It's every vacationer's nightmare. The carousel keeps revolving and your bag isn't on it. Sometimes it just happens, but there are ways to reduce the likelihood of you going one way and your bag taking it's own vacation without you.
1) Don’t check it to begin with! OK – this isn’t always feasible. But, it’s worth a careful review of what you are packing: a) do you really need it and b) will it fit into a carry-on? If you are trying to leave room for souvenirs, toss in a collapsible bag for the return trip instead of checking a bag.
2) Use a sturdy ID tag. Label with your name and a phone number where you can be reached during your trip (cell phone is great if you are bringing it with you). Paper tags are easily torn off or ripped apart.
3) Place a card or note inside your luggage with your name and phone number. If the outside tag is lost or damaged, the airline can contact you to reunite you with your bag.
4) Let your luggage stand out in the crowd. Choose a color other than black, wrap with a bright luggage strap, use a unique, easily identifiable tag. The vast majority of bags that are “stolen” aren’t actually stolen. They’re mistakenly grabbed by the wrong traveler because they all look alike!
5) Avoid short layovers when booking your flights. If you’re running through the airport trying to make a tight connection, what chance do your bags have to make the connection?
6) Double check the claim tag when you hand your bag to the agent. Mistakes happen and sometimes luggage gets tagged with the wrong label.
7) Count your bags before you leave the airport. Remember the story from Cheaper By the Dozen, where they left a child behind? Well, don’t let one of your bags get left revolving on the carousel waiting for you. This is especially common with groups - one or two people go to get currency exchanged, another few head for the bathroom, someone else “babysits” the bags or hands them over to a skycap while a few members are collecting them from the carousel and placing them on the pile. Next thing you know, everyone is headed out the door assuming their bag is in the pile. Oooops.
8) If the last bag sign arrives and your bag didn’t, head straight for the airline’s luggage counter. Worse case is the bag is lost and you need to file a claim. But, there’s also a possibility that your bag took an earlier flight and is waiting for YOU. Or, perhaps it is coming in later. Regardless, you do not want to leave the airport without either the bag or a claim filed.
These tips will go a long way to preventing lost luggage. I’ll address steps to take if a bag DOES go astray in a future article.
Do you have any additional suggestions or tips for avoiding lost bags? I’d love to hear them.