How Can Airlines Mishandle So Much Luggage? - Where have all the bags gone to' should be a new theme song, as millions of pieces of airline baggage disappear every year.
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You are here: DIME Home > Travel and Vacations > How Can Airlines Mishandle So Much Luggage?
Where have all the bags gone to' should be a new theme song, as millions of pieces of airline baggage disappear every year.
Author: Lyn Thomas
Date: Jun 4, 2009 - 8:58:16 PM
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You usually give little thought to your luggage when you check in at an airline desk. You just expect it to arrive on the same flight you do, when you arrive at your destination. Wrong! Lost, delayed, stolen or damaged luggage remains a very serious problem for travelers and airlines.
Thirty-three million pieces of luggage were lost in 2008. Admittedly that is an improvement on 2005, when United States airlines lost 10,000 bags a day on average – that is between 4% and 9% per 1000 passengers. This was the worst performance since 1990. An increase in the number of passengers, airline budget cuts, backed-up flights and tighter inspections of luggage were to blame.
March 2009 Bloomberg reported baggage mishandling to be 14.28% items per 1,000. This was a decrease from 18.86% per 1,000 the year before. Between 5.7% to 6.73% were never returned to owners.
Barry Maher, who gives speeches on customer service, was one such victim. He said Delta airline lost both his bags last April, on a trip from Ontario, Cal., to Roanoke, Va. Maher needed to rush out and buy a shirt, slacks and underwear, just so he could give a speech. His bags finally arrived at his hotel, in time for him to begin his journey back home. Delta lost both bags again on the return journey. He says, "Delta's staff was uncaring".
Very little has altered in airline's luggage handling systems. Airlines cannot afford to install RFID (radio frequency identification) tags to cover the two million pieces of passenger's luggage per annum. Information is not shared between different airlines, even when a piece of baggage is transferred.
There was a backlog of 20,000 bags at one point, when London's Heathrow Terminal 5 opened. Some bags were sent to a sorting facility in Italy.
While lost baggage is something that is totally out of your control, there are several things you can do to keep the damage to a minimum:
Luna Laboo now buys luggage that has been lost, displays it online and tries to reunite it with its owners."I found an auction where the luggage was being sold off, unopened", Ms Laboo said.
Most airlines allow three months for the baggage to be claimed, then the luggage is sent to an auction house or given to charity. The question needs to be asked, why can't airlines do what Luna Laboo is doing? Photograph the case and put it online?
View all articles by Lyn Thomas
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