What To Do If Your Luggage Is Lost Or Damaged During Travel
Picture this: you’re standing around the baggage carousel at an airport, waiting for your luggage. Slowly the crowd diminishes down and you find yourself the only one still waiting for your luggage. It’s at this point that you probably realize that something’s wrong. Now imagine another scenario to where your luggage does come down the carousel, but it’s very damaged. So what do you do when either of these situations happen? Who’s responsible? What do you do about your lost or damaged items? Unfortunately neither of these scenarios are uncommon. With millions of bags being checked each day there’s bound to be an incident, sometimes involving your luggage. Follow these guidelines if you find yourself with luggage that’s lost or damaged during travel.
Lost Luggage
The longer your luggage is missing, the less likely it is of being recovered. That’s not to say it won’t eventually be found as it could happen, but don’t bet on it. Before you leave the airport, you need to go to your airline’s customer service desk and report your missing luggage. Some airlines will tell you that your bag will be arriving on the next flight. However, you still need to file a claim. Until you actually get your luggage back in your hands, you need to assume that it’s missing for good. Waiting to file a claim can invalidate it, which means that you won’t receive any compensation for your missing luggage. Make sure you get a copy of any paperwork that you filled out so that you have proof that you made the claim. If your luggage does happen to be found, it will usually be bought to you, at their expense. Some expenses you incur because of your lost luggage, may even be reimbursed as well. Ask the airline how they handle this and see if you can get some money right on the spot to purchase necessities. If they say that they will reimburse you, make sure you keep any receipts of items purchased such as a change of clothes or even a toothbrush. Before leaving the airport, ask how to check the status of your bag. You will often times get a reference number that will allow you to check your claim online. If not, you will be given a phone number so that you can call to find out if your bag has been located. This keeps you from having to drive back to the airport to speak to someone. Airlines don’t generally admit that your luggage is lost for good until it’s been several weeks. At this point you will may have to file another claim in order to get compensation for your lost luggage.
Damaged Luggage
Your luggage will go through a lengthy process of getting from the departure airport, to your plane and then to the arrival airport as well as any connecting flights. During this process it can get damaged from machines or even by being mishandled from those that need to move it or put it onto a plane. Fortunately, you do have the right to file a claim for any damages to either the bag or the contents in it. Once you retrieve your luggage from the carousel, check for any signs of tampering or damage. Before you leave the airport, it’s imperative that you report any damage. The agents will want to inspect it. If the damage is minor and appears to be normal wear and tear, don’t expect any compensation. If there is damage, will most likely have to have the repair made first by a repair vendor that’s been sanctioned by the airline. Then you will have to produce receipts in order to be compensated. For any items inside your luggage that have been damaged, you will need to provide receipts to get compensated for them as well.
How You Can Prevent Lost Or Damaged Luggage
While you can’t always prevent either of the above scenarios from happening there are some things you can to lessen the likelihood of it happening.
- Make sure you have your name and phone number on both the outside and inside of the luggage. It’s also a good idea to include your itinerary in each of your bags so that you can easily be located if need be.
- Put items that can easily be damaged in your carry-on. If you have some items that are priceless to you, such as heirlooms, you are better off leaving them at home.
- Purchase travel insurance that will cover lost or stolen bags. While you will probably get some compensation from the airline if there is an issue with your bag, it may not be nearly the amount of money needed to recoup your loss.
No one wants to think about their luggage getting lost or damaged, but it does happen. This is why it’s a good idea to take some precautions. Bring a change of clothes in a carry-on with you so that you have something to wear if need be. Also, make sure all of your items in your luggage are safely packed.
Lost or damaged luggage is one of the most frustrating travel experiences. Our advisors’ complete guide to handling flight delays and cancellations also covers baggage issues and your rights as a traveler.
