How to Handle Lost or Damaged Luggage at the Airport
You get to the airport, ready to start your vacation or business trip, only to find your baggage missing or damaged. Don't panic. Passenger airports have staff waiting to assist you and take a report about your baggage. Just as you study maps of your destination, you should know what to do if the airline fail to deliver your luggage or if it arrives damaged.
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Instructions
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Happily, most lost luggage usually reaches its owners within 24 hours. Go immediately to the office in the baggage area to report your missing bag if you don't find it on the carousel in the claim area. Present your claim ticket and other pertinent information to the employee; leave with a copy of the report, a toll-free number to call and the number of the local office where you made your claim. Ask about the policies regarding delivery of your lost luggage and if there is any charge. Also ask about the potential for reimbursement should you need to buy any necessities to get you through the time you will be without your luggage. Save all receipts. In 2010, U.S. airlines took in about 700 million suitcases, with more than 2 million of them not arriving at the destination airport, according to an April 2011 report from the Associated Press. Most were returned to their owners within 24 hours.
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File a second claim report should the airline declare your bag lost and unable to be retrieved; the Department of Transportation advises that you file the claim promptly. The airlines' liability for lost luggage, as of June 2011, is $3,300 per passenger, not per bag, and that is not necessarily the amount you will receive. Airlines will use the information on your claim form to determine the value of your lost goods. They will consider a depreciated value of items and often ask for receipts for things you claim to have been in the baggage. For instance, if you bought an expensive souvenir jacket on your trip, be prepared to show the receipt. Keep receipts in a safe place, outside of the baggage, for anything you might have purchased for your trip or at your destination. Airlines will negotiate a price with you and could offer tickets in exchange, according to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It could take up to three months to reach a settlement.
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Report any damages right away to the airline; it is advisable to check your bag before you leave the airport so that you can file a report immediately. The airline typically will pay to fix your damaged bag if it can be repaired. If it cannot be fixed, the airline will negotiate its depreciated value, according to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is best to carry on fragile items.
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Tips & Warnings
Put all essential personal items, such as medicine, travel documents, your passport, paperwork and eyeglasses in your carry-on bag.
Do not pack valuables, such as cash, credit cards, jewelry or expensive electronics in a suitcase you will check with the airline.
Put a bag identification on both the inside and outside of your suitcase; place a copy of your itinerary and a phone number where you can be reached at your destination on top of the packed items.
Be aware that airlines reserve the right to limit what they will reimburse for in lost luggage. Delta Air Lines, for example, will not reimburse travelers for items such as jewelry, cash, camera equipment or other valuables contained in checked or unchecked baggage. Ask a service representative before you pack if you have an item that might not fall under an airline's liability. (Reference 5)
References
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