Reduce the Pain of Traveling - Take the Right Steps to Prevent Airline Baggage Claim Problems

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By Editorial Staff, 

Lost baggage claims are skyrocketing. In 2006 more than 240,000 bags never found there owners. Over 10,000 bags are lost every day in the US alone. More than 1 million pieces of luggage were lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered by U.S. airlines from May to July 2007, according to data from the bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Scott T. Mueller has worked in the airline industry for almost twenty years. He was the system manager for baggage services for one of the largest domestic airlines in the US for five years.

Very simply, he’ll confirm your worst fears about how your baggage is handled by the airlines. And then he’ll give you the very best advice on what you can do to minimize the risks and reduce the pain.

It’s all detailed and presented succinctly and clearly in his new book, The Empty Carousel: A Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage.

Very simply, the baggage handling system is a nightmare for the airlines. Like it or not, it’s complex, and daunting. “When you check your baggage, you are gambling that whatever is in your luggage is going to arrive safe. Luggage is often lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered.”

Lack of proper identification is the number one reason why bags are not reunited with their owners. Here are just some of the valuable tips Mueller offers up to minimize the risk of a problem:

1. The name on the bag has to match the name of the person traveling and the name, address and telephone number must be written clearly and understandably.

2. The name tags must be sturdy and attached firmly enough to withstand getting caught and pulled in mechanical belts and stresses the baggage will experience as they are transported through the system and handled by workers. The best place is to put identification into a holder that is flush with the design of the luggage or bag and make sure they are affixed firmly and securely to the bag.

3. In addition, you should put a legal size sheet of paper with your identification and itinerary into a plastic zipper locking bag and place it inside your luggage right on top, so that it is clearly visible when someone opens your bag looking for identification. Your name and telephone number is good enough for the airline or a law enforcement inspector to locate you.

4. You should also add a colorful and unique visual means for identifying your luggage and distinguishing it visibly quickly and reliable from other people’s luggage of the same color and appearance. Add a colorful or unique ribbon, rag, or

5. When you check in, make sure that you ask the airline to check your bags all the way to your destination.

According to Mueller, Making sure that you follow these steps does not guarantee that your bag will not get lost. “But it will improve your chances of avoiding a problem,” he said.

Another tidbit that most travelers don’t realize these days is that you can buy and use a US Travel Safety Administration approved lock. This way you can lock your luggage and inspectors can still inspect your bags without causing dame to the lock or the bag. If you don’t use a TSA approved lock, you should just use a zip tie to secure the luggage zippers. Get more information on TSA approved locks at www.tsa.gov

Mueller says that his most important advice to travelers is really simple.

“If you can’t replace it, live without it, or seal the deal without it, don’t pack it.”<.p>

The Empty Carousel: A Consumer’s Guide to Checked and Carry-on Luggage
By Scott T. Mueller
List $12.95
Paperback: 90 pages 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
ISBN-10: 097912090X
ISBN-13: 978-0979120909

This little book is packed with valuable information and helpful advice for the modern traveler. The advice in the book will probably save you many times its cost in contents and inconvenience when you lose a piece of luggage.

Scott T. Mueller has worked in the airline industry for almost twenty years. He was the system manager for baggage services for Midwest Airlines. For more information visit http://www.theemptycarousel.com/

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