THOUSANDS of unclaimed bags, etc auctioned in Madrid
Dec 14th, 2006, 02:40 PM
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THOUSANDS of unclaimed bags, etc auctioned in Madrid
It was such a sickening sight to see on t.v. last month, a warehouse FULL of unclaimed bags, surf boards, bikes, strollers and maybe one of YOUR lost suitcases, all going to auction in "lots".
Of course, when our luggage gets "lost" it can end up in a a warehouse halfway across the globe.
it is highly recommended to place your name, address, phone and itinerary INSIDE the suitcase in case all outer labels are destroyed.
We got a small case back once from a canadian trip, weeks later, because they found a fishing license application carbon copy in a pocket of the case.
it is such a shame to see that those cases ARE somewhere.. just impossible to find their owners, i guess.
there were several surf boards.. go figure!
Of course, when our luggage gets "lost" it can end up in a a warehouse halfway across the globe.
it is highly recommended to place your name, address, phone and itinerary INSIDE the suitcase in case all outer labels are destroyed.
We got a small case back once from a canadian trip, weeks later, because they found a fishing license application carbon copy in a pocket of the case.
it is such a shame to see that those cases ARE somewhere.. just impossible to find their owners, i guess.
there were several surf boards.. go figure!
Dec 14th, 2006, 02:45 PM
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Dec 14th, 2006, 06:35 PM
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Every one of those bags probably belonged to someone who thought packing light and carrying on was too much trouble. Afterall, nothing had ever happened to their bags before. How much trouble is it to spend a vacation without any of the thing you need.
Dec 14th, 2006, 11:12 PM
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i stil find it hard for so many of them to be missing and off to auction.
am i missing something? how can ALL the tags go missing on ALL these bags?
and, how many surf board claims were there worldwide? i think they need more staff on the computers or something. doesn´t seem reasonable.
or is it?
am i missing something? how can ALL the tags go missing on ALL these bags?
and, how many surf board claims were there worldwide? i think they need more staff on the computers or something. doesn´t seem reasonable.
or is it?
Dec 15th, 2006, 01:59 AM
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But larryincolorado, it's so much harder to take just carry-on luggage with the new rules; how do you take your toiletries on board now?
I once heard from someone traveling the Curacao, about the room full of luggage that had gone lost; most with labels and tags attached. This person's luggage was right there, while the airline claimed it was lost. It was only because he knew some airport staff that he was allowed to go an look for it. The suspicion is that the locals take home the 'lost' luggage when nobody claims it.
I once heard from someone traveling the Curacao, about the room full of luggage that had gone lost; most with labels and tags attached. This person's luggage was right there, while the airline claimed it was lost. It was only because he knew some airport staff that he was allowed to go an look for it. The suspicion is that the locals take home the 'lost' luggage when nobody claims it.
Dec 15th, 2006, 03:30 AM
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I wonder how often problems occur as a result of the 'tags' coming off, now that airlines are using heavy-duty TAPE (almost 3 inches wide, maybe 2 feet long in total) and not tags, at check-in? (After every flight, as everyone here probably knows, it takes quite a rip to get those things off).
It would seem more likely that baggage gets lost (as opposed to merely misrouted) because of some problem with the information in the tag-tape barcode. If the passenger hasn't provided the correct identification and/or address information in the first place, and/or the check-in agent somehow misreads this information, the barcode is going to wind up being wrong (you know the old saying: garbage in, garbage out.) Other possibilities: baggage handler forgot to scan the tag at time of loading; and/or faulty barcode scanner, etc.
Meanwhile, take heart: we'll never see a warehouse showing all the bags that got routed and claimed correctly. That pile would be really huge!
Not to mention that plenty of carry-on luggage gets left behind after every flight, as well - some people really don't value their possessions until after they lose them, I guess!
It would seem more likely that baggage gets lost (as opposed to merely misrouted) because of some problem with the information in the tag-tape barcode. If the passenger hasn't provided the correct identification and/or address information in the first place, and/or the check-in agent somehow misreads this information, the barcode is going to wind up being wrong (you know the old saying: garbage in, garbage out.) Other possibilities: baggage handler forgot to scan the tag at time of loading; and/or faulty barcode scanner, etc.
Meanwhile, take heart: we'll never see a warehouse showing all the bags that got routed and claimed correctly. That pile would be really huge!
Not to mention that plenty of carry-on luggage gets left behind after every flight, as well - some people really don't value their possessions until after they lose them, I guess!
Dec 15th, 2006, 09:51 AM
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>plenty of carry-on luggage gets left behind after every flight...
I guess I could understand people who check most of their luggage forgetting something incidental that they carried on, but I don't think those of us who carry everything on so we know where it is could ever leave it on the plane.
And, Tulips, I manage to live my life with a minimum of toiletries. Anything I can't get in a 3 oz size I will just buy when I get there
I guess I could understand people who check most of their luggage forgetting something incidental that they carried on, but I don't think those of us who carry everything on so we know where it is could ever leave it on the plane.
And, Tulips, I manage to live my life with a minimum of toiletries. Anything I can't get in a 3 oz size I will just buy when I get there
Dec 15th, 2006, 09:57 AM
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In the last century, my company wanted me to fly from Frankfurt to Paris. At first the travel agent said all flights were filled; then she came back and said she had booked me on Avianca. Turned out Avianca was the national airline of Columbia, and they normally couldn't fly passengers between Germany and France, but they were allowed to when all German and French flights were full.
I arrived at CDG and went to the baggage room, but nothing showed up. Seems since they don't usually drop passengers in Paris, no one went to the plane to get luggage. Fortunately, with me was a German couple who spoke French. They managed to round up some luggage handlers and explained the situation. They finally went out and got our bags off of the plane.
Had it not been for that German couple, my bags would have ended up in Bogata, and I doubt I ever would have seen them again.
I have never checked a bag since.
I arrived at CDG and went to the baggage room, but nothing showed up. Seems since they don't usually drop passengers in Paris, no one went to the plane to get luggage. Fortunately, with me was a German couple who spoke French. They managed to round up some luggage handlers and explained the situation. They finally went out and got our bags off of the plane.
Had it not been for that German couple, my bags would have ended up in Bogata, and I doubt I ever would have seen them again.
I have never checked a bag since.
