Hi,
My friend just returned from Europe and came back through terminal 3, Heathrow. The airline double-tagged one of her bags and didn't tag another so that untagged bag is "who knows where?" (The bag has personal identification information inside and out as advised on our TTBB but no airline luggage forwarding tag.)
She and her husband have checked with the airline and will continue to check. I will be travelling into London in a month through T3 as well. Is there any chance there's a place at Heathrow where I could go to search out the bag?
Any advice from anyone?

P.S. The baggage insurance procedures are so convoluted and rigorous that it's unlikely she'll get anything to reimburse her for the bag and its contents. I used to discard receipts after a few months but now I'm going to start saving receipts for anything that I might possibly take with while travelling.
P.P.S I will be more vigilant about watching the counter personnel as my luggage is tagged.

It's hard to know how to be safe from thieves, and, at the same time, identify one's luggage, isn't it. Until you posted the above story, and I started searching, I'd no idea that mistakes at the tagging end were so common.

Advice on the Watering Hole forum(http://wateringhole.gapadventures.com/viewforum.php?f=20 ) includes
"...always double check the tags that the counter personal place on your luggage. Just ask to make sure it is listed as the flight you're on.
I once read that that is the number one reason for luggage being lost!"

I couldn't follow the link in the next one, but if it's not permanently broken, it may be useful.

"There is a product called "Aerotag" (http://jet-setter.ca/details.cfm?ProductCode=Aerotag), you could follow that link to it. With Aerotag, you register your travel plans with the Aerotag company beforehand and when your luggage ends up in the wrong place, the airline company can check your code with Aerotag and have your bag shipped to exactly where you are at your Hostel or Hotel, and they will prioritize it, as it is definitely in the best interest of the airline to make sure a tagged bag ends up with its customer."

Your friend must work with the airline, it is their responsiblity and no one else is going to help. I am assuming a "Lost Claim" has been made. The airline will do nothing about the claim until a certain number of days have past, just in case the luggage does show up.

Your friend does have to stay after the airline and then negotiate with them on the price they are willing to pay for the lost luggage.

I will be landing at LHR on 28 August, give me a desription of the luggage and I will keep my eyes open for it.

Best of luck to your friend.

Mallee: Just read your note about your friend's lost luggage. There is a website for such an incident. Type in Heathrow lost luggage on Google and there is some info. Hope this helps. Purvis

Happy Traveler - My friend is really good about following up with companies when things have gone wrong - even when they have done things well.

If you were to find the bag you wouldn't be able to claim it. Thanks for offering. She's going to give me a signed letter authorizing me to deal with it. (And how would you get it to us in Toronto, anyway?) I'll be there 2 weeks later. I don't really expect it will be there. However - if you should spot a lonely black carry-on sized rollerboard with an ADT sticker on the side, you might want to point out to the luggage people that there's identifying information on the inside and the bag is not locked.

Purvis, thanks for the Google hints. I'll pass that on to my friend. It's interesting to read that BA doesn't consider the bag "lost" until 21 days have passed.

Mallee,
That Aerotag information is great! I'm going to try to get that before my next flight. It's a bit of "closing the barn door" for my friend. You know... people who buy security systems for their homes after they've had break-in. I'm going to check this out for myself.
Have you heard anything about it from people who have purchased it?
Thanks again,
ZS

A miracle has happened! My friend tells me that the airline has just phoned to inform her it will be dropping off the bag tonight.

quote:

Originally posted by ZeldaSue:
A miracle has happened! My friend tells me that the airline has just phoned to inform her it will be dropping off the bag tonight.

That is absolutely fantastic, ZeldaSue! I must confess, I thought she'd never see hide nor hair of it again!