What do you do when there are no more cases on the baggage carousel and your bags hasn’t come out.
Well it has happened to me four times over the years, which is why I mainly travel with carry-on only
Lost bags are the worst way to start a holiday, and are still a pain when you arrive home.
How Likely?
A baggage error statistic I have seen for any flight is 5-6 lost bags per thousand passemgers, which means for a wide body plane with around 300 passegers 1-2 bags can go missing!
Based on my experiences that seems about right.
A lot of journeys involve 2-3 flights and so the risk of a bag being misplaced increases.
Two of the four occasions when my bags went missing were due to short transit times between two flights. ( As an example after a delay on a first flight I was able to make a connection in Dubai in 30 minutes, but my bags didn’t make it)
What You Need To Do.
Bag hasn’t arrived?
- Head straight to the airline’s baggage desk, usually found in the baggage claim area.
- Show the luggage receipt, and describe the luggage.
- Ask about compensation for the delay (can be up to $100/day) . . You may need to buy toiletries and at least a change of underwear while you wait for the bags to arrive!
- Tell them where you are going to be for the next few days and your contact details.
- Check what your travel insurance says about delayed bags.
What Happens Next
Usually, the luggage is just delayed rather than truly lost. (I have always got my things eventually)
The airline should be able to locate the missing bags and begin making arrangements to deliver it to you.
Once it is located the airline will let you know when it should be expected to be on and a plan to get it to you. so:
- If you are heading home the airline should send the bags to your personal address.
- If you just started your trip, they will send the bags to your location. . . . but if you are on a tour, or cruise, it might take several days to get to you.
Hopefully for bags turns up, , , and you don’t need to make a lost bag claim with the airlin,e and your insurerer. (On each of the four times I have had a problem the missing items eventually turned up)
Travellers Hacks
Here are some things you can do to to minimise the problems of missing bags, and help getting the bags back to you:
- Avoid booking journeys with short transit times between connecting flights.
- Make sure all old stickers and labels have been removed from your checked bags.
- Have a luggage tag with your Email, and if available a contact phone number that will work in your destination.
- An A4 sheet inside your bag with contact information, and details of your itinerary.
- Board the plane dressed for the weather at your destination.
- Always take a carry-on with at least; toiletries, medicines, and at least a couple of changes of clothes.
- Consider using a baggage tracker such as AirTags.
Or of couse you can follow what I usually do and plan for ‘Carry-On Only’ travelling.
