Airport Woes: What to do when you are there but your luggage Isn't

Luggage Tags

If you travel enough, this is bound to happen to you. You are probably already familiar with that feeling of having touched down, gone through Immigrations and being eternally grateful to be safe, sound, in one piece and on your way again. Its a unique feeling; you are calming down after the flight and at the same time you are revving up to rush off to a business meeting or to meet with family or to get your vacation started. We live for those betwixt moments, right? So then, nothing sucks more than having this state of being interrupted.

Yet, interruptions happen to most of us about 10% of our travel time. Abruptly, the clock stops, our adrenalin pauses midair, and our emotions float off into limbo. We can't go back to where we came from but we can't go forward either; not without our luggage. Most of us, in disbelief, spend the next couple of hours watching the carousel go round and round like a merry-go-round. Except that with each rotation of the conveyor belt, our hope dwindles and we lose more and more of our merry. Finally, we are forced to accept that our luggage did not make it. It's a crushing feeling to get all the way to the other side and find out that you are stranded. I know the feeling and I loathe it.

Suitcases

I wish I could say that I am writing to tell you "Don't worry. Be Happy. Everything will be okay". I mean, I could tell you that because it would make me sound way cooler than what I am about to say but it wouldn't be true. The truth is that depending on the airline on which you travelled, you may have varying degrees of difficulty dealing with these types of "stuck" situations. I will share 3 different experiences which I encountered in the last 3 years.

Situation 1: En route to Tokyo, Japan, our Air China flight did a stop-over in Beijing. Passengers were put up over-night in a rickety hotel which had brown water flowing out of the taps (but that's a story for another time). In the wee hours of the morning, we were put on an out bound flight to Japan. Upon arrival, about 50% of the passengers discovered that their luggage was left behind in Beijing. We found the Air China counter, filled out the missing luggage forms and waited for a response from the team. About late afternoon, the Air China representative handed each passenger the equivalent of US $50 and told us that the luggages would be delivered the next day. Sounds good so far? Well, there were several problems with the way the airline treated us. I will highlight only a few and not necessarily the worst.

In Japan, $50 dollars is able to purchase a pair of pants, some underwear, a shirt and some toiletries at the run-of-the-mill stores. The amount sounded like reasonable reimbursement until I discovered that I had to walk and drive the whole metropolitan area to find clothes that could fit me. Sweaty, frustrated, and about to lose all hope of clean clothes, I eventually found one store that had one pair of pants that could fit. I couldn't get picky with any of the other clothing items either. I had to throw my fashion sense out the window and take what they had. I was pretty much walking around Tokyo looking like I took my measurements while standing in water. Not being able to find suitable clothing also meant my plans for going any place fancy or formal were derailed.

Sure, you are thinking that it's not Air China's fault that I am a little bigger than the average Japanese but if they had given me adequate recompense I could have shopped in stores that carried options for people of my dimensions.

Thankfully, (although they were in no rush) Air China eventually delivered my luggage. We spent a little over a week in Japan and the delivery was made 1 day before we left Japan. Still, I was grateful to travel home in my own clothes that fit. Fortunately too, my hubby's luggage had arrived and I was able to wear some of his clothes during our vacation. So that was the Air China horror, let's not belabor it. Let's move on.

Situation 2: I arrived in Faro, Portugal to find out that my luggage was left in Paris, France. My experience on this flight actually inspired me to write this article because it was on this flight that I observed a woman going into panic mode when she discovered that her luggage was delayed. Yes, leaving things behind can really bring out the worst in us, whether that be fear, anger, frustration or a combination of those emotions. As I watched the woman, I understood her pain but my experience with this airline was nothing near as bad as with Air China. I quickly found the missing luggage counter. The representatives were professional and courteous. I filled out the missing luggage report and I was offered an overnight kit which contained some basic clothing and toiletries. My husband also received a kit specially designed for men. No monies were offered but the TAP Airline representatives promised to deliver our luggage in the morning and they delivered promptly on their promise. Thumbs up to TAP.

Situation 3: I landed in Montego Bay, Jamaica from Florida, USA. This started out as a total disaster. As small as the airport is, it took some time to locate the missing luggage counter. When we found it, it was over-crowded as this one counter seems to serve the entire airport and airlines. The process of filling out the missing luggage claim form was chaotic. The space was loud and hot and nobody seemed to know what to do. I was basically exhausted and kaput by the time I was done making the Missing Luggage Report. As I was leaving the airport, my thoughts were that this would be a repeat of my Air China experience. But it wasn't. My luggage was delivered safely to my hotel the next day and someone from the South West Airlines gave us a follow-up call to ensure that we were okay and satisfied. South West also gave us travel benefits as compensation. All in all, a pretty decent outcome.

Suitcase on conveyor belt

Every once in a while luggages get left behind for whatever reasons. I don't think that will ever change. However, we can optimize our travel experience by flying with airlines that believe in delivering good customer service.

Airlines with an emphasis on good customer care will help us to feel un-stuck faster and help to overcome our setbacks easier.

Here are a few practical tips on what to do if you made it but your luggage didn't:

1) Make sure to hang on to the luggage receipts that you receive for each luggage when you checked-in.

2) As soon as you are sure that your luggage did not arrive, locate the missing luggage or the airline counter.

3) Fill out the missing luggage claim form and be as descriptive and specific as possible.

4) Ask about reimbursements for the delay. 

5) Insist that the luggage be delivered to the address that you want it to be delivered.

Until next time:

Venture Out. Keep exploring. Travel Smart and Stay Safe.

Watch the video below to see some of the things Airlines are giving away when your luggage gets left behind.

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