Few things are as frustrating as having made cheap travel plans with the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms or cheap vacation packages only to arrive at your destination and discover that your bags did not arrive.
In 2010 airlines mishandled 12 bags for every 1,000 passengers. The following are among the most frequent explanations as to why bags are lost:
The bags routing label gets damaged or falls off.
Passengers neglect to pick up their luggage upon reaching their destination airport.
Sometimes an airline agent types in the wrong destination code on a bags routing label. Bags that should be going to LGA (LaGuardia) sometimes end up at LAX (Los Angeles).
Bags have been known to be loaded onto the wrong flight. Human error can result in an airline employee placing a bag on the wrong baggage cart which results in it being loaded on a wrong plane.
Over two million bags were lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered in 2010. If you do not want your checked bag to become another lost statistic, you should do the following:
Ask the airline representative handling your luggage to show you the routing information placed on the handle to confirm it is correct before your bag is moved along the conveyor belt.
Place your ID on your bag in multiple locations, outside as well as inside the bag. Make certain your ID includes your name, address, and cell number, if you have one.
Pack a copy of your itinerary inside your bag in an obvious spot so that your airline will know where to send your bag if they are unable to contact you.
Take any removable straps off of your luggage to reduce the chances of your bag being snagged in transit.
Arrive at the airport in plenty of time since bags checked within 30 minutes of departure may not get loaded on the intended plane.
Check your bag inside the airports main counter vs. curbside to lessen the chances of a mix up.
Make your bag stand out by adding a colorful handle wrap or placing a few stripes of brightly colored duct tape.
Since most bags are either black or blue, buy a different color the next time you purchase a bag to make it easier to locate in a room filled with luggage.
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