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Baggage was left piling up amid delays and cancellations at Manchester Airport this week, following an influence outage that broken the airport’s departure safety and baggage methods. In the meantime, British Airways passengers have been compelled to fly from Heathrow with out their baggage after a technical challenge disrupted its methods.
It’s a marvel that anybody would verify in a suitcase today: from a two-week wait for baggage at Edinburgh Airport, to the passenger claiming that Air France misplaced her wheelie for 2 months, in recent times baggage woes have been faster – and extra predictable – than any Arrivals carousel.
However for those who can’t journey hand-luggage solely, who’s liable for your bag’s safekeeping – and how will you maximise your likelihood of being reunited? Do you have to cling-film it? Use an AirTag? And the way do you guarantee it’s first on the conveyor belt? We requested the specialists all of the important misplaced baggage questions.
What occurs to delayed or misplaced baggage?
“If a bag [isn’t] on the identical flight because the passenger, it is going to be forwarded on the subsequent attainable flight,” advises a spokesperson from Swissport, which handles round 677,000 baggage per day for 800 airways. “That is usually finished manually. Within the meantime, the bag is saved on the airport. As soon as it arrives, the method additionally requires human intervention to make sure it’s repatriated effectively.”
Workers strikes, airport points and IT failures apart, passengers with connecting flights could also be extra prone to expertise baggage points – significantly if their switch time is shortened by delays – or these disrupted by cancelled flights.
What ought to I do if my bag by no means arrives?
Test the bags corridor: if the bag is heavy or there’s a difficulty with the carousels, it might be ready elsewhere. Failing that, find your airline’s baggage desk; the workers will ask to your baggage tag, from which they will monitor it.
Ask about compensation, and a refund for those who’ve paid for checked-in baggage. “Most airways will reimburse you for the naked necessities,” the Civil Aviation Authority advises: ask how bills are submitted, and whether or not there’s a worth restrict. You might also want to tell your journey insurance coverage supplier.
You’ll possible want to supply an in depth description, so having a transparent picture of your baggage to-hand is beneficial. If a lacking bag report is filed, word the reference quantity. You’ll additionally want to provide an deal with to your bag to be delivered to. Many carriers give lost-luggage updates by way of on-line portals.
Who’s liable for my baggage – the airline or the airport?
It’s the airline’s job, not the airport’s. They might deal with the bags themselves, or make use of a specialist supplier resembling Swissport, Menzies or DHL Provide Chain.
After I’ve checked in my baggage, what occurs to it?
“If you’re at bag drop, an piece of email is generated on the identical time that your baggage tag is printed,” explains Spencer Conday, Managing Director Provide Chain Options at main airport baggage handler DHL Provide Chain. “It is a BSM (baggage supply message), and it’s despatched to numerous airport IT methods liable for processing the bag.”
Your baggage is then recognized and security-screened. “Identification is normally carried out utilizing barcode scanners, although newer methods could use RFID (radio frequency identification) know-how as a substitute,” continues Conday.
“As soon as the bag is recognized and safe, the subsequent step within the course of is to find out its timeliness. Is it early, on-time or late? This dictates the place the bag should go.
“Relying on the bags system, early baggage will go to storage till the suitable launch time. On-time baggage shall be delivered on to the airline’s baggage handlers, loaded into steel containers referred to as ULDs (unit load units), and reconciled with the passenger manifest to make sure correct data and the bag is authorised to load. This course of is named ‘make up’.
“Late baggage could journey on to the place the plane is parked, to minimise journey time. Nearly all of baggage are on-time, and the bags handlers drive the ULDs to the suitable plane stand and cargo them.”
If I’m on a codeshare flight, which airline is liable for my baggage?
Any misplaced baggage claims ought to be made with the working airline, not the one who offered you your ticket.
What if I’m flying on a number of airways?
In case your journey entails connecting flights with totally different airways, verify beforehand for those who’ll must reclaim and recheck your baggage en route. If this isn’t mandatory, the service that transports you to your ultimate vacation spot is liable for delivering your baggage – so elevate any points with them.
What if I get house and realise one thing has been stolen from my bag?
Contact the airline and your journey insurance coverage supplier instantly. Take pictures of any harm to the suitcase or lock, and discover merchandise receipts if attainable.
Ought to I wrap my bag in cling movie?
No. “Wrapping could trigger friction between the merchandise and the bags system, which may result in the bag and/or baggage system getting broken,” says DHL’s Conday.
I’ve a black suitcase – is a vibrant one much less prone to get misplaced?
No – however it might assist with identification, says Swissport’s spokesperson. “The color of the bags just isn’t a set off on whether or not or not a bag will get mishandled,” they advise, “however color, stickers, ribbons and different identifiers may help pace up the method of reuniting passengers with their baggage.”
Ought to I exploit an AirTag to maintain tabs on my baggage?
Maybe. Apple’s AirTag is a battery-powered monitoring machine, which emits a bluetooth sign that may be situated by way of the Discover My app. It weighs 11g, making it simple to slide into your suitcase.
As Senior Content material Supervisor of airline rewards web site headforpoints.com, Rhys Jones flies at the very least as soon as every week – at all times along with his AirTag. “It’s peace of thoughts,” he explains. “And after I’m on the baggage belt, I already know if my bag has arrived.”
How else can I cease my bag from going lacking?
“We advocate passengers to be early on the airport, and to label their baggage inside and outside,” says Swissport’s spokesperson. “This could embody your title, contact info and flight particulars.”
In addition to photographing your baggage for ID functions, take a snap of your airline baggage tag. If it’s caught to the again of your boarding cross, you may wish to transfer it someplace much less weak – to an internal pocket of your hand baggage, maybe.
My suitcase zip is dodgy – what if my bag bursts en route?
Your belongings shall be delivered in a plastic bag. “Luggage that spill may cause critical disruption,” says Conday. “When this occurs, the bag is recognized by individuals who collect the contents and put them into a transparent plastic bag. The broken bag and its contents are then manually processed.”
How to make sure my bag is first on the reclaim carousel?
Apart from a “precedence” tag for enterprise and first-class baggage, there’s no assured option to beat the queue – though hearsay has it, the final baggage to be checked in are sometimes the primary on the carousel. Different ideas embody utilizing a “fragile” sticker, in order that your bag is loaded final, and subsequently retrieved earlier than others.
I’m travelling with hand-luggage solely. Is it secure to depart my purse in a scanner tray whereas I’m going via safety?
“This is among the most safe elements of any airport,” one spokesperson from a significant London airport advised Telegraph Journey. Talking anonymously, they suggested: “By no means be complacent, however safety is filled with high-tech cameras and skilled workers – those you see, and those you don’t. Thieves know this.”
Two safety guards at Miami Airport have been filmed pocketing valuables from passengers’ baggage final summer time, whereas one in Manila was caught swallowing money, however these incidents are vanishingly uncommon, says our insider. “In case you have a difficulty, report it instantly and it is going to be taken very critically.”
This text was printed in September 2023, and has been revised and up to date.