Useful Travel Tools: What to do when the airline lost your bags

07 Sep 2019

We all know it happens and we all dread the moment it happens to us and not to Joe Blogs next to us.

But what if your luggage gets lost and your biggest fears have become true: no evening wardrobe, no dress shoes, chargers and cables lost and your favorite after shave is also on the way to HKG while you are in JNB! All of that happens every day, somewhere in this world.

Here is what you need to do when you are at your destination airport without your luggage:

Do not leave the airport before you have filed a report. It will take you forever to file it over the phone as the lines are always busy. You also have no idea whether your details have been taken down correctly. Stay there, file it, check it.

If you have been on a connecting flight and your bags have been checked through you always file with the last airline in your itinerary: If you flew BA to Hong Kong and then connected to Cathay for a flight to Manila with your bags going through all the way to your final destination you contact Cathay in Manila to file your lost luggage report.

Always keep your baggage tag handy. The code on there is the key to trace your luggage. Without the tag it will take much longer to get your details up and start the trace.

Once your report has been received you will be given a file number. Keep your tracing file number on you. The file reference consists of the airport code where the report was filed, your airline code plus a reference number: ATLBA12345 – for a claim that was filed in Atlanta with BA.

The airline will tell then tell you to call them for updates and most likely it will be almost impossible to get through as the lines are usually busy or the phones not manned and if you leave a message it can take a long time for someone to call back. Here is what you do instead: either google -> ‘baggage tracer aero’ and use the first result of ” worldtracer ” on your results page or copy this link into your browser: https://wtrweb.worldtracer.aero/WTRInternet/wtwflowinternet.do?_flowExecutionKey=_c472F22AF-E5F8-27A7-5791-823DABC78EC5_kF868B4A1-5793-1FAB-5544-C311AAEADD8D

You will see the complete file with all the updates, you can check your details are correct and where your bags are actually at this moment in time.

Hopefully you will never have to use it but if the day comes remember the link or just contact us!