Any experiences with airlines and lost luggage?

[tkyes]

My husband is on a business trip and the airline lost his luggage. It has been three days and he has since had to go buy some new clothes for his meetings.

The airline has told him that they would give him $75 to cover his clothing expenses A sportcoat, pants, shirt, tie, socks, underwear and tshirt add up to a little more than that.

They think his luggage is on the way to him and that he should have it sometime today.

Has anyone ever had to fight with the airline to get reimbursement for clothing? What were the results?


Tamie

 

[caitycaity]

yep -- i've had my luggae lost twice, but returned to me within the week. most airlines, if they have your luggage in their "records" but just not at your final destination, will not reimburse you for clothes you have to purchase.

the only time i have ever heard of any of the major airlines reiumbursing is if your luggae is really lost and is never found anywhere.

if your dh is getting $75 to cover his expenses and they have his luggae en route, he is very lucky. both times i got $0 from the airlines, but ended up with some nice new clothes.

 

[Meriweather]

DH has had his lost his 3 out of the last 4 travel times!! That's in the last 2 months!!

However he has always gotten it back that night (or early the next morning).
He has become a master of filling out the forms (and helping everybody else).

He was told the reimbursement was 1/2 value for clothes and 100% for toiletries.
He is now trying to cram everything in a carry on (he has a lot to take, so I'm not sure this is going to work).

Good luck.

 

[GeorgeG]

Once.

We were headed to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise a few years ago and we checked our bags curbside at Newark Airport (Delta). They each had our own tag, the cruise line tag, the Delta tag and photocpoies of our passports inside. They were new, good quality and sturdy. The only one that made it through was one garment bag. The two large suitcases with most of our luggage were never heard of again. We were told they were never scanned into the system, which led us to conclude they were stolen by baggage handlers at Newark. Not the best cruise.

We had trip insurance which allowed for $500 each for a delay and then a larger amount for outright loss. Of course, none of this is made available until well after you're home again.

We got the $1000 from the insurance pretty quick, but then had to go after Delta for our loss before the insurance would settle on the rest. Even though just about everything on the inventory was brand new (some even still had the tags on), Delta paid our claim less "normal depreciation." The insurance then paid the balance.

Trip insurance is a good thing, but it makes everything a lot easier if you inventory everything before you go and save any receipts for new clothes bought for the vacation.

We have since avoided flying since then, not out of fear of international terrorists, but the home-grown kind that work at airport baggage handling. It's just easier to drive and be in control of your property. We will certainly have to fly at some point, but anything of value will go in the carry on along with as many changes of clothes I can fit.

 

[Ted and Holly]

I never thought it would ever happen to us!

When we landed at Logan at Midnight on Sunday March 2nd, our luggage didn't. I was too tired and drugged on Xanax to care very much, and USair assured me that the luggage just didn't make it on the plane and to call in the morning.

I called at 6am. They said the luggage had arrived and been given to a Courier (ALREADY!!??) and would arrive that morning.

Monday night came and went.... USair said it was in the hands of the courier and up to the courier now...... We slyly got the number of the courier who gave us the runaround.

We finally got our luggage on Tuesday, though it had been at Logan since before 6am on Monday.

It was frustrating, but I'm glad it happened on the way home. I was about to ask what kind of reimbursement they would give us... but we ended up not needing to.

When Ted travels for business, we always cram everything in a carry-on just in case! It usually needs an iron, but he knows where it is at all times.

Good Luck on your DH's luggage! Keep us posted!

 

[ByTheSea]

Only once, I went to Pittsburgh, my luggage when to Buffalo NY - it was delivered to my hotel the following evening and had obviously been rummaged through, but nothing was missing. It was the last time I used curbside check-in.

I had flown out on a Sat. night and had a golf outing with a client that following morning. A quick stop to a 24 hours Super K-mart and I managed to find a decent enough outfit to wear, plus makeup and toiletries needed. I saved my receipts and talked to the airline, after an initial "no" since I got my bag within 24 hours, they did reimburse me up to $75.00.

Since that time I NEVER put my makeup and essentials in a checked bag, and I only check a bag if I am gone a whole week or longer, but I fly an average of 80 times a year and this once incident was a good 3+ years ago.

With the whole new security with checked bags I would guess that fewer get 100% lost, but I am sure they will continue to get "redirected." When my luggage didn't show up I had a feeling it would happen. I used curb side check-in because I had golf clubs and a suitcase. My clubs made it but my suitcase didn't. The guy doing checkin pretty much was telling everybody to tip him $2 a bag (they are not "suppose" to ask for tips) I reached into my pocket and had $1 and the rest were $20's - I gave him $1 and he sighed and rolled his eyes... then set my luggage down NEXT to the converyor belt not on it. I just knew I wouldn't be seeing my bag again that day.