- File a passenger irregularity report if your luggage can’t be found
- Most airlines give passengers a certain amount for expenses
- Always travel with one set of clothes in your cabin baggage
No matter how well you pack for a holiday, there is always a chance that you may start your holiday without your luggage. What do you do when the airline doesn’t carry your check-in luggage on the flight? Here are a few tips to recover your lost luggage from an airport.
Look At Places Other Than The Baggage Belt
The first thing to do if your luggage doesn’t come down the baggage belt is look in other areas. In many airports, big, heavy bags are sometimes kept in a separate area so that passengers do not injure themselves while pulling it off the belt.
Lost Your Luggage? File A Passenger Irregularity Report
If you don’t find your luggage anywhere, head to the airline’s representative at the airport and file a passenger irregularity report.
In case your itinerary has involved traveling by multiple airlines, you will need to find the airline you traveled by last. To file the report correctly, keep the following points in mind:
- Describe the bag in terms of brand, size, shape, color, etc
- Hand over the baggage claim tag
- Give the airline your local contact number and address
- If you are filing a report for an international flight, you may have to sign a custom clearance form
Once this report is filed, it becomes the airline’s responsibility to deliver the bag to your local address even if this is in another city.
Ask For Expenses
Most airlines provide passengers who’s luggage has been misplaced with a certain amount of money to meet immediate ‘reasonable’ expenses. For example, if you have a meeting to attend in the city you’ve just traveled to, the airline may provide funds to buy a new shirt.
The baggage handling agent who files your passenger irregularity report will be able to help you understand the airline’s guidelines for claiming expense amount. These expenses are usually given only when the person is traveling to a city other than their home city.
Get Reimbursed For Lost Luggage
In rare cases, the airline may be unable to locate your bags. If the airline is unable to deliver your bags to you within 21 days of filing the report, the bag may be considered ‘lost’. In such an event, you will then have to file a claim for the lost baggage.
In most cases, the airline will ask for a list of what was inside the bag and the monetary value of these things. In the case of expensive articles like jewelry, the airline may need the original purchase receipts. It is important to know that most airline’s cap their liability for reimbursement at about 1,553 USD
Can You Keep This From Happening?
Unless you load and unload your luggage yourself on and off the flight, you can’t really do much to ensure that your luggage travels with you.
However, if you’re traveling by multiple airlines, it is a good idea to check with the airline agents at each transit airport as to whether your bags have been loaded ono the next flight or not.
Another smart thing to do, especially when you’re traveling for work, is to keep a set of clothes in your cabin baggage. If you’re carrying anything expensive, it’s a better idea to carry it in your cabin baggage than in your check-in baggage.
Lastly, it’s always good to be prepared for the worst. Hence, before you pack your bags, take a quick photograph of everything that will go into them. This ensures that if you do have to claim reimbursement for your lost luggage, you won’t forget anything.
