Lost Luggage: The Secrets of Airlines

Have you ever found yourself anxiously waiting in front of the airport baggage carousel, hoping that your suitcase arrives in one piece? And sometimes, the worst happens: our suitcase is damaged, or worse, lost. Don't worry, we are here to guide you through this complicated situation.

Loss or damage report

You are still at the airport

The first step is to report the problem. Head to the baggage service of your airline. You must fill out a "baggage irregularity report" (PIR). Make sure to fill it out as accurately and completely as possible. At the end of your report, you will be given a file number. Keep it in order to be able to follow the progress of the search for your baggage.

If you have made your request with Air France, you can track the progress of your claim by clicking here (remember to have your file number provided during the report).

You have already left the airport

If you have already left the airport and find that your baggage is missing or damaged, you still have options. Most airlines allow the declaration of lost or damaged baggage directly on their website, but don't wait too long, as it is likely subject to a deadline (for example, Air France only accepts online declarations within 48 hours of your arrival at the airport for lost baggage and 7 days for damaged baggage).

Compensation

If your baggage is not found after 21 days, it is considered definitively lost. At this point, you are entitled to compensation. The amount of compensation is calculated based on the weight of your baggage and the delay in delivery, up to a maximum of 1,131 special drawing rights (SDRs), a unit of account used by the IMF, which is approximately 1,300 euros (at the time of writing this article).

How to avoid losing your baggage

Airlines are constantly working to improve their service to encourage you to travel with them, which is why baggage losses are never in their favor, as they give a bad image of their service. Despite all the good will these companies may have, errors can occur at various stages of the process.

Have easily identifiable baggage

The first cause of luggage losses comes from human error, hundreds of people work day and night at the airport to transfer your baggage, it only takes a moment of inattention for your suitcase to be lost. To minimize the risks of errors, your baggage must be identifiable at first glance, the simplest solution is to use the baggage tag that was given to you or directly attached to your suitcase during check-in, you can also buy your own tags in a department store or specialized store.

Lock your suitcase

Securing your suitcase is vital during a trip, it deters bad baggage handlers from stealing your belongings and also prevents your suitcase from accidentally opening during transport. It is very important to install a lock, whether it is the one integrated into your suitcase or a lock of your choice with a key or code. For suitcases with code locks and integrated locks, we recommend that you write down or take a photo of your code once you have set it up, this will save you the headache of remembering your code.

Retrieve your suitcase

At the time of disembarkation, your priority is probably to retrieve your baggage, but with hundreds of travelers around you and hundreds of suitcases on the baggage carousels, it is not impossible that two suitcases resemble each other enough for someone not paying attention to take your suitcase.

This is what happened to my uncle on a trip to the United States last month. As we were getting off the plane to pick up our baggage, we couldn't find my uncle's suitcase, we searched for more than an hour and then we noticed that there was a suitcase on the baggage carousel that was identical to his, but with a tag bearing the wrong name. The airport services were able to call the person thanks to the tag she had left on her suitcase, and we were able to retrieve my uncle's belongings.

It's not easy to avoid this kind of problem, but with today's new technologies, Apple and Samsung offer products such as AirTag and Galaxy SmartTag, starting from 30€, which allows you to acquire reusable mini trackers for your luggage from your phone if you install them in your suitcase.

 

We hope these tips will help you in preparing for your vacation, don't forget to rest well, and enjoy your trip to the fullest. If you are missing a suitcase, we hope you will find what you are looking for among the bags we offer.