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Travel

Living in the land of lost luggage

By CLAUDIA CAPOS
Published March 5, 2006

Whether you fly frequently or occasionally, you probably have experienced the lost-luggage blues. It's that sinking feeling that hits when the baggage carousel in the terminal grinds to a halt and your suitcase hasn't made the ride.

Our most recent bout of this malady came during a winter holiday trip to French Polynesia for an island cruise. We were relieved - albeit temporarily - when our two suitcases successfully made the tight flight connections from Detroit to Los Angeles.

However, our luggage hit a glitch on the direct, nonstop flight from L.A. to Tahiti. When we landed at the Papeete airport on New Year's Eve, our suitcases jammed with clothes for hot tropical weather and formal-dress nights did not land with us.

Instead of toasting the New Year over dinner and champagne, we spent the next hour swatting mosquitoes in the humid, open-air airport lounge while waiting our turn to fill out a lost-luggage claim form with a noncommittal airline representative.

By the time we finished, the hotel shuttle bus had left, temporarily stranding us at the airport.

Replacing our missing clothes with new purchases the next day turned out to be impossible. All the stores in downtown Papeete were shuttered for the entire New Year's weekend, so we were stuck with our winter-weight travel clothes and what we had packed in our carry-on luggage.

For three days and nights, I wore a turquoise workout shirt and shorts, and my travel companion Doug wore his long-sleeved shirt and bathing trunks.

Our lost luggage finally surfaced one hour before a bus arrived to transfer us to the Tahitian Princess. We were relieved, to say the least.

Although it's nearly impossible to prevent the loss or delay of your suitcase, there are a number of strategies you can use to minimize the inconvenience.

Build in time flexibility

When making your initial travel plans, try to book a direct flight to your destination, so your luggage is loaded and unloaded onto only one plane. Build in some flexibility by scheduling your arrival a day or two in advance of a cruise departure or organized tour.

Book an overnight room in a hotel within driving distance of the airport to make the delivery of delayed bags easier. This cushion of time may enable you to recover your lost luggage before you depart town on the next leg of your journey.

Invest in baggage insurance

Some credit card companies and airlines reimburse travelers for lost, damaged or delayed baggage. However, the amount may be prorated if your luggage is several years old and thus the reimbursement may be inadequate to cover the cost of a new suitcase and replacement contents.

You can offset any shortfall by purchasing a separate travel insurance policy that includes secondary insurance for loss or delays.

You never know what's going to happen, so buying travel insurance is a smart thing to do, says Bonnie Furnell, a travel agent with AAA Travel Agency in Brighton, Mich.

She offers her clients a $98 Access America policy that not only covers trip cancellation, emergency medical and dental expenses and emergency medical transportation, but also provides $200 for the reasonable purchase of essential items due to the delay or misdirection of baggage for more than 24 hours.

In addition, the policy pays $500 for the permanent loss, damage or theft of luggage and its contents. A 24-hour hotline keeps policy holders anywhere in the world in touch with insurance-claim representatives.

For convenience, carry a small index card with a list of your clothing and shoe sizes in European and Asian equivalents. Be sure to keep all the receipts for purchases you have to make of replacement items, so you can submit them for reimbursement.

It never hurts to tuck a few extra dollars in your pocket to cover emergency expenses.

Pack to minimize inconvenience

Find the largest allowable carry-on bag and fill it with hard-to-replace items, such as medications, toiletries, jewelry, travel documents, camera gear, dress shoes and specialty clothes. Try to squeeze in a three-day supply of underwear, a change of shirt, shorts and pants, pajamas and a swimsuit.

For short stays, avoid checked luggage altogether and make do with a carry-on bag.

If the airline agent balks at letting you take your carry-on into the passenger cabin, insist on having it valet-checked at the gate. In most cases, your carry-on will be handled separately from the checked luggage, and you will be able to retrieve it when you step off the plane.

If you are traveling with a family member or close friend, divide the contents of your two checked suitcases, with each of your bags carrying some of the other's contents. That way, if only one bag is lost, the remaining bag will contain clothing and travel items belonging to both people.

Make your luggage easily identifiable

Like the first Model T's, black seems to be the most popular color for suitcases. Even if you buy one in another color or a patterned material, take calculated measures to make it easily identifiable as yours: Attach a sturdy plastic or leather luggage tag with your name and contact information to the handle - and inside tape a paper with the same information, or tuck in another luggage tag.

Add something colorful to the exterior, such as a bright ribbon, stick-on flower or striped luggage strap, which will make your bag quick to spot on the baggage carousel and simple to describe in case of loss. Consider wrapping the handles with neon-colored duct tape - the first clue to another traveler reaching for the similar-looking bag.

If you are flying to a departure city for a cruise, be sure to affix the cruise-ship baggage tags to your suitcases before you leave home. This alerts baggage handlers, who may be more careful in routing your luggage.

When you check your suitcase at curbside or the ticket counter, always check that the airport code on the baggage tag affixed by the agent is the correct one for your destination.

Report any claims immediately

If your luggage fails to show up at the carousel after a reasonable time, find the lost-baggage claims office and file a report immediately. Furnish the baggage-claim receipts you were given at check-in, and give a detailed description of your lost item, including color, dimensions, style and manufacturer.

Provide the airline representative with name, address and phone number of the hotel or residence where you are staying that night. Ask for the direct telephone number to that claims office, so you can call back periodically and request an update on the search.

Then keep your fingers crossed.

Freelance writer Claudia Capos hopes her luggage makes it back when she returns home to Brighton, Mich.

[Last modified March 5, 2006, 07:43:35]