There is a good reason why insurance companies get lost luggage covered. If you can spare the amount, it is a justifiable expense. Do it because losing luggage while on a globetrotting escapade is no fun at all! It is a spoiler you wouldn’t dream of experiencing when you are all set to have a fabulous time.
If it happens to you, what happens to your luggage if you don’t get it back? How long must you wait? How long will the airline look for its owner and what happens if you don’t get it back? Whether you are a frequent or occasional traveler, you need to know a few basic facts about luggage to be ready for the incidence should it happen to you. The article written by Rhiannon Edwards is something you would want to read to have an idea What happens to lost luggage? Check this out in Telegraph Travel – Travel News Section.
“Research from SITA. . there were 25.8 million mishandled (lost and temporarily mislaid) bags in 2012. The last detailed consumer research into lost baggage from the Association of European Airlines suggested that 85 per cent of bags reported as being lost are returned to their owners by courier within 48 hours, meaning they are “misdirected” rather than lost. It is far more common that bags will be lost when passengers are taking connecting flights.
If your bag is misdirected on the way out, the airline must give you money to buy replacement items or reimburse you for purchases you make to cover your loses while you wait for your bag. But they can be evasive and pass responsibility to any other airlines you have travelled with or your insurance company, Sophie Butler, Telegraph Travel’s consumer correspondent, writes.
UK airlines have 21 days to track your bag before it is officially “irretrievably lost”. They trace it through the electronic tag that is put on it when you drop off your luggage, but bags can be difficult to find if a faulty or incorrect code was entered by the person who checked it in. At this stage, after a lengthy process of making a claim, you can get compensation for your bag.
But what processes are available if the bag still hasn’t been found at this stage?”
Twenty-one days is 21 days of having to holiday without the stuff you need for the things you planned to do. Not only will you need to spend additional (even with some money from the airline), you also need to spend a lot of time buying the basic stuff you have an immediate need for. Even with the World Tracer System that big airline companies use to track missing luggage for 100 days, there is always that remote chance of never finding it.
Some of the common reasons for lost luggage are failures in the belt or structure of the conveyor belt that makes the carousel run or the tag was lost so that there is difficulty tracing the owner. If you are on connecting flights and the connections times are too close, the bags may have not made it on time to the next plane. If you have several pieces of travelling bags, you may also lose track of a piece and fail to pick it up from the carousel. If that happens, you have to go back to the airport because it will just sit there waiting for you; airports generally store them for up to 90 days.
Most airline companies will do everything to find your luggage for a minimum of 90 days. It is likely to turn up if it was not stolen and was simply misdirected or forgotten while picking your luggage. After 90 days and you were not linked to your luggage, it can’t stay forever in the airport. It goes with the rest of the unclaimed baggage and sold off in an auction for charity.
Losing luggage while on ravel is a nightmare; you wouldn’t want that to happen to you. Airlines and the airports are all geared up to help you track your possession, but there is no guarantee as to when you can get them back. Pray that you get them as soon as possible or you end up spending much time buying stuff again.
Travel insurance with lost luggage coverage is a great way to get all your personal possessions covered; at least it would not cost you to spend additional money. With intact tags and information, it will not take much time for your lost luggage to be tracked down and returned to you. So, putting those tags is a pretty essential thing travellers must do before heading to their destination. It is a small matter you can do as a precaution that can make so much difference when your luggage goes missing.
