What to do When You Lose Your Luggage

June 20th, 2019

Planning a trip and arriving at your destination to find that your luggage was lost is likely your traveling nightmare. Even though airports and shuttle services can often locate your luggage in a few hours, sometimes it takes may take longer, especially for airports.

While there's a good chance you'll go your entire life without losing your luggage, it's important to know what to do if it does happen to you. Below are some quick tips for what to do if your luggage is lost.

Steps To Take When You Lose Your Luggage

Report It Right Away

When you get to baggage claim and keep waiting without seeing your luggage, you should report it as missing right away. If it was lost or stolen, the airport and airline will want to be notified as soon as possible.

The luggage could have simply been put onto the wrong conveyor belt at the airport, or it might have never been loaded onto your plane at all. The sooner you report your luggage as missing, the sooner the airport and airline can begin looking for it.

Be Prepared to Go Through Negotiations

Even if the airline can get you your luggage quickly, you can still file a claim about the lost luggage. If you're traveling with sports equipment, like golf clubs, you can request that the airline reimburses you for the cost to rent that equipment. In the worst case scenario, you'll have to file a claim about a suitcase that was lost forever.

Different airlines have different policies about lost luggage. Before booking your flight, read these policies about checked bags across different airlines. What the airline believes to be fair compensation may not feel fair to you. It's okay to push back a little to feel like you're fairly compensated for the airline's mistake — just be sure you don't ask for too much.

Keep a Detailed List

Before you leave for your trip, you need to keep track of everything you pack. For both your checked bags and your carry-on, making a detailed list of everything you pack will be a huge help if your luggage gets lost. When you make these lists, you can include subcategories, like clothes, toiletries, electronics and more. If you buy items during your travels, don't forget to add them to the inventory before you fly home!

While you're writing your list, you should include the value of the items that you pack. If your bags are lost, you'll want an accurate description of everything that was lost and how much you should be compensated to replace it. It can also help to take photos of your packed bags. While the airport is searching for the bag, they can use those images to more easily identify your luggage.

Carefully Consider What You Pack

While the chances of finding lost luggage are high, it's still important to carefully consider everything you pack. When you're thinking about it and deciding, ask yourself "Do I need to bring this?" and "How will I feel if [this item] is lost forever?" about the items on your packing list.

If you're considering packing multiple electronics, your favorite jewelry and other expensive or sentimental items, you may want to reconsider. Some of our sentimental items are difficult to replace, and you may not be reimbursed for the full value of everything in your luggage.

When you're planning your trip, you should find that airlines have values available of what they're able to cover with lost luggage. Check these amounts after you book your tickets so you don't pack a suitcase valued over that amount.

SuperShuttle Can Help

In the event that the airlines lose your luggage, SuperShuttle may be able to help. If you are already using a SuperShuttle shuttle ride and are at your travel destination, don't be afraid to ask your driver about local stores where you can find some clothing or other essentials to hold you over until your luggage is found. Our driver our experts of the area and would be happy to help you. You can even book a ride with a shared-ride shuttle or non-stop shuttle to take you downtown to shop for the needed essentials.

Planning a trip means you have a lot of details to work out. Finding a reliable, safe and quick way to get to the airport is one of them. Book a ride with SuperShuttle, and we guarantee you'll find the perfect option to get you to the airport on time! With a variety of solutions available, we're sure to have a shuttle just for you.