A missing luggage is an inconvenience that no traveler would want to deal with. About two to three people out of 1,000 passengers experience this unwanted situation. The most common cause why this happens is due to conflicting schedule of the flights. If you’re in a connecting flight, your luggage may not be on the same flight as you are. This means that it’s not really lost, but most probably delayed. Another cause is a missing or damaged tag. Since it couldn’t be identified to whom the luggage belongs, it would be placed in a holding area until it’s claimed.
File a Report
If you found out that your luggage is missing, get the help of an airline agent for filing a missing luggage report. Give your contact information or the name of the hotel where you would be staying so they could notify you once the luggage is found. Most airlines would compensate you for the inconvenience of not having your luggage by giving you a specific amount, depending on their terms. Others would only give the payment when the luggage is found so make sure to keep your receipts of the items that you purchased as you may need to present these for the refund. Also, be sure to determine the items that could be included in the refund since not everything may be covered.
What to Do If Your Luggage Isn’t Found
If your luggage couldn’t really be found, you need to file a lost luggage claim. There’s a form that you need to fill up, which would also require you to list what’s in the lost luggage. The airline will pay for it, but not with its original value, unless you could prove that a certain item is brand new. It’s not just with the airline that you could get reimbursement. You may also check with your credit card or home insurance provider, as your lost luggage might also be covered. If you’re wondering where a lost luggage goes, it’s at the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Alabama. Contents are sorted and they are either disposed of, sold or donated to charity.
Although you don’t have a control on the conflicting flight schedules that’s usually the reason of a lost luggage, there are other things that you could do to prevent losing your luggage or at least minimize the inconvenience if this happens. First is to ensure that your luggage is properly labeled. It’s also best to take a photo of what’s inside and how it looks like from the outside so processing of your claim would be quicker. You should also always keep valuable items with your or in your carry on. There are also modern travel bags that come with GPS feature, which can be tracked using your mobile device. Bluesmart bag is one of them. You may want to consider investing on one, especially if you’re a frequent traveler.
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