Tips on Avoiding Baggage Problems

Best Baggage Tips When Traveling

Relatively few bags are ever damaged or lost it's reported but mine were lost in London in the airport-- got them back quickly they were set aside in an airport office for some reason  and mischecked to the wrong airport at curbside in Portland going to Las Vegas.  Instead of LV the agent put LAX. And again in Miami.  Always double check your baggage tag after check in. However, your chances of encountering this experience can be reduced even further if you follow the advice and rolling garment bags tips and baggage tips set out below.

Packing
Avoid putting the following in checked baggage:

Valuables (cash, jewelry). Don't rely on suitcase locks; they are easily defeated.
Critical items (medicine, keys, passport, tour vouchers, business papers).
Irreplaceable items (manuscript, heirlooms).
Fragile items (camera, eyeglasses, glass containers). If these must be checked, wrap them carefully in padding.
Perishables.
 

Carry the above items either:

on your person, or
in a small bag that you carry on board.
 

Even if a bag is not lost, it may be delayed for a day or two as mn were in Las vegas for 2 days. It is wise to put items that you will need during the first 24 hours in a carry-on bag (toiletries, one change of underwear).

Don't overpack checked bags. This puts pressure on the latches, making it easier for them to spring open and it happens.

Your checked bags may need to be opened for a security inspection out of your presence. If you wish to lock your bags, get information on locks that security personnel can open and then re-lock. If you use an unapproved lock and your bag is selected for inspection, the security staff will break the lock if necessary.

Put a tag on the outside of your baggage with your name, home address, and home cell phone especialy-- they may try to reach you while you'er travleong and work phone numbers. The airlines provide free stick-on tags. Most carriers also have "privacy tags" which conceal this information from passersby.

Put the same information inside each bag, and add an address and cell phone number and home and work telephone number where you can be reached at your destination city.

Carry-on luggage or baggage advice:

Check with the airline for any limits it has on the size, weight, or number of carry-on bags. (There is no single federal standard.)
Inquire about your flight; different airplanes can have different limits.
If you are using more than one airline for a trip, check on all of them.
A heavy bag which fits in an overhead bin may still cause the bin to exceed its weight limit.
Don't assume that the flight has unlimited closet space for garment bags; some may have to be checked.
Don't pack anything in a carry-on bag that could be considered a weapon (e.g., scissors, knife).

Don't check in at the last minute. Even if you make the flight, your bag may not.

Make sure that you get a claim check for every single bag that you check. Don't throw them away until your bags are returned. Not only will you need them if a claim is necessary, but you may need to show them to security upon leaving the baggage-claim area. Don't leave them in the seat-pocket on the airplane.

Verify that the agent checking your bags attaches a destination tag to each one. (Remove tags from previous trips to avoid confusion.) Check to see that these tags show the correct three-letter code for your destination airport. This happened to me in Porltand and Miami.

Know where your bags are checked to. They may be checked only to one of your intermediate stops rather than your final destination if:

you must clear Customs short of your final destination, or
you are taking a connecting flight involving two airlines which don't have an interline agreement (e.g., Southwest Airlines does not transfer bags to other carriers).
 

If you have a choice, select flights which minimize the potential for baggage disruption. The likelihood of a bag going astray increases as the following numbers get higher:

nonstop flights
through flights (one or more stops, but no change of aircraft)
online connections (change of aircraft but not airlines)
interline connections (change of aircraft and airlines)
Buy "excess valuation" from the airline if your property is worth more than the airline's liability limit. This limit is usually $3,300 per passenger for domestic trips ($3,000 for trips before December 22, 2008). The limit for most international trips originating in the U.S. is 1,000 "Special Drawing Rights" per passenger.

Your chances of recovery can be improved depending on where and how you bought your airline ticket -keep track of everything. Some credit card companies and travel agencies offer optional baggage insurance; some others provide it automatically.

Claiming Your Bags
If your bag arrives open, unlocked or visibly damaged, check immediately to see if any of the contents are missing or damaged.

Report any problems to your airline before leaving the airport. Insist that the airline fill out a form and give you a copy, even if they say the bag will be in on the next flight. Get the agent's name and an appropriate telephone number for following up (not Reservations).

It's not unusual for the airline to take your claim checks when you report the problem; simply make sure this is noted on all copies of the report they give you.

Before leaving the airport, ask the airlineagent if they will deliver the bag without charge to you at yor htoel or home when it is found. Also ask about an advance or reimbursement for any items you must buy while your bag is missing.

Open your suitcase or rolling garment bag if not a carry on and immediately when you get to where you are staying. Report any baggage damage or to contents or theft or pilferage immediately by telephone. Make a note of the date and time of the call, and the name and telephone number of the person you spoke with. Follow up immediately with a certified letter. These are some of the best baggage tips. Rolling Garment Bags