Like most people, you probably be travelling with your beloved luggage, enjoying your trip. But, little did you expect that one day you may actually face problems with lost luggage. And believe it or not, sometimes bad luck can really happens and your luggage may decide to wandered off itself or get lost at some point. In this post, let me share on how to deal with lost luggage using a proper structured approach.
Well, the good news is that airlines nowadays have improved their tracking and return policies to make it easier for travelers to deal with lost bags. The bad news is that dealing with lost luggages can still be a pain in the ass.
In this post, we curated these tips for dealing with lost luggage.
Always Stay Calm & Don’t Panick
The first thing you should do is stay calm. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the situation and get anxious, but remember that you can’t control what’s happening now. Try to take deep breaths and focus on something else.
Go Check Your Flight Status
The first thing to do when your luggage is lost is to check the status of your flight. Most airlines will post updates on their websites or via email alerts. If your flight is delayed or canceled, it could be because of a mechanical issue or weather conditions. If so, don’t panic — take note of the new departure time and plan accordingly.
Contact the Airline Immediately
If you think your bag might be missing or delayed when you arrive at your destination, file a written complaint with the airline immediately after reaching your final destination. This will help ensure that your complaint gets entered into the system promptly and allows them to fix any problems before they get worse.
Contact the airline directly if your luggage doesn’t turn up within 24 hours of arriving at your destination. You may need to provide a copy of your ticket and itinerary to verify that you flew with that airline. Make sure you get an official receipt from them stating they are looking into the matter and when they expect to be able to give you an answer about whether or not they will reimburse you for any items that were lost or damaged in transit (if applicable). If possible, get a copy of their internal investigation report on the incident so that you know what they did and why they came up with their decision on reimbursement. Keep track of all expenses incurred because of this situation and keep copies of any receipts related to these costs until after all claims have been settled.
Follow Up on Airline’s Website for Updates
After you logged a compliant with the airport, you may want to check the airport customer service website regularly — to see if they’ve found your lost luggage yet. You’ll want to make sure they have your correct address so they can ship it back to you quickly and easily, and if they don’t, then you’ll need to get in touch with them right away so they can update their records and find your bag before sending it on its way again (which could take weeks if they use regular mail).
Be Persistent if Necessary
Don’t give up if you don’t hear from the airline within 24 hours of filing your written complaint (or sooner)! Continue contacting them until someone responds and gives you an answer about what happened to your bag. You should also follow up every few days after that to make sure things are moving along smoothly.
Be Patient
It may take a while for your airline to find your bag and get it back to you, but don’t give up hope too soon. While it’s easy for us as consumers to become frustrated with companies that don’t seem like they care about our concerns, frequently, things happen behind the scenes that we aren’t aware of until later on down the line — or sometimes even years later when someone posts something online about their experience! There are many reasons why your bag could be delayed in getting back to you, but there is a good chance that if they say they’ll do something, it will happen eventually!
Be Sure to Make a List of Everything in Your Bag
If your luggage does get lost, you’ll want to know exactly what was in it so that you can file a claim with your airline and get reimbursed for the contents and any damage to the bag itself. It also helps to take photos of everything inside before you leave home — just in case they don’t make it back with you!
Know Your Rights
Every airline has different rules regarding lost luggage, but all have some policies. Read up on your airline’s policy before flying to find out what happens if your bag doesn’t show up on time. You can also check out the Air Travel Consumer Report for information about how airlines performed in past years. If there’s been an improvement in customer service or baggage handling, it’ll be noted there.
Be Sure to Ask About Compensation and Insurance Options
Airlines typically offer compensation for lost bags — usually in vouchers that can be used toward flights or hotels — but it may not be enough to cover all of your expenses while you wait for your bag to arrive. If this happens to you, ask about insurance options offered by the airline that could help cover some costs like meals and other expenses while waiting for your bag to arrive.
Final Words
When dealing with lost luggage, the most important thing is staying calm and acting quickly. Contacting the airline ASAP will put you at an advantage, as they may be able to get a better idea of where your luggage maybe than you.
If the airline’s tracking the missing items but is unable to find them, the next step is to contact baggage claim services for your destination; depending on the city, this can involve contacting a separate company from the airline or just one specializing in handling lost luggage. There are many outstanding services available for tracking down lost luggage, and you must keep at it until your items are found (or declared irretrievable).
