Airlines Will Never Lose Your Baggage if You Use These 10 Tricks

Losing baggage is a nightmare for any tourist.

FunnyModo found 10 recommendations that will help you make sure you and your belongings stay together.

Get rid of old labels immediately

If you adore collecting stickers on your suitcase and reminiscing about your travels, you risk not getting your baggage one day because it’ll fly away by mistake. Better stick a name tag on your suitcase or have a Laser Engraved Luggage Tag: this will greatly facilitate the search for your baggage in case it’s lost.

Check in early

As airport staff themselves say, baggage gets lost most often if you do a last-minute check-in. The later you check in, the greater the chance your bags won’t fly with you as they may simply not manage to get through the labyrinth of conveyor belts in time.

Ask the staff to stick a “Fragile” label on your baggage

It’s a known trick on the Internet: tell the staff at the counter that you have really fragile items in your suitcase, and it will get a special label along with promises that they’ll take particular care of it.

Don’t overstuff your suitcase

By their own confession, baggage handlers sometimes make a game out of it. “In the hold of the plane, we would throw the suitcases to each other from the belt to stacking them up. We throw them to each other as hard as we can. We don’t want to break the bags or cases, but you can imagine that it is not exactly beneficial to the bag.” Therefore, the heavier your bag, the more damage it would receive.

Opt for a brightly colored but not expensive-looking suitcase

Simple as it is, an obviously expensive suitcase may end up in the hands of thieves while a gray average one — in the hands of dozens of passengers with similar ones. Unless you want your baggage to become someone else’s, choose a bright color or a pattern that doesn’t scream of a high price.

Assess the time of a stopover

It so happens that direct flights lose fewer suitcases than connecting ones. But don’t neglect them altogether. Just see to it that there’s at least an hour between your flights to make sure your baggage is safely onboard with you.

Use protective film or a cover

Remember how they pack suitcases at the airport? No thief will be able to reach inside, and no handler will shatter them like this. Or you can use bright protective covers like these ones.

Insure especially valuable baggage

There was a case where a passenger flew from the US with 8 iPads in his suitcase with no insurance or declared value whatsoever. The gadgets were stolen. But at least the passenger got a reimbursement…of $30. To avoid such situations, it’s better to insure valuable baggage items, or at least take a picture of them at the check-in counter for insurance purposes, find out how you can save money on lorry insurance.

Opt for hub flights

Hubs are airports used by certain airlines as the main transfer center for their connecting flights. Forbes says you’d do well to use them if you have connecting flights. Such airports have a more refined system of baggage transfer than if you choose different airlines with a stopover at an airport that’s not a hub for either.

Purchase a GPS tracker

If you’ve ever lost your baggage or you’re just overly worried about your belongings, then you definitely need a GPS tracker. It’s small and inexpensive, yet it can establish its coordinates via a satellite, and then transfer them to you via email or phone. Just put it inside your suitcase, and track it online! A bag is the perfect accessory to complete a wardrobe. Handpick your favourite piece from Dominileather.com.