When traveling, the last thing you want is for the airport to lose your luggage. Around 28 million bags are mishandled every year and 5 percent of those are lost. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, 97 percent of misplaced bags are found and returned within two days; however, your trip can be very complicated if your luggage isn’t there when you land.
Fortunately, there are several things you can do to prevent your luggage from getting stolen.
#1 Make Your Bag Easier To Spot
People are tired after a long day of traveling and it’s easy for someone to mistake your bag for theirs because many bags look similar.
The best way to keep your bag from getting lost is to make it easier to spot. Patterned luggage belts or flashy stickers and tags will prevent another passenger from mistakenly taking your bag.
#2 Keep Your Contact Information In and On the Suitcase
If your luggage doesn’t arrive at your destination, you’ll need to file a missing bag report to get it back. According to U.S. News., most lost bags were placed in the wrong bin during sorting and ended up on the wrong flight.
The best way to ensure you get your bag quickly is to put your contact information somewhere on the suitcase where it can’t fall off. You will have a baggage tag on the suitcase, but the airline will need more information to contact you if it falls off.
It’s also good to include your contact information inside the suitcase. You can also add your itinerary inside the suitcase, which can help the airline find you easily.
#3 Remove Old Tags and Stickers From the Bag
If you’ve traveled often with the same bag, there are likely old stickers, tags, and barcodes on the bag. Although this won’t prevent the airline from finding the right one, removing old stickers will prevent confusion, and it will be easier for the airline to figure out where the bag was supposed to go if it’s lost.
According to Fox Nomad, the airline staff will remove the tags. However, they may not have time if it gets busy, so it’s best to do it yourself.
#4 Be Organized When You Pack
It’s best to keep your suitcase organized when you shop, even if you take a last-minute trip. An organized suitcase will make life easier when you reach your destination, but it can also prevent your bags from getting lost.
A TSA agent will have to check your bags to ensure you aren’t traveling with anything illegal. If your bag is a mess, the agent will have to rummage through your luggage longer, and it may not get to the plane in time. It can be days before the airline locates your bag and contacts you when this happens.
It’s easier to check the contents of your bag when things are folded and organized, allowing the agent to get your bag to the plane in time.
#5 Get To The Airport On Time
Going to the airport and getting on a plane can be stressful, and if you get to the airport late, things will be even more stressful. Airports prepare for late passengers, but it’s easy for them to lose the bag in the mad rush to get you checked in and onto the plane.
Arriving at the airport well before your flight is scheduled to leave can reduce the risk of the airline losing your bag.
#6 Plan Adequate Time To Get To the Connecting Flight
If you aren’t flying non-stop to your destination, you must check-in early for your connecting flight. If you barely make it in time, there’s no guarantee your bag will have time to get to the plane, and it could be days before you get your bag back.
#7 Luggage Storage
This tip can prevent you, not the airline, from losing your luggage. If you have a late flight and want to enjoy the last day of your trip and your hotel checkout is in the morning, you have a problem because you’ll have nowhere to store your luggage.
Most airlines don’t allow you to check your bags early, and since you’ve already checked out of the hotel, you don’t want to spend the last day of your trip lugging bags around. Fortunately, luggage storage Naples by Vertoe is the solution to your problem. You can pay to store your luggage at the airport short-term, so your bags will already be there when you get to the airport, and this is much safer than finding a place to stash your luggage where someone can find it and steal it.
Lost luggage is one of the worst ways to start a trip. Following the tips listed above can prevent your luggage from getting lost, ensuring it lands on the plane with you.
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Never Lose Your Luggage Again