What to do when luggage is lost

It’s the thing we all dread as we stand at the baggage carousel…discovering that our luggage didn’t make it to our destination.  With a concerted effort by airlines world-wide, the frequency of this is dropping, but it still effects around 7 in every 1,000 passengers. So if you’re one of those unlucky ones, here’s my tips for what to do when your luggage is lost. 

Photo from canva.com
Photo from canva.com

On our recent return trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne, we flew Jetstar Asia from Ho Chi Minh to Singapore, then it was a quick transit to change planes in Singapore for a Jetstar flight to Melbourne.

As we checked our luggage in at HCMC for both flights right through to Melbourne, both Queenie and I had a premonition that our bags just weren’t going to make it.  We were right.

After about half an hour of watching suitcases going around and around on the carousel at Melbourne airport, and only finding two of our four items, I decided that just maybe no more luggage was coming off that particular flight. There were still about 20 of us waiting at the carousel, so I hot-footed it over to baggage services to get ahead of the form-filling-in rush.

I was right. There were no more bags to come off that flight, and the ones which were still going around and around were ones that had missed the connection the day before.  So I filled in the paperwork and was told our bags would probably be on the same flight the following day, and would be sent out to our home when they arrived.

Eventually, 36 hours after we arrived at home, the bags did.  No major drama…but it did make me think of a few things we should have done differently in the process, and reflect on what we did right.  So here’s my tips for…

What to do when luggage is lost.

Be the first to head to Baggage Services

If you’re standing at the baggage carousel waiting for your bags and five to ten minutes has gone by with no new luggage appearing from the chute/gate/ramp, assume that is the end of that flight’s luggage and head straight to Baggage Services to find out. I did that, while around 20 other people stood at the carousel, optimistic for the luggage miracle. As a result, we had already filled in our form and were out of there, while a Baggage Services staff member wandered over to the carousel crowd to explain the process.

Photograph your luggage

Obviously, this is something you have to do BEFORE your luggage goes missing. When you fill in the delayed/lost luggage form, it asks for the size, colour, make of your suitcase or bag, and any distinguishing features (bag tags etc).  All I could remember about mine was that it was red, and ‘about this big’ (imagine I’m gesturing with my hands at this point.)

As you’re packing your bags before the trip, whip out your phone and take a couple of quick snaps of the luggage (especially the brand name label), which you can then refer to for form-filling.

Photograph the bag tags

You know how you get those bar-coded stickers stuck onto a boarding pass, which match up to the numbers on the bag tags the airline attaches to your luggage? Photograph those too.

When we reported our bags missing, the staff at Baggage Services took our sticker tags, as well as the tags off the two pieces of luggage that did arrive. So we walked away with no record of which bags were missing, or what bag tag numbers they were.

Insist on a case reference number

We reported our bags were missing, filled in the form, and then walked away. We were tired from the overnight flight, and it was only once we’d exited the airport that I thought about the fact that I had no reference number for the missing bags if I wanted to follow it up by phone.

The following day, when I hadn’t heard anything from Jetstar several hours after the flight the bags should have been on had arrived, I called Baggage Services. But without a case reference number, I had to go through all the details all over again – including the vague description of bags etc.

Carry essentials in carry-on luggage

It’s tempting to waltz through the airport and onto the plane with little other than your passport, wallet and phone. I hardly ever need anything other than those items when I’m flying. However, the carry-on allowance is reasonably generous, and by being smart about what you pack in it, you can have the essentials for 24 hours or so in a foreign land while you wait for your luggage to catch up. A light-weight change of clothes, several sets of underwear, basic toiletries (in bottles of 100ml or less and in a sealed clear plastic bag) and you’ve at least got enough to get by on.

Valuables (such as cameras, iPads, phones, jewellery, travellers’ cheques, cash) should ALWAYS be in your carry-on luggage, as should all prescription medications and anything irreplaceable (family heirlooms, old photographs etc).

Have travel insurance

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…never travel without travel insurance. Not only is it essential in the unfortunate instance of sickness or injury, it will often cover you for the cost of essentials when your luggage is delayed, or for the value of the suitcase and contents in the event the luggage never turns up. (Check the fine print of any policy to familiarise yourself with exactly what it covers.)  We use Cover-More* travel insurance and have always found them great to deal with in the event of any travel drama.

If you do need to buy essentials, keep receipts

Sometimes, it can be days before delayed luggage turns up, and you may need to buy some essentials to get by. Or perhaps you’re travelling to attend a wedding and the dress and shoes are in the suitcase that is missing. Obviously, you don’t want to go to the wedding in your travel leggings and hoodie – so a bit of shopping is in order.

In these cases, keep all your receipts, as some or all of the purchases may be covered by your travel insurance (again, check your policy to find out what is and isn’t covered). It’s also worth calling the hotline for your particular insurer as soon as you can to notify them of the missing luggage so that the details are already in the system when you put in a claim.

Photograph the contents of the luggage

Again, something which has to be done in advance. I’d never thought about this until our own bags were delayed…but I realised that if I had to write down a list of everything that was in that missing bag for insurance purposes, I would probably forget some items. Next time I pack checked baggage, I’m going to lay everything out on the bed, take a couple of quick snapshots on the phone, and then I’ll have a memory prompt (and a record) in the event the bag never turns up.  I’ll have to do it twice – once when packing at home, and again when repacking to return from the destination (to include all the new items I may have bought…).

(Oh, and all those valuables I mentioned which are in your carry-on bag? Make sure you keep receipts for those when you first purchase them – as they may be needed for any insurance claims, even years down the track.)

Has your luggage ever gone missing? Any tips to add?

 

* This is an affiliate link to the Cover-More home page

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