Baggage Blues? Here’s How to Handle Lost Bags Like a Pro 🧳

In terms of “worst nightmares” for travelers, losing your bag isn’t the absolute “worst,” but it’s close.

            Maybe you know the feeling. You’ve arrived at your destination, anticipating the fun that is to come on the ship or at the resort, the sights that you’ll see. You might be in a country you’ve never visited before, and that in itself could be a source of unease. Or maybe you’ve just arrived home, and you’re tired and looking forward to your own bed just a few hours from now. You find the proper baggage carousel at the airport, and you wait. Eventually, the belt starts moving, bags tumble down from the chute or come out from the wall. It was a full flight, so it might take a while for yours to appear…but they never do.

            Time to panic, right?

            Not quite, says Zach Wichter, travel writer for USA Today. In a recent column, Wichter talked about that dreaded feeling of realizing that your bag isn’t where it should be, on the carousel waiting for you to scoop it up. Your bag has been lost, or maybe just delayed. (There’s an important difference.) Wichter advises staying calm and taking action.

·         Don’t panic. Not seeing your bag is frustrating and maybe a little scary, especially if you kept valuables inside. (You shouldn’t, of course; that’s what carry-ons are for.) Don’t yell at any airline employees. None of the people you are about to interact with are directly at fault, so be polite.

·         Notify the airline. Every airport has a baggage-claim desk for this very purpose. They’ll advise you on what to do next. It might be possible for them to locate your bag right away. It might have been routed to the wrong carousel and be patiently cruising along the belt just a few yards away. Or, it might’ve been inadvertently left back at your departure airport, in which case it can be put on the next flight to where you are now.

·         Make sure your flight’s bags have been completely off-loaded and sent to the proper carousel. You’ll look more than a little foolish if the airline tells you that the bags from the plane are still being loaded onto the proper carousel, or that you were at the wrong one to begin with.

·         Start the claims process. If you’re sure that your bag didn’t make it, you’ll need to file a report. Make sure you keep all your paperwork with you. Have everything handy as the baggage claim person takes your information. The more info you can provide, the better.

·         Keep your receipts. The Department of Transportation requires airlines to reimburse passengers for “reasonable, verifiable and actual incidental expenses” that you incur as a result of an airline losing your bag. Typically, these are essentials like toiletries and basic clothing. This doesn’t mean you can go to the luxury shops in the airport and buy the latest designer outfit, but when the time comes to get reimbursed, you’ll need proper receipts for your purchases.

·         Make sure your baggage fees are refunded. If you spent extra money on your bags for this flight, that has to be paid back to you.

·         Stay in touch with the airline. You’ll receive updates from the airline as they search for your bag, and they’ll tell you what you’ll need for expense reimbursement once your bags are found and returned to you. Each airline has its own process for this, and while they’re similar to each other, they do vary somewhat by airline, so make sure you know what yours is.

·         Use technology to help. Many U.S. airlines now have “Apple Find My” capabilities integrated into their apps, allowing passengers to link AirTags with their reservations to help keep track of their bags. Delta, which serves most of our clients out of MSP, is one of them.

·         Reach out to your insurance company. Once your bags have been returned or officially declared lost, get in touch with your insurance company. Your belongings, if lost or damaged, could be covered by your policy. Travel insurance might also provide coverage. Most companies will only cover expenses over and above what the airline covers, so file all your expenses with the airline first.

Remember, there’s a difference between bags that are “lost” and those that are only “delayed.” The DOT and international regulations draw a clear line between the two. According to the DOT, airlines are allowed to set their own policies on when a bag can be considered lost, typically 5-14 days after the flight.

Once a bag is officially declared lost, airlines are required to reimburse passengers up to $4,700 for domestic flights and up to about $1,700 for international flights. The amount will depend on the value of the items lost, though carriers can reimburse at higher amounts.

It’s also possible that your bags were taken from the carousel by someone else who mistook them for their own bags. This happened to me and my husband once. The people who took the wrong bags reached out to the other party once they got home, opened the bags and said, “What’s all this stuff?” Now, I’m not going to say which of the parties we happened to be, but it had a happy ending!

Ready to get your own bags in the air? Give us a call!