Losing It! Dealing With Lost Luggage Anywhere

“Ummm…I think the airline just lost my luggage.” Those were the ominous words said to me by a friend  – we shall call him Kingsley – flying into JFK from Heathrow on a Thursday evening.

“What!?”, I shrieked. No one wants to hear those words or experience them, especially if it’s a first timer on new flight routes, like he was in New York City.

If you’ve ever been in this situation, you know that it is a very stressful and nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re in a foreign country and away from home. Your lost luggage contains toiletries, underwear, clothing and more and the thought of spending budgeted money to replace these necessary items are enough to cause a stress rash.

While experiencing lost luggage is a hit and miss based on Lady Luck, we can take some precautions to alleviate how we deal with lost luggage anywhere.

Before Travel Preparations

Be A Unicorn

Everyone and his wife has black luggage of all shapes thus it is very easy for another passenger to take your black luggage, instead of theirs home.

To prevent this, take a different coloured luggage like purple or red for easy identification. Isn’t it easier to tell the airline to look for white polka-dotted luggage instead of a basic black one?

Coloured luggage will come handy in identifying lost luggage on full or intercontinental flight routes where there are hundreds of random black luggage going through chutes to various destinations.

Contents Photography

If you cannot be bothered to buy brand new coloured luggage to replace your all black set (I wouldn’t blame you), at least take photos of your luggage and any identifying markers on it. For example, a unique name tag or stickers.

In addition, take pictures of luggage contents, especially pricy ones. Most airlines might insist you check-in photography and electronic equipment with lithium batteries so have pictures and a list of these contents for posterity.

Acquire Travel Insurance

I can read your mind. “This is just an extra expense for nothing!” Well, it doesn’t just cover flight delays and illness, but your chosen plan may also cover damaged or lost luggage up to a certain dollar figure. So, spend the extra $15-$20 for travel insurance and it may come in handy if the airline is playing hardball with compensation.

Carry on!

If you’re already paranoid about lost luggage and reading this isn’t helping, just take a carry-on that at least you can account for on all flight routes.

Straight As An Arrow

Lost luggage situations can be minimized with direct flight routes as there are more chances for lost luggage with multiple layovers, especially if they are less than an hour.

Be vigilant when luggage is being tagged and ensure that it is for your final destination and not the layover destination. Click To Tweet

My friend learnt the hard way when she took two airlines from London to Havana. Her luggage didn’t arrive until four days later and that was with her having to follow up twice a day with the airline. Luckily, the Air bnb provided free toiletries but imagine the stress of it all!

When the S**t Hits the Fan

So the unthinkable has happened and your luggage is not on the carousel. What to do?

March to the Airline Counter/Baggage Reclaim

Make like a general and march your exasperated self to the airline counter to file a complaint for lost luggage and don’t forget the baggage ticket given to you when you checked in.

You will be given an identification form to fill at the counter, and in Kingsley’s case, he was asked about identifying items in his black luggage to make the search easier and faster. This is where that list of contents you have comes in very handy.

Fill out all details about your lost luggage, its contents and cost and keep all tags they give you in return. Make sure to file a claim before leaving the airport! Click To Tweet

Give Me Your Number

I know you’re irritated at this point but try not to take it out on the staff as they’re trying their best to solve the problem. You don’t want your luggage to stay missing now, do you?

Instead, politely ask for their best contact methods to follow up on your lost luggage and specifically insist that you be given the contact methods they respond to faster.

My friend in Havana got nowhere with emails or Twitter but she got a human response via one of the airline’s Whatsapp numbers a kind agent happened to give her.

Run Me Some Money!

Now, you’re in a foreign city without clothes, underwear & toiletries and you need to know how to sort your life right now.

This is the ideal time to inquire about the airline’s policy for lost luggage and to inquire about funds for “essentials”, like toiletries.

Airlines are required to provide this, at least. Alas, Kingsley didn’t know this and spent money purchasing basic toiletries.

This is also the best time to read the fine print we all ignore behind our e-ticket, about maximum baggage claims.

Baggage claims differ depending on whether flight routes originated within the U.S. or not but the fact still remains that under the Montreal Convention, you are entitled to compensation for lost luggage.

The Montreal Convention provides compensation to passengers on certain international flights between participating countries so check to see if your flight is covered by this Convention for lost luggage.

It not only establishes airline liability in the event of delayed, damaged or lost luggage or cargo, it also does the same for injury or death. Let’s pray that never occurs to us during air travel. Read more on the Montreal Convention and what it really is about. Fascinating.

Now Your Watch Begins…

Welp! Form has been filled, claims tag kept safe in bag and voice hoarse from talking and near shrieking in exasperation. You still gotta leave the airport, no?

Do not forget to give a contact number that you can easily be reached on. If you’re in a foreign country and did not roam your phone, you can ask for their Whatsapp number or you can give the number of your accommodation. It would be a waste of money to buy a burner phone and SIM card just for this reason.

Make sure to follow up daily and if a strange number calls, answer it. Airlines use a third party to deliver found luggage and you don’t want to miss their call and have to wait an extra day or so for delivery.

This is what happened to Kingsley above; he almost missed the driver and had to chase him down the street. His lost luggage was delivered a day before his departure from JFK.

If your flight routes are within U.S. and E.U. with renowned air carriers from these regions, you have a higher probability of your lost luggage being found intact with little to no damage on it.

If your routes are within Asia, South America or Africa, you might have a less smooth process because of red tape and some disorganization. It will also take time to arrive, if eventually found, and most times, contents may be missing.

This has happened to lots of family members travelling these particular flight routes so I know exactly what I’m saying.

Most times, compensation was never received so family knew to never include valuables in checked luggage or leave them at home.

Luggage No-Show

Your dreaded thought has manifested and your luggage is truly lost; it cannot be found. Sigh. Now what?

The airline will give details of avenues for compensation – you already know the Montreal Convention – but ask about their compensation.

You will be told to send an itemized contents list and their cost addressed to the Claims Department or something similar, but bear in mind that they never give the amount you are claiming.

All airlines have a maximum claims amount that might differ depending on certain flight routes and you might even have to negotiate if you truly had expensive contents within your lost luggage.

Poor Kingsley submitted a claims report on his return to London to recoup the dollars spent on toiletries and clothes but he got nothing as his “lost” luggage was eventually found, even though it was at the end of his vacation.

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I hope you truly never experience lost luggage and if you have, let me know in the comments how it was sorted out and if/how you received any compensation.

I know that it differs per country and airline so it’ll be great to know how processes work everywhere else.

Thank you for reading and see you on the social streets! xox

*This post is sponsored by Travelstart but all stories & research are mine.*

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