People who go traveling expect things to go according to plan. In most cases, vacations do turn out as planned, and most travelers have pleasant memories of their holidays. Nevertheless, unforeseen circumstances can occur during the course of a vacation, and they can cause considerable distress for travelers. One of the unexpected things that can happen during travel is the loss of luggage.
In recent years, airlines and airports have taken serious measures to reduce the occurrences of loss luggage, and their efforts have been very successful. Presently, only about 0.005% of all checked luggage pieces are permanently lost, but since the number of people traveling by air has increased dramatically in the past few years, the small percentage actually represents a significant number of luggage units. Losing luggage can be a terrible experience, because travelers may lose some personal items that are irreplaceable as well as valuable items that need a lot of money to replace. It is not surprising that a loss luggage can incur financial damages that are worth tens of thousands of dollars. Some travelers keep expensive things such as jewelry, laptops, electronic gadgets, antiques, and costly sports equipment in their bags, and they will suffer great financial loss if they lose their bags.
If you lose your luggage during air travel, you should report the loss to the lost luggage claim counter immediately. Most lost luggage pieces are only temporarily misplaced, and it may take the baggage claim staff a few hours or days to recover them. While you are waiting for them to locate your luggage, you may receive complimentary food and drinks from the airline. If you spend money on things such as clothes, toothbrush, towel, razor, and other necessities, which are related to the loss or delay of your luggage, you can get reimbursement from the airline. Meantime, the airport will check every lost luggage piece that is sent to its office. If your luggage is delivered to the office and it contains a tag or document that shows your identity, the airline will contact you immediately. Bags that do not have any identification will be kept in the office, and descriptions of them will be posted in an international luggage tracing system. If you have not received news about your lost luggage after a while, you can search for your luggage in the system.
In the event that a luggage piece is permanently lost, the airline will reimburse the owner, but usually, the compensation amount is far from satisfactory. As such, it is important for you to obtain a travel insurance plan that includes loss luggage coverage. With a travel insurance policy, you can be assured that you will receive adequate compensation if you lose your luggage.
