The last time I saw the white corrugated box with the flimsy stickers attached to it was at the US Airways check-in counter in Mexico City. My wife and I had just arrived from Acapulco on Mexicana Airways and had changed our airline to US Airways to complete our trip to Seattle via Phoenix. Once we landed in Phoenix, we were once again directed to pick up our checked baggage at the carousel. However, to our dismay, there was no sign of the white duty free box. The nice lady at airport security mentioned that there is an occasional delay when luggage is checked before it is allowed to be loaded onto the next flight. She assured us that our box should be on our plane to Seattle.
Once our flight arrived in Seattle, we waited as the last piece of luggage spun around the carousel. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official informed us that this was the last piece of luggage on our flight. Unfortunately, our white cardboard box had not arrived. The gentleman directed us to the US Airways baggage claim office which was surprisingly and conveniently right next to the carousel. My wife and I informed the representative about our lost box and filled out a claim form.
After we got home, we received a phone call every day for the first week from the Central Baggage Office in Phoenix, Arizona, keeping us informed about the progress of their tracking efforts to find our missing box. We were advised to fill out the lost or damaged property form we had received in Seattle and mail it to him.
Ten days after the form was submitted, I called the Phoenix Central Baggage Office and spoke to a baggage specialist there. They still hadn’t received the form, but they called the next day to confirm that they had. There was still no news about our lost box, however, the tracking of it was still active.
Mike Adams, the baggage specialist, at the time, had been working for US Airways for over a year and his job was to call customers about their lost or damaged baggage claims, code and determine the miscoding of the claims. . He had recently completed training for a secondary tracking program. He wanted to get some answers about the steps they take to locate a lost piece of luggage.
“After the claim is filed,” Adams said, “we use the World Tracer System (used by more than 300 member airlines) to look up the bag by name, address, bag type and contents to see if there are any matches in hand. If there is a match and the bag is in the terminal, two people open the bag and enter the contents of the bag into the system.All unclaimed baggage is held for five days and then shipped to Charlotte, North Carolina. tags are verified in the warehouse and the property claim form is updated if there is a match.
How long will they keep looking for a lost suitcase? Mike says a minimum of four weeks, unless they’re trying to catch up due to storms, and then it takes longer.
Do baggage handlers or other employees steal luggage or boxes? “Yes,” Adams admitted. “There is some theft in the industry. The theft is often committed by members of the Transportation Security Administration.” Consequently, the airlines will establish covert operations to find the culprit or culprits and fix the problem. Adams revealed that in our case, the white cardboard shipping box was a red flag. Thieves particularly target those items. “To solve that problem in the future,” Mike advised, “and remove the temptation, just buy a cheap suitcase and put the alcohol in it.” That was simple, sensible advice that would have saved us a lot of heartache.
If the box is not found, how will the claim be resolved? Mike said that they would probably send us a letter with a check for the amount of our lost alcohol. He was half right. We received the letter from US Airways, but instead of a check, we received two $50.00 travel vouchers that were valid for one year from the date of issue.
From every experience, whether good or bad, there is something to learn. First of all, my wife and I have decided that we will only buy items that we can safely pack in our suitcases. Second, we’ll mark our bags with unique identification, such as colored stripes, ribbons, or tags that stand out from the plethora of similar bags. Third, we’ll put our names and addresses somewhere inside the suitcase or bag to make it easier for baggage specialists like Mike Adams to reunite lost luggage with its owners.
Following these three steps may not guarantee you’ll meet your bags at the carousel, but it will certainly improve your odds. Happy journey!