out in its arrival airport in the airlines local lost baggage holding area. Thinking that your bag was delayed for some reason, the airline agent in your final destination will ask you to fill out a form describing your suitcase in the hopes that when it turns up, they’ll recognize it. Only 2 percent of luggage mishandled by airlines is lost or unclaimed forever, according to the Department of Transportation. The majority of bags, 98 percent, are reunited with their owners within five days.
After five to seven days, luggage that has not been identified are moved to a large warehouse, usually in the same city as the airline carrier’s major hub. Luggage is then organized by physical characteristics, rather than date of arrival. Be sure, when you file your lost baggage report that you give the most detailed description of your luggage and its contents. The airline representative will use this to work with the personnel at the warehouse to try and locate your bag; however, unfortunately, you are not able to go to the warehouse yourself to conduct a search. The bad news is, if your luggage is lost for more than seven days, the chances of your luggage being found, grows slim. After 90 days, your lost luggage claim has most likely been settled, the claim paid out by the airline, and legally, if not returned, the airlines can get rid of your belongings. So what does that mean? Some airlines, donate the lost belongings to charity. However, most sell them to the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama, where employees prepare the contents of lost luggage for resale by unpacking bags, laundering clothes, polishing up jewelry and electronics and separating them into departments. Along with being a marketplace, the Unclaimed Baggage Center has become a tourist attraction in the state. There's even a small museum on-site showcasing some of the items deemed too weird or wonderful to sell, such as rare Egyptian artifacts and a puppet made by famed puppeteer and Muppet creator Jim Henson.
What could you get from the airline?
If your bag is only missing for a short period of time, you are entitled to a reasonable reimbursement for expenses that incur while you’re waiting for your lost baggage, such as the cost of toiletries and other small clothing expenses. They get these costs from your saved receipts during the search for your lost luggage.
If your bag is lost for good, airlines are obligated to pay up to $3,330 per missing bag, but be prepared to negotiate and justify the amount. The Department of Transportation states, that airlines don’t automatically pay the full amount of every claim they receive, they take into consideration the depreciated value of your possessions rather than the replacement value. If your bag is officially lost, you may have to wait as long as three months for your reimbursement check, according to the DOT. However, instead of a cash settlement, the airline may offer your vouchers for future tickets that may appear to be worth more than the cash settlement. If you choose the tickets, be sure to ask the airline about blackout dates and restrictions.
The good news is, the number of bags delayed, damaged or lost by airlines has fallen by more than half since the industry hit a low point for lost luggage six years ago. It's happened thanks to a strenuous effort worldwide by airlines and airports to fix a major inconvenience for travelers, whether it’s making changes in an effort to make the process a little faster and getting the checked bags to the plane on time, or airline employees communicating better to know when to expect bags and noting which have quick transfers.
Airlines last year mishandled 21.8 million bags, or 6.96 per 1,000 passengers, according to SITA, an aviation communications and technology company that tracks baggage performance each year. That's much less than half the rate in 2007 when airlines world-wide mishandled 46.9 million bags or 18.88 per 1,000 passengers, SITA said.
Tips to avoid becoming one of the unlucky ones…
Always place a durable id tag on your luggage or fill out the card that comes with your luggage. Since those can fall off also place a note inside your luggage with your name, address and cell phone number.
Don’t pack valuables, medicines, travel documents or car key in your checked luggage.
Pack light and carry on. Rules vary by airline, but generally, you can carry on or gate check a small suitcase. As a bonus, you can avoid checked baggage fees.
Cross pack with other members in your travel party. Pack some of your closes in their bag and vice versa. It’s better to have some, but not all of your clothes.
Place a piece of colorful duct tape or tie a ribbon on the bag as it will help avoid someone else from accidentally claiming your luggage. Also always check your bag tag as many bags look alike.
Happy Travels