Bookworms and Travelbugs

(Photo Credits: Stock Photo from Google Images)

If you are preparing for a vacation that involves air travel,  please read this post. Due to unforeseen circumstances, if you still manage to end up with lost/delayed luggage, you must follow this procedure to ensure the smooth return of your bag or reimbursements :(.

1.Immediately report the lost baggage to the baggage counter or the  person in charge at the airport and get a case number for your luggage.

2. If it is lost/delayed, all airlines have reimbursement policies for items that are needed in emergencies. For eg: Lufthansa reimburses 50% of your clothing costs and 100% of undergarments and toiletries costs. Make sure you differentiate between items you need and items you want and keep all the receipts carefully. You will need to submit these to get any kind of reimbursement.

3. Contact the luggage department and the customer service department for the particular airlines and give them a detailed desc of all things in the bag. This helps them in identifying the right bag and return it to you as soon as possible.

4. Follow up. I cannot stress enough on this. Call them everyday. (Lufthansa agents call you everyday to give you a status update for your bag for the first five days). If needed , call them multiple times. 

5. File  a claims report with the airlines as soon as possible. Submit all possible receipts or bank statements providing information of the items in the bag and their prices.

6. Incase the airline is not ready to take responsibility for the lost luggage, you can try to contact your credit card company and see if they provide some form of insurance for lost luggage. File a claims report in the first 7-10 days. However the credit card company will only step up when the airline refuses to help at all. You need to provide to the credit card company a letter from the airlines which states that they refuse to help. Please contact your card company for actual policies. Follow up with the airlines and the credit card company. Preferably send emails over talking on the phone. Take everything in writing.

They will respond eventually.

Personally, I had a pleasant experience with Lufthansa. After I submitted the claims report they sent me a check for the items I lost. It was almost over in a month. They calculate the worth of the item currently, so dont expect a full refund.  But honestly something is better than nothing. (On the positive side, I can go shopping again! ) 🙂

Losing your favorite items(clothing, accessories, shoes ) is a pain not many can understand. But we do. And we hope this never ever happens to you. Have you lost your luggage? We are here to lend you a shoulder and to listen to your story.  (Incase you want to vent or share any tips with us!)