'Hello, this is your luggage calling...' -- will lost luggage soon be a thing of the past?

[kyshel]

Wow, Jashermd, I never thought about the auctions--maybe I'll go to the one Delta uses and see who attends and what they buy. It has to be a bit of an experience!? I suppose there are some very nice bags, but why anyone would leave them or not pursue a lost piece is beyond me.
We occasionally get notices that the baggage dept has bags from employee losses--hundreds at a time and there they sit [until sent to Alabama, Lost Bag Pergatory, USA. What's with that? If I knew a missing bag was in Atlanta, I'd go get it. hmmmm
ps--it was the same crisis on our news--Delta will be operating their new flights out of Terminal 4, so it caught my eye. They'll be co-operating in that terminal (courtesy of 1.94 million$ of renovations)Continental Airlines, Delta and Northwest join KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Kenya Airways, which already operate out of Terminal 4. Next year, the remaining SkyTeam carriers operating out of Heathrow -- Aeroflot, Air France, Alitalia, CSA and Korean Air will relocate.

Message Edited by kyshel on 02-21-2008 06:20 AM

[jashermd]

Hi Kyshel,

Apparently the luggage problem at T4 was caused when two computers running the luggage sorting software crashed, so hundreds of bags just stacked up. First and business class passengers were all right as their luggage was sorted by hand but economy passengers were stuffed.

It's nice to here that all the SkyTeam airlines will be in on terminal -- it will certainly make connections between them easier. What I don't understand is why BA got such special treatment by having Terminal 5 all to themselves -- it certainly isn't because they're the best airline in the UK. On the plus side, it hopefully means that the strikes and other problems which continue to plague BA won't affect other carriers as much. I sat next to an airline engineer on my last flight and he told me about how badly BA treats their staff, which is why you can pretty much count on annual summer and Christmas strikes.

Cheers,
Julian

[matthewlawrence26]

that's good to know, at least there is still hope in improving the luggage tracking. no need to worry for losing your luggage. i also heard that you can purchase a tag that will prevent your luggage from getting lost. i haven't tried it that yet.

[jashermd]

Hello,

So far there is no such thing as a tag which prevents your luggage from getting lost (though many people have no doubt wished for one). However there are a number of luggage tracking and retrieval programs like i-Trak which are supposed to make it easier to retrieve it once it does go missing -- maybe this is what you've heard of?

Cheers,
Julian

[nomadbea]

Oh wow! What a great invention! This is the first I've heard of this! It would be pretty weird receiving an sms from your luggage. I hope this system is at least 90% fail proof though, but the thing with computers is that you never know when theyre gonna go crazy...:/

Cheers!

[jashermd]

Hello Bea,

That's my main concern as well -- the recent BA luggage chaos was caused by two of the luggage sorting computers crashing, so you could imagine what would happen if all of them went belly-up at once. There was also a huge queue (also at BA) when the self-check-in kiosks went down as they no longer have enough staff to handle checking everyone in at the counter. Hopefully they will build some sort of backup into the system.

Cheers,
Julian

[jsattapr2]

kyshel, you need to plan a two day visit to Scottsboro, AL



http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/

[kyshel]

I was hoping no one would remind me...arghhh
Now I REALLY want to go! After looking at the size of the place, I wonder if 2 days will do it??
I think it would make for a great girlfriend getaway!

[omegaet]

js2 & kyshel...we love going to Unclaimed Baggage when ever were driving in the area of Birmingham, AL. On one visit there, I bought a Hartmann Belting Leather Attache, which normally retails for around $750 - $800. The handle was torn off and there was a huge gouge in the top panelotherwise, the case was in great shape (must have been a checked piece of baggage that got eaten in the system). Apparently many of the bargain hunters had continued to bypass this gem because of the obvious damages. I bought it for a mark down price of $35. Shipped it to the Hartmann factory in Lebanon, TN and asked them to do a refresh job for me. The charge was only $175 and the case looked brand new when it was returned. I have since dragged the case many miles and added many, many dings, scuffs and scrapes (I like to think of them as battle wounds).

We have made probably five or six trips there and have always had a good time and usually find at least one or two good deals! We are always amazed at what people lose during the course of their air travels.

[johncrosland]

Here is some advice I have read on the telegraph.co.uk news web site titled
Worried about losing your bags
Here are your options:

1. Send it ahead

A growing number of companies offer door-to-door luggage delivery services, starting from around 49 for deliveries to mainland Europe. They include: First Luggage (www.firstluggage.com), Personal Porter (www.personalporter.com), Luggage Forward (www.luggageforward.com), Direct Baggage (www.directbaggage.com) and Carry My Luggage (www.carrymyluggage.com)

2. Tracking device

Should your bag fail to arrive on the carousel, you will have a better chance of locating it with a tracking device such as the Trace Me luggage tracker (www.tracemeluggagetracker.com)

3. Take hand luggage only

Many airlines will now allow you to carry two pieces of hand luggage, but many low-cost airlines continue to limit you to one piece. Check before travelling.