Where does unclaimed baggage go? Improvements in both baggage handling and tracking systems as well as increased automation have resulted in significantly fewer missing bags. Most baggage is not actually...
Most baggage is not actually lost - just delayed. Improvements in both baggage handling and tracking systems as well as increased automation have resulted in significantly fewer missing bags. If you are lucky, and depending on where you are flying to, your bag will be on the next flight and you will have it delivered to you within a few hours.
If your baggage does not appear on the carousel after you have arrived at your destination, the first thing you should do is to report the bag missing, in person if you can or by phone. You may be asked for the type of bag, manufacturers name, color and a description of the contents.
Most airlines will have a baggage office or desk in the airport, usually close to the main baggage claim area. The sooner you report your bag missing, the sooner you may get it back. Smaller airlines may have their baggage handled by a larger airline or an independent company.
If your bag is delayed even for a short time, you may be eligible for compensation. The amount of compensation depends not only on the extent of the delay, but whether or not you are at home when the loss occurred. The airlines assume you have spare clothes, etc at home and don't need to be compensated quite so much.
And if your luggage is never found? After a few days the airline will probably contact you and ask for a detailed list of contents and their value, with a view to offering compensation. The compensation may not cover particularly expensive or unique items and you may have to substantiate your claims with receipts, etc.
The airline will probably continue to search for your bag usually for a period of around 90 days but will then concede that it is lost. If you call your airline inquiring after your missing baggage, your call will probably be referred to a central office responsible for handling lost baggage for your airline. And sometimes a suitcase will mysteriously turn up weeks or months after it had disappeared.
If you are wondering where all that unclaimed baggage goes, a lot of it ends up in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains near Scottsboro, Alabama. The huge Unclaimed Baggage Center is a sort of vast consignment store, which has become a major tourist attraction in the area. The store was found in 1970 by Sue and Doyle Owens as a part time business, now it covers an entire city block and is a full time venture.
Here you will find the assorted contents of thousands of bags from all over the country, from checked baggage that has been lost, as well as various items left behind on planes. Around 60% of the store's stock is clothing; the remaining 40% consists of sporting goods, toys, books and electronics. There is also a section of the store devoted to lost and unclaimed airline cargo.
And some of the things you can purchase at the store may surprise you - it's hard to believe that people can leave musical instruments, computers, and false limbs on the plane - but you can find them all at the Unclaimed Baggage Center. The store even has a play area for children and a concierge desk to assist with finding and shipping items.
