Checked Luggage= Lost Luggage?
The airlines had a tough year with baggage. As Peter Greenberg says, “There are only two types of luggage, carry-on and lost.” I have to agree – or add that if it is not lost, it is most likely delayed.
And where is it when it is delayed? What condition will it be in when you receive it?
When traveling with kids, lost or delayed luggage can be devastating. Two incidents come to mind – both happened this past year to friends of ours. One was a ski trip to Colorado for a three day weekend. When the passengers arrived and their luggage didn’t, they immediately tried to track it down. They spent the next day on hold with one office or another, just to locate their luggage. Needless to say, they missed the whole point of the trip – as their skis, boots, and warm clothing were checked as baggage and subsequently lost!
The other incident happened to a family of 6- 2 adults, 2 teenagers, and 2 small children. A long planned trip to sunny Florida was going to be the highlight of the year. Instead when their luggage didn’t arrive, they spent 1/3 of their week long trip just trying to find swimsuits and shorts for the family – not to mention the infant supplies. The stress from disappointed kids, not knowing where their luggage was, the out of pocket cost involved in finding supplies quickly and in an unfamiliar area, and an unsympathetic airline ruined the entire vacation. Thinking that the credit card company would compensate for this loss, they were upset when the paperwork was tedious and the compensation pitiful.
Both of these cases are pretty common nowadays. What can you do?
Well you have a couple options:
1) Learn to pack efficiently and lightly. Use (not abuse) your carry on rights. Yes, a pet peeve is those who cannot even lift their own bag in the overhead since it is stuffed to overflowing. We are going to Europe next week for 2 weeks; one week in the Mediterranean on a cruise, and one week in Germany. Two different climates and environments and we are not checking luggage. It IS possible – it requires smart packing and planning.
And for travelers that are not able to fit everything in a carry-on, there is another option:
2) Use a luggage service to deliver your luggage to your destination – domestic and international! If budget is an issue, consider packing one bag for the whole family filled with the most valuable and necessary items. Pack items in this bag that if they went missing would mean crying kids or crying parents! Then check the rest of your luggage knowing that if it doesn’t show up – you could survive. (swimsuits are a big one – difficult to find for all members of a family- and who wants to spend time shopping for these things instead of being on vacation?)
Luggage delivery is also a great option for sports equipment (golf clubs, skis, snowboards, etc.), wheelchairs, car seats, and strollers.
Customer service is at an all time low in the aviation world. And as Peter Greenberg says in his book The Complete Travel Bible it is only because we are travel addicts that we put up with it and keep returning for more!
Don’t complain – think prevention. Take matters out of the airlines’ hands. Think of how great it is to avoid standing in lines- avoiding the check in line AND the lost baggage line- how much easier it is knowing that your bags WILL arrive so that you can focus on what is important!
*Also consider purchasing Travel Insurance – they will reimburse you for items needed immediately whereas the airlines will only consider compensation after 24 hours.
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