International Flights

[Plaid Princess]

As to your original question, even if misdirected the airline will still get your bags to you in a timely manner, especially if your close by in another European country. That's what they have alliance partners for. Plus your reimbursed for necessities for every day your without your luggage until it's delivered to your hotel.

This is true as long as the airline is at fault for the loss. If say, you check your bag in too late and it misses the flight while being processed by security, then the airline would not forward the bag. (You would most likely be aware of this situation in advance)

Not true at all. Alliance partners are not for the purpose of sending misdirected luggage.

Airlines help each other out when it comes to baggage... even with no partnership, bags can be forwarded in a number of different ways. The deciding factor is really how good or bad the customer service department on your particular airline of choice is.

 

[Unas]

Cross pack. Split up each person's clothing among all the suitcases you plan to take. If a bag gets misdirected, no one person is out of luck.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

This is true as long as the airline is at fault for the loss. If say, you check your bag in too late and it misses the flight while being processed by security, then the airline would not forward the bag. (You would most likely be aware of this situation in advance)

Not true. If you check in too late for your originating flight to check a bag, the airline won't accept your checked bag, period. If you miss a connecting flight and have checked luggage, then the airline will send your bag to your destination.

 

[Plaid Princess]

Not true. If you check in too late for your originating flight to check a bag, the airline won't accept your checked bag, period. If you miss a connecting flight and have checked luggage, then the airline will send your bag to your destination.

I'm just going by what the airline I work for, and our partners do.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I'm just going by what the airline I work for, and our partners do.

What airline holds onto your bag and doesn't send it to your final destination if you miss a connection and have to take a later flight? I'd like to know, so I never fly them! I'm a United 1K and have flown airlines all over the world. Never have I heard of such a thing. Where do all these thousands and thousands of bags go every day if the airlines won't send them to their destination?

 

[Plaid Princess]

What airline holds onto your bag and doesn't send it to your final destination if you miss a connection and have to take a later flight? I'd like to know, so I never fly them! I'm a United 1K and have flown airlines all over the world. Never have I heard of such a thing. Where do all these thousands and thousands of bags go every day if the airlines won't send them to their destination?

You're misunderstanding me sweetie, my point is that if the airline isn't at fault, the bag wouldn't be sent to your hotel. Obviously the bag would be sent to its final destination, but it wouldn't be forwarded beyond that.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You're misunderstanding me sweetie, my point is that if the airline isn't at fault, the bag wouldn't be sent to your hotel. Obviously the bag would be sent to its final destination, but it wouldn't be forwarded beyond that.

Being patronizing (calling someone sweetie) is rude and uncalled for.

No point in continuing the discussion, as you are just plain wrong. I think you don't understand the issue anyway. If you miss a connection, it will almost always be the airline's fault and either way, your bag will be sent with you on another flight or without you on another flight to your destination. I definitely don't understand your last sentence. How can a bag be forwarded beyond the final destination?

 

[Plaid Princess]

Being patronizing (calling someone sweetie) is rude and uncalled for.

No point in continuing the discussion, as you are just plain wrong. I think you don't understand the issue anyway. If you miss a connection, it will almost always be the airline's fault and either way, your bag will be sent with you on another flight or without you on another flight to your destination. I definitely don't understand your last sentence. How can a bag be forwarded beyond the final destination?

I'm sorry you feel that I was patronizing you. I was merely trying to be polite; tone can be difficult to convey in text. I never said that missing a connection wouldn't be the airline's fault, nor did I say that an airline (including my employer) wouldn't send a bag on from a missed connection. I was pointing out that there are situations where the airline might not be at fault for a delayed bag, and that if that were the case, the bag might not be sent to the guest at their home/hotel. It would be the guest's responsibility to retrieve the bag from the airport.

With regards to forwarding a bag beyond the final destination this could happen in the case of the OP, were she to continue on in her travels, a bag could be forwarded to a new city if she will no longer be in her arrival city when the bag is located. Again, as I previously stated, this would greatly depend on the situation and the airline, and there is no exact answer for this kind of hypothetical situation.



But to get back on topic, OP, as others have said... cross packing or carrying on are your best insurance against lost luggage. If you do check your bags, the best way to ensure they make it to their destination is to keep the weight manageable, and make sure there are no random things dangling from your bag (ribbons, oversized luggage tags, straps). Bag belts like to eat loose, dangly things... so the cute ribbons that everyone ties on their bags to identify them are the biggest culprit of delaying bags. Keep luggage tags on the small side, and fasten them tightly to the top handle.