Lost & Found: what to do if your luggage doesn't make it

Mar 19, 2018. Posted in Services, Produkte

Every traveller's nightmare: the airline loses your luggage. It looks as if your holiday is ruined from the word go. Here are our tips on how to avoid major inconvenience.

At last, the big summer holiday has begun for the whole family. The flight's behind you and you have already forgotten the pressure in your ears. Now everyone can relax. But then the suitcases don't turn up on the carousel. We've put together some tips on how you can enjoy the summer even when something like that happens.

 

Don't leave the airport before getting help

 

Report the baggage missing straightaway to the Lost & Found office at the airport where you are. The people manning it will be well prepared to answer your questions. In most cases, it won't take long untillyou get your luggage back – in eight out of ten cases, missing luggage turns out to have been put on a later flight.1 If your bags don't turn up at your destination airport within 21 days, they will be regarded as lost. In this case, you'll be entitled to compensation from the airline. Ideally, you'll have kept the receipts for everything that you have lost. If you've had them for some time, of course, this isn't always possible. Alternatively, you can ask for the compensation to be on the basis of the luggage's weight.

 

How to be prepared for all eventualities:

  • Think about what you put in your hand luggage; it should include a change of clothing and toiletries for the whole family. Stressful situations are much easier to cope with if you're wearing fresh clothes.
  • Valuables need to go in your hand luggage, too – airlines often pay replacement costs only up to a certain amount.
  • Label the inside and outside of your luggage with your name and address.
  • Make sure you keep the barcode labels that you get when checking your luggage in. You can use them to report a loss and to find out where you luggage has ended up.
  • To put an exact figure on your loss, make sure you keep the receipts of items you've bought.

 

In the event of any doubt, luggage insurance will ensure you get back the full value of the items you've lost. 

 

 

1SITA, Société Internationale de Télécommunication Aéronautique, 2015.