Every holiday starts with pure joy and excitement, but even travellers with tight-knit plans can get their enthusiasm derailed if one dreaded thing happens – experiencing missing luggage.
Whether still in transit to your destination or making your way back to Malta, a minor crisis ensues if you realise your suitcase did not make the voyage with you. Apart from being an inconvenience, travelling without your essential items might add stress to your vacation.
During peak travel seasons like summer, when airports are bustling with activity, incidents of lost luggage occur more frequently.
We’re going to dive deep into practical and helpful tips to gain reassurance should this happen, as well as highlighting how a comprehensive travel insurance policy always makes an indispensable travel buddy.
FIRST COURSE OF ACTION
As you’re standing close to the luggage conveyer, awaiting to be reunited with your belongings but you realise that your suitcase is nowhere to be seen, consider the essential first steps.
Your immediate course of action should be to not let the situation overwhelm you. A higher chance of recovering your belongings is possible by sharing your concern with the right personnel. Don’t waste unnecessary time roaming around the airport. Instead, head to the airport’s Lost Luggage area.
Once you locate the Baggage Desk, present the personnel with the proof of your luggage – a baggage tag receipt which is given to you upon checking in your last flight.
DOCUMENTATION IS KEY
At the Lost Luggage Desk, request a Property Irregularity Report, also known as PIR. This report is vital to help the airline track the suitcase and to forward to your insurer at a later stage.
Within this form, details such as description of the bag, detailed notes about the items within, the expected delay duration, contact information and a unique claim code will be listed. Double check all the information you provide to avoid communication issues.
Ask for a written confirmation regarding your luggage delay as this serves as an official acknowledgement. Whenever you make additional purchases for emergency essentials, keep all the receipts. Your insurer will ask you for them for re-imbursement as part of your travel insurance claim.
YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE COMES INTO PLAY
The benefit of having a travel policy covering your vacation is that the minute things start looking awry, you know you have a safety net to fall back on. A travel policy is designed to provide you with a solution when you’re stranded without your personal belongings.
If your suitcase is delayed by more than 12 hours, your travel policy can cover replacement of essential items such as clothing and toiletries. Depending on the level of coverage you purchase with your insurance – Bronze, Silver or Gold – you can be reimbursed up to €120, €350 or €1,000 respectively.
There might be unfortunate circumstances when a baggage is either permanently lost and cannot be traced by the airline, or the suitcase is severely damaged. Your travel insurance policy might have sections providing coverage for similar instances. A travel insurance policy can cover you for €700 under Bronze, €2,500 under Silver and €3,500 for the Gold package respectively.
If your suitcase held any valuables such as jewellery and electronics, there are separate covers for such high-value items. Speak to your insurer to be aware of the maximum limits that apply.
KEEP COMMUNICATION LINES OPEN
Having missing luggage doesn’t necessarily mean complete loss. Many travellers manage to get their hands on their suitcases eventually but be prepared to check its status frequently with the selected authorities.
Once you have the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) in hand, use the reference number to monitor the airline’s progress in locating your luggage. During the busy summer months, persistently enquiring every few hours is suggested.
In the meantime, inform your insurer about the situation and be ready to forward them a copy of the PIR report, receipt of your emergency purchases and any other written confirmation from the airline. This will help speed up the process of the travel claim.
If your luggage does turn up eventually, make sure to inspect it immediately and take note of irregularities by adding notes to the original PIR and taking photos.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LUGGAGE IS PERMANENTLY LOST
Despite best efforts, a suitcase may eventually be declared as permanently lost. In this case, your travel insurance will come into effect and provide you with the possibility to claim your losses.
Your travel insurance policy enables compensation for loss of personal belongings determined from the level of coverage you originally paid for. For standard items, this may vary between €700 and €3,500. If expensive electronics and jewellery were placed within your luggage, the standard travel insurance will not cover them. Additional coverage can be selected to cover this.
PREVENTION IS KEY
No one plans to lose their luggage. After all, it might dampen the excitement of your vacation. There is however some small preparation that will help keep such a travel mishap at bay.
- Label your luggage with personal details such as name and surname together with your contact details to help the airline trace you if your suitcase goes astray.
- If your suitcase has a common look, add a peculiar attachment to the handle, such as a ribbon or a keychain to help identify it from similar ones. This will also come into play when other travellers are picking their suitcase from the conveyor belt, ensuring they don’t mistake yours with theirs.
- Use trackers for an extra layer of security, such as an AirTag. These don’t have to cost a lot of money, but consider ones which can provide real-time location tracking.
- Keep valuables such as expensive jewellery and electronics on your person or in your carry-on bag. This is the ideal way to ensure you are covered even if your checked luggage is lost or delayed.
- Keep receipts in hand to provide proof of ownership in case your suitcase is lost. This will help the claim process go smoother.
- Before opting for a particular travel insurance policy coverage, make sure to review the terms & conditions and coverage amounts to ensure you have the security you’re looking for.
Whilst these tips do not eliminate the risk of luggage permanent loss, they massively reduce the stress that comes with such a mishap.
Embark on fun travel adventures with the right preparation. Allow yourself to remain calm even in cases of misfortune. An affordable comprehensive travel policy can save you in times of crisis; having protection for any outcome you may encounter.
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𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘓𝘵𝘥., 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘓𝘵𝘥., 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘉 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘚𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘓𝘵𝘥. 𝘐𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘤𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘱 487, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘔𝘢𝘮𝘰 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘓𝘵𝘥. (𝘎𝘔𝘐). 𝘎𝘔𝘐 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 (𝘔𝘍𝘚𝘈) 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘤𝘵, 𝘊𝘢𝘱 403 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢. 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘍𝘚𝘈.