What To Do When Your Luggage Doesn't Arrive When You Do

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

09 Mar 2008 10:22 AM

There have been a handful of times when I have arrived at my destination city and my luggage hasn't. If you are a frequent flyer then you too have likely experienced the following: standing solo next to the baggage carousel long after the rest of your fellow passengers have been reunited with their luggage wondering if perhaps a handler had simply forgot to take your bags off the plane. Then reality sets in and you are sure your bags are half way to Timbuktu.

Now what?

If your wedding dress, lucky business suit or pricey Manolo Blahnik's were tucked away in your missing bag you are probably steaming and are looking for the nearest airline rep to tear into.

My advice: Take a few minutes to cool down. I have learned that when it comes to getting anyone in the airline industry to help you it's best to stay smart, be nice (even when the rep is an aloof jerk), and follow these tips:

Remain Calm. As hard as it may be to do so you will find most airline employees (even the ones in charge of helping you fill out lost luggage claims) are much more helpful if you aren't shouting like a lunatic and threatening to sue the airline.

By the way, if are able to keep it together and are still treated poorly by a customer service rep there are ways to report the incident. You can start with the airline website's "Contact Us" or "Customer Service" section. If you're really ticked then contact the company's general counsel. And if you really want to make a federal case of it contact the Department of Transportation. Call (202) 366-2220, or you can file a complaint at: Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. 20590. The DOT will want documentation including your airline ticket and any correspondence you have had with the carrier. Which brings me to Tip #2.

Document Everything. This includes your boarding pass and a printout of your e-ticket. Also don't wait 10 days to jot down what happened at the airport; rather while the events are fresh in your mind write down the date, time, and a summary of the incident. It's also a good idea to have at least one photo of your bag on hand. Snap a couple with your digital camera or cellphone prior to check-in so you have an accurate and detailed picture of your bags should then go AWOL.

Be Persistent. If you don't hear from the airline regarding your missing bags within 24 hours contact them again. In most cases airlines have standard policies in place to deal with lost luggage and subsequent compensation to passengers. If you are given what you feel is inadequate compensation complain again, politely but persistently. Follow-ups are typically more successful than first tries. Once it becomes clear you aren't going away or settling for peanuts, your chances of getting results should improve.

Related Articles:

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Travel Gadget--Bag Tracker

The Land of Lost Luggage

Travel Alert: New Airline Carry-On Restrictions

No More Lost Luggage

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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