Airlines are such an easy target for reproach. They’re big, impersonal, autocratic. And, outside of their always baffling fares, they seldom seem more insensitive than when it comes to your luggage. But you as a passenger do have a degree of influence over what happens to your possessions.
Packing prevention: You know this: Don’t pack cameras, jewelry, cash, medication, travel documents or anything else you can’t live without in checked luggage. Your Louis Vuittons may not be lost forever, but you’ll need those items in the meantime.
Lock your bags. It won’t prevent picklocks from pilfering, but it may discourage them. Besides, a lock may keep luggage from popping open while it is being handled. And it will be handled a lot, by underpaid employees, conveyor belts, ramps and carts — all possessing the potential to jostle, tear and otherwise rough-up your luggage. That’s why you shouldn’t pack your bags to the bursting point. The suitcase you so lovingly packed full of vacation dreams may wind up unceremoniously loaded at the bottom of the stack in the cargo hold. Do tag your bags inside and out. If you don’t feel safe posting your home address, give your business address.
Checking in: Time your arrival at the counter so that you and your bags will travel on the same flight. If you hit check-in in a dead heat, you may manage to get on board, but your Samsonite might not. Learn the three-letter code for your destination. Then, when the desk agent tags your bags, you can verify that they are headed to the same place you are. Now, hang on to your baggage claim tags until the bags are back in your possession, or until you must surrender the tags when filing for lost or damaged luggage.
Next week: What to do when your bags don’t have a happy landing.