There are few things more frustrating than standing beside the baggage carousel watching suitcase after suitcase appear while yours seems to have vanished into thin air. Even worse is finally getting your luggage back only to discover that your suitcase has been damaged, your belongings have been broken or in a scenario that sounds more like the opening scene of a holiday horror film, there is something inside your case that definitely wasn’t there when you packed it.
Most baggage problems are thankfully far less dramatic, but knowing what to do if your luggage is delayed, lost or damaged can save a lot of stress and potentially money. Plus while discovering a snake or scorpion in your suitcase is extremely unusual, holidaymakers should know what to do if they return home with a rather unexpected stowaway.
Here are my tips for dealing with everything from a missing suitcase to a very unwelcome holiday souvenir.
Image by Dat Huynh from Pixabay
Don’t leave the airport without reporting a baggage issue
If your suitcase doesn’t appear on the carousel, don’t simply go home and hope it turns up tomorrow.
Report the missing bag to the airline or its baggage-handling representative at the airport as soon as possible. You should normally receive a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), so keep a copy or take a photograph of it.
If your bag is delayed, airlines will generally reimburse reasonable essential expenses you have to make while you are without it, such as basic toiletries and underwear. Keep every receipt because you’ll need evidence of what you have bought.
If your bag is eventually returned, remember that a delayed baggage claim is different from a claim for baggage that is considered lost. Under the Montreal Convention, if checked baggage has not arrived within 21 days of when it should have arrived, it can be treated as lost.
Don’t throw away your boarding pass, baggage tag, PIR or receipts. Photographing everything and keeping it together in one email folder can make the eventual claim much easier.
Photograph everything
A suitcase arriving with a broken wheel, smashed shell or damaged handle is another common holiday headache. Report the damage at the airport baggage desk before you leave if possible. You may be given a PIR, but this isn’t the end of the process, you’ll still need to make a written claim to the airline.
The CAA says claims for damaged baggage should be made in writing within seven days. Take photographs of the damage and keep receipts or other evidence showing the value of the suitcase or its contents.
Don’t assume that because you’ve managed to wheel your battered suitcase home, the airline no longer needs to know about it.
Be persistent
One of the biggest mistakes consumers make is giving up after the first unsatisfactory response.
If you’re struggling to get a response from the airline, use every legitimate customer-service channel available. Check its website for online complaint forms, social media customer-service teams and alternative ways of contacting it.
Always keep your complaint factual and put everything in writing. A clear timeline – flight number, date, what happened, when you reported it and what the airline has said since – can be surprisingly powerful.
If you still can’t resolve the matter, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) may be an option. The CAA says aviation consumers can continue to use the two approved schemes, AviationADR and CEDR, and baggage complaints can fall within their remit.
If an airline isn’t signed up to an ADR scheme, the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team may be able to help with Montreal Convention baggage complaints after you’ve complained directly to the airline.
Don’t check it in!
This isn’t always practical, particularly if you’re travelling with children, heading away for a fortnight or taking half your wardrobe with you. However, travelling with hand luggage only removes one of the biggest potential baggage headaches.
If you can manage it, pack like a pro. Roll clothes, put socks and underwear inside shoes, use packing cubes and wear your bulkiest footwear and outer layers on the plane.
Just remember that cabin baggage and liquid restrictions can vary between airports, so check the rules for the airport you’re departing from rather than assuming they are identical everywhere.
Give your suitcase its own identity
A sea of identical black suitcases is a recipe for someone accidentally picking up the wrong bag.
Choose luggage with a distinctive colour or pattern, add a bright luggage strap or another obvious identifier and make sure your name and contact details are inside the case as well as on the outside.
The CAA specifically recommends putting your name, address and email address inside luggage in case the external baggage tag becomes detached.
Before you hand your suitcase over at check-in, take a quick photograph of it. A picture of the actual bag can be useful if you subsequently have to describe it to an airline.
Consider using a tracker
A luggage tracker won’t physically bring your suitcase back, but it can give you useful information about where it is.
If your checked luggage goes missing, being able to see that it is still sitting at the airport you departed from – rather than somewhere completely different – can give you useful information when dealing with the airline.
It can also be useful for identifying your suitcase quickly if several similar bags have arrived on the carousel.
Check in timely
If you’re cutting it fine at the airport, your suitcase may not have the same luxury of speed that you do.
Allow plenty of time to check in your luggage, particularly if you’re travelling from a busy airport or making a connection.
And if you have a tight connection, remember that your suitcase has to make the journey between aircraft too. Baggage can be particularly vulnerable to delays when passengers have transferred between flights or airlines.
And now for a really unusual luggage issue…
Most people are hoping to find their suitcase on the carousel containing exactly what they packed but occasionally travellers discover something rather more surprising when they unpack.
There have been plenty of stories over the years of holidaymakers discovering insects, spiders and other creatures that have hitched a ride home inside luggage. A snake or scorpion would certainly make for an unforgettable welcome home.
If you discover a live animal or potentially dangerous creature in your suitcase, don’t try to catch it, handle it or release it yourself.
Move away from it, keep children and pets away and, if possible, close the room off while you seek professional advice.
If you are still at an airport, tell airport staff or Border Force immediately.
If you’ve already arrived home, contact the appropriate authorities or a qualified wildlife/pest professional for advice rather than taking matters into your own hands. This is particularly important with snakes, scorpions or anything you cannot identify.
There can also be legal implications. Great Britain has rules governing the import of non-native animals, while some wild, dangerous or exotic species require additional licences. Certain endangered species are subject to CITES controls too.
In other words, that exotic creature may have travelled home with you accidentally but that doesn’t mean you can simply decide to keep it as a pet!
Inspect your suitcase when you get home
It sounds obvious, but unpacking isn’t just about getting your holiday clothes into the washing machine.
Give the outside and inside of your case a quick check before putting it away, particularly if you’ve been somewhere tropical or have stayed in accommodation where insects or other wildlife were common.
Check pockets, shoes and the folds of clothing – and don’t leave suitcases sitting open for days after your return.
It may only take a couple of minutes and could prevent an unwanted visitor from finding a new home in your house.
Final thoughts…
The golden rule with baggage issues is act quickly, keep evidence and don’t be fobbed off. Take photographs, keep your baggage tags, save your receipts and make your complaint in writing. Know the relevant deadlines and don’t assume that receiving your suitcase eventually means the matter is automatically closed.
If whatever is waiting inside your suitcase isn’t your missing flip-flops but something with eight legs, scales or a rather impressive set of pincers, resist the temptation to deal with it yourself. Some holiday souvenirs really are better left abroad!
