Save the receipts when the luggage gets rerouted
— -- Question:We planned more than a year in advance to take my three grandchildren to Paris and Rome. The five of us arrived at the Denver airport and checked in with United, but the airline canceled our flight. We were frantic, knowing we had to get to Newark to catch our connecting Air India flight to Paris. United put us on a flight to LaGuardia, which we ran to catch, then we took a taxi to Newark, arriving just 45 minutes before our Air India flight.
Although United and Air India agents in Denver, LaGuardia and Newark told us they would check on our bags, our luggage never arrived. We filed a claim with Air France, which handles Air India claims in Paris, and spent time each day trying to track down our bags. Four suitcases showed up at home after our return, and the fifth arrived more than a month later.
Not having our bags unquestionably interfered with our trip. Air India refused to reimburse me for my expenses, so I filed a claim with United asking for reimbursement for clothing and toiletry purchases in the amount of $1000 per person, plus $500 per person in damages for the harm we suffered. Can you help me get reimbursed?
—Catherine Gavend, Denver
Answer:Between the last-minute flight to an alternate airport, the taxi ride across town and an 11th hour check-in for an international flight — not to mention luggage-processing time and security requirements — it's no surprise that Gavend's luggage didn't make the Air India flight. But all that wasn't the real problem behind the long delay in reuniting the family with their bags — and as it turns out, United went above and beyond in trying to help these travelers.
Gavend's family had purchased separate domestic and international tickets for their trip to Europe, allowing just three hours in between flights. Buying a piecemeal itinerary can save money, but can also create unexpected complications should trouble arise. Even when flights go as planned, traveling on separate tickets can be an inconvenience, as evidenced by the family's luggage travails.
"She would have had to pick up her luggage in New York and recheck it," says United representative Robin Urbanski. "Someone did not advise her properly about the procedure."
Since there wasn't enough time to get them onto the last-minute LaGuardia flight, the bags were left behind in Denver. Continuing the time crunch, the group barely caught its Air India flight in Newark, so there was no time to track down the luggage. Once she arrived in Paris, Gavend filed a lost-luggage report with Air France, and the family's suitcases officially entered the WorldTracer system.
WorldTracer is the name of the central baggage-tracking systems that all the airlines use to locate errant luggage. The system found Gavend's luggage in limbo: She wasn't around to claim it, United's responsibility was just to transport it to New York, since that's how it was ticketed. Air India's job was to send it from New York to Paris, but Air India never had possession of the bags in the first place.
WorldTracer alerted United to send the luggage to Rome, the family's next stop, since by then it was too late to catch the family in Paris. United duly arranged transportation for the bags to Italy. Since the carrier doesn't fly to Rome from New York, it paid a partner airline to ferry the luggage, according to Urbanski.
Unfortunately, Gavend's family and their luggage just missed each other in Rome. The suitcases were then sent back to Denver and ultimately delivered to her home. Adding to the confusion, one of the bag tags had been entered incorrectly into the system back in Paris, so it was delayed even longer.
Airlines will give partial reimbursement for interim expenses when your luggage is delayed or lost. Policies vary by carrier, and usually reimbursement is capped, often around $25 a day. United reimburses up to 50% of costs for replacement clothing and toiletries, provided passengers submit receipts for their purchases. But no airline will pay damages based on the inconvenience of not having your luggage.
United reviewed Gavend's claim and agreed to make an exception to its interim-expense policy. It sent her a check for $874, the entire amount of the receipts the family still had for purchases while their luggage was missing.
How can you avoid trouble?
Be cautious about buying separate tickets. At best, you'll have to recheck your luggage at your stopover point. At worst, you'll end up caught between airlines that aren't responsible for reuniting you with your luggage, paying your expenses or getting you to your final destination. If you must buy separate tickets, consider working with a travel agent who can help choose the best options.
Label your luggage with your contact information. Also, tape a copy of your itinerary (with contact details at each stop) inside the front cover of your suitcase, in case the bag tags get torn off. Keep a copy with you, so you can provide those details with your lost-luggage report.
File a lost-luggage claim before leaving the airport, and make sure you're filing with the right airline.
Save your receipts. You can expect partial reimbursement for clothing and toiletry basics. Airlines handle claims on a case-by-case basis, but you'll need compelling justification for any purchases more costly than t-shirts and toothpaste.
Linda Burbank first began troubleshooting travelers' complaints for the Consumer Reports Travel Letter. She now writes regularly for Consumers Union publications and is a contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler. E-mail her at travel@usatoday.com. Your question may be used in a future column.