How to Cope with Baggage Loss

Your Bags are one of the most important things you carry while Travelling. It is on No.3 after Travel Documents and Money. Every year almost 20 million Bags are lost during Transit. Airlines are working very hard to minimize the number of Bags lost. The increase in Global Travel has also increased the number of Bags lost.  Apart from this, Bags are also stolen.  Scamsters are always searching for soft targets. In fact, nowadays there are cases of Bag contents being stolen by Baggage Handling Staff. In this Blog, we will tell you what to do in case your Bags get Lost in transit. We will also share a few things you can do to reduce the chances of baggage loss. The information in this Blog also includes inputs from other regular travelers as well. Let’s get started…..

1.     Track Record of Airline: Some Airlines are very efficient in Baggage handling. While some are bad. Research on Social Media about their Track Record. If you find fewer complaints of Passengers, then the Airline is efficient enough to be trusted. Nowadays, a lot of travelers come on Social Media and share their experiences. Join social media groups and interact with other travelers.

2.   Airport Track Records: Though most of the Airports are efficient, but if you find complaints against any of them, don’t fly through them. Most of the Transit is taken care by Airline staff but sometimes Airport Baggage Handling Systems are bad.

3.   Contact Airport/Airline Staff: If your Bag didn’t arrive at Baggage Claim, contact the Airline or Airport staff about it. They will fill up a form with specifications of the Bag. This enables them locate your Bag easily. The Airline will be responsible for delivering the Bags to your Destination, and also compensate for the same. This is like an FIR to the Airline.

4.    Stolen Bag: If your Bag is stolen at the Airport, contact the Airport staff. Bags stolen on Airports are not responsibility of Airline. There are numerous Airline companies operating, you can’t fix responsibility on any of them.

5.    Avoid Multiple Stopovers: Those who are regular on our Blogs know that we have talked about it very often. More than one stopover increases the probability of Check-In- Bags getting lost. Have one or no stopover to your Destination.

6.    Avoid Multiple Airlines: Many times people are booked on Multiple Airlines with Multiple Stopovers. This is another situation which needs to be avoided. It is as vulnerable as having multiple stopovers. Though there are some Airline tie-ups which are good. The Tie-up between Emirates and Qantas is very popular. People fly to Dubai from Australia on a Qantas Flight, and connect to an Emirates Flight from Dubai.

7.   GPS Devices: Technology is growing day by day. Recently a GPS Device was launched for regular Travelers. This device contains a SIM, and is connected to your Phone via App. In case your Bag gets lost, the App will scan its location by using GPS. Right Now it is only for regular travelers, because it requires a monthly subscription fee. In the Future there are chances of Nano GPS Devices attached to Luggage which would be capable of tracking their location.

8.    Hand Baggage Essentials: Have all your important documents, Money and a few clothes in Hand Baggage. It is helpful in case your check-in Bag is lost. For more Tips, read our Blog- “Things to carry in Hand Luggage”.

9.   Remove Old Tags: Sometimes Passengers don’t remove their old Airline Tags of their previous journey. Please remove them as they may confuse the Airline staff or the scanning machine, diverting the luggage.

10.  Have Limited Bags: Carry less number of Bags. Carrying a lot of luggage requires more attention and care. Try and carry limited items, and Reduce Weight of your Travel Bag.

11. Travel Insurance: Some Travel Insurance companies offer policies having coverage for lost baggage. If your bag is lost, they compensate you for the same. Check your policy features & coverage carefully before purchasing Travel Insurance.

These were some tips for reducing chances of Baggage Loss, and what to do when your Bag is lost. If you want to add something more, please comment down below. Let this be beneficial for all travelers.

Have a Nice Trip!

For Notifications on our new Blogs, join our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/360travellers