Delayed Luggage?
There is nothing so stressful as arriving at your destination and you wait for your bag at the arrival hall only to be told you luggage did not come with you on your flight. If you are a frequent traveler like me you know what I am talking about. It gets worse if you had packed all your clothes in your checked in luggage not to mention if you were going for a business presentation, and the materials you need are all in it. Delayed baggage is a frequent occurrence in the airline industry. We all wake up, pack our luggage and hope to arrive at our destination to enjoy our vacation or whatever we have gone to do, we want to do in a stress free environment and that means having our luggage with us. Why does luggage delay in spite the fact that the the airline has promised to ensure you travel with your luggage? As a matter of fact, it is considered a security risk if your bag does not accompany you- that is a story for another day. Let us see some of the reasons why you may arrive at your destination without your luggage.
Tight connections
When you have a tight connection for your flight, there are chances you are not going to connect with your luggage. You may get it at the earliest later in the day or the following day depending on how big, busy your connection airport is and how smooth the process of the airline you are traveling with is. Some luggage get delayed for a week or more and sometimes you may never get your bag at all and in this case the airline may opt to pay.
Tagless Bag
Ever had of a tag-less bag? Oh yes this can happen. The tag put on you luggage may come off due to various reason not your fault or the airline's but occasionally this does happen. Airports handle a lot of luggage to different destinations, tags are meant to guide the staff on which destination to load your bag. A tagless bag has no destination and can not be loaded, it will its way to an assorted area within the airport and the airline staff will try their best to locate the owner. The reason why it is important to always have a name tag on your bag with contacts and your permanent residence. With the passenger manifest, it will be easier to ferry your bag to your destination or to your permanent address if you have come back home from your destination.
Space and Weight Restrictions
Sometimes the bulky of the luggages we carry as travellers or the number may be more than the aircraft we are travelling on. If this happens, the airline will of course leave your bag behind and promise to get it to you at the earliest time possible. sometimes the space may be available but the weight limit of loads the aircraft has to carry may be exceeded, in this case the airlines choose to carry the passengers without their bags and ferry them later.
Weather conditions
When it is cold, aircrafts carry more weight than when it is hot.In hotter conditions ,more luggage may be left behind due to weight limitations.
Someone picked your luggage
This happened to a friend of mine, someone picked up her luggage thinking it was theirs. The bags were similar, she got her luggage two days later when we were on our way home from our vacation. She was not amused, neither would I if the something similar were to happen to me.
How to ensure chances of getting your luggage are high
First, be a pro at packing lightly, this way you will not have to check in your bag as you will have only cabin luggage. You will not have to worry about not getting your luggage unless you leave it in the cabin when disembarking.
Label your bag
Have a name tag with your full names, e-mail address, telephone number and your permanent physical address attached to your bag. Have another one inside your bag where it is easily accessible. I prefer to have the kind of name tag which I can reuse, all I have to do is slide in a piece of paper with my address and can change them as often as possible, that way I can include my destination on the date of travel. You can choose to have this on a different name tag which you can change conveniently. It is advisable to have your permanent residential address in case your bag delays for longer than expected. You do not what to be given a call that your bag has been delivered to the hotel where you were staying for the vacation when you have already come back home and your vacation is long over.
Attach something unique to your bag
I like tying a scarf tightly around the handle. It is always easy for me to spot my luggage a mile away and no one is going to mistake my luggage for theirs.A strap around your bag can also do, just ensure that it is not of the same colour as your bag for convenience. You can always but it inside your bag once collected if you do not want walk with it around your bag.
Which ways do you employ to ensure you get your checked in bag at your destination? If you loved this article please share with your friends and travel buddies.
Labels: Luggage
