What To Do: Your Baggage is Lost or Delayed

There are few things more frustrating than lost luggage. Each year, hundreds of thousands of pieces of luggage are lost, stolen, mishandled, or damaged.

If something like this happens to you, file a claim with the airline as soon as you discover the luggage is missing. Be sure to fill out any forms as thoroughly as you can. Have your luggage claim ticket in hand, and remember to be courteous to the representative. This can only enhance your chances of good service.

Most lost luggage is returned within 24-48 hours and in many cases, it was simply misdirected to the wrong city. Some airlines will reimburse you if you need to buy clothing or toiletries while waiting for your luggage. Just keep your receipts. If your luggage is damaged beyond natural wear and tear, the airlines may reimburse you if you report it.

If the airline admits that your luggage is officially lost, it will normally pay only the depreciated value of the items that were lost. Travelex also provides lost or delayed baggage coverage.

The best way to reduce the chances of losing your bags is to make them harder to lose. Try to make them stand out from a distance, such as buying bright colors or patterns, tying a colorful ribbon on the handle or adding other personal touches.

This not only helps you spot your bags, it also makes them easy to describe to an airline employee.

More tips for reducing the frustration of lost luggage      

• Keep valuable items such as jewelry, medication and your laptop in your carry-on.
• Create an itemized list of your suitcase contents or snap a quick picture in case you need to make an insurance claim.

If you really want to go high-tech, there are also tools like TrakDot which fit inside your bag. Upon landing, you can use your phone to determine whether your bag is close by or stranded at another airport.

“You guys are simply amazing. I submitted a claim based on my baggage loss and you paid promptly. I appreciate this immensely. This trip was the first time I ever purchased travel insurance, based on my travel agent’s recommendation. I would whole-heartedly recommend Travelex to anyone traveling, and I would never travel again without purchasing your insurance. You provide the peace of mind that makes travel so much easier.” — Wendy G, New York City, NY

Travelex Insurance Services offers coverage for personal items and expenses if bags are lost, stolen, damaged or delayed for 12 hours or more with our Travel Basic and Travel Select plans. Our travel assistance and concierge service provided by On Call International can help you get your lost or delayed bags back to you.