An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Thai Proverb
When you fly, are you a bag checker or are you determined to keep your bag as close at hand as possible?
There is no doubt that baggage fees play a BIG financial factor in deciding whether to check or carry on but an additional factor is simply having faith that the airline can get your bag to your destination.
Checking a bag can sometimes feel like playing a game of Russian Roulette. Will your suitcase meet you on the other end or not? Discovering that your suitcase has not met you in baggage claim is never a fun experience and it can be an incredibly inconvenient and disruptive component to your trip. But when the stars align, everyone does their job properly, technology works as intended, and weather is not a factor, it is pretty likely that your suitcase will follow you.
The good news is that 97% of lost suitcases are often easily reunited with their owners within a couple of days according to the Los Angeles Times. This is due, in part to the use of barcode technology that airlines use to track our suitcases as they travel through the underbellies of the airports and across the tarmacs. These barcodes connect my bag to me through the mobile app that my airline offers, giving me notifications as my bag moves on and off the plane throughout our trip. Knowing that my bag will meet me in baggage claim, this tool helps to relieve me of some of the baggage claim anxiety I would’ve had otherwise.
Of course, technology can’t prevent human errors and every once in a while, airlines experience computer failures that affect everything up to and including the tracking of your suitcase. Weather can also be an unknown factor from time to time, wreaking havoc on flight schedules. So what can you do to ensure that your suitcase takes the same flights as you and if not, what can you do to make sure that you and your suitcase are reunited?
Identify your suitcase
On a baggage claim carousel full of black suitcases, which one is yours? Do what you can to distinguish your suitcase from others that might be similar in color, shape, and size. Be sure to use a luggage tag. The idea of a luggage tag is to clearly identify your bag as yours and help it to reunite with you at the end of your journey. After a long trip, you want to be able to quickly identify your bag while ensuring that another tired traveler doesn’t mistake your bag for theirs. For luggage tags do’s and don’ts, be sure to check out “Luggage Tags; How & Why You Should Use Them” at https://bit.ly/3HLV4dr.
Remove flight designated markings
When checking your bag, the airline will place stickers on your bag, most notably on the handle. They will also place a matching smaller sticker on the side of your bag and give you a matching sticker to be used if you need to claim your bag later. These stickers have bar codes that pair your bag with you and your flights. Think of them as boarding passes for your bags. This technology also helps to track your bag as it moves along its journey.
After your flight, the important part is to remember to remove all of these stickers. Leaving one of these markers on your bag could inhibit the ability for your bag to move to its correct place, possibly not being placed on your flight.
Regardless of airline computer hiccups or weather complications, sometimes, how successful your trip is can depend on how well you have prepared. It seems like a simple thing to use a luggage tag and removing a sticker or two but even the simplest precaution can save you a headache along the way.
Let’s Just Go! 