Scenario: you are waiting for your luggage at the airport, suitcases of all shapes and colors pass, but yours does not appear. The passengers leave and you stare at the tape that no longer rotates and prepares to receive the bags for the next flight. It's time to assume that luggage is delayed or lost.
According to SITA, IT provider for the air transport industry, lost luggage in 2021 worldwide was 4.35 bags per thousand passengers. But in 2022, that figure – for the first time in more than a decade – rose: 7.6 bags per thousand passengers.
The suitcases parade through the baggage belt. Photo Shutterstock
Statistics indicate that your luggage is most likely delayed, hardly lost. That is why we usually talk about "mishandled baggage", something that encompasses all the problems that a dispatched suitcase could have.
What to do
Golden rule: do not leave the airport without making the complaint, which also applies if the suitcase arrives broken or something is missing. The airline must provide proof of claim (PIR).
"The PIR is very important, but many times you realize that the luggage is broken or missing something inside when you open it, once outside the airport. Or when you are at the airport there is no office open. In this case it is necessary to leave the claim recorded by another means (e-mail), and if possible, demonstrate with photos that the offices of the airline were closed, "says Santiago Aramburu, specialist in Tourism Law, and adds: "Many rulings admit claims once this is proven, and the PIR is not as essential as the airlines unilaterally say. "
Do not discard the flight tickets and, if you make expenses derived from the loss of luggage, keep the vouchers. If you hired assistance to the traveler, contact the company.
"Once the complaint is made, you have 24 hours to notify us. So we can start monitoring and contemplate compensation expenses, "warns Diego Barón, from Universal Assistance.
It is important that the bag has identification that allows you to know who it belongs to. Photo Shutterstock
For his part, Sebastián Bras Harriott, of Assist Card, says: "Those who have contracted products with a traditional and simple coverage for loss of luggage will obtain compensation between 200 and 2,000 dollars, depending on whether they suffered a delay or the total loss of luggage" (it does not cover partial theft of objects that are inside the suitcase).
Deadlines and compensation
The deadline for an airline to respond in cases of lost or delayed baggage is 10 days on domestic flights and 21 days on international flights. For damages, the terms are 3 or 7 days, respectively (art. 20, Res. 1532/98).
If the baggage appears, the carrier must send it to the place where the passenger is, free of charge.
If it is declared definitively lost, compensation corresponds: domestic flights, up to two Argentine gold per kilo (quotation in the Central Bank or Bank of the Nation); international flights, as required by the Montreal Convention, up to 1,131 SDRs (Special Drawing Rights).
Over the years, the rate of "mishandled" baggage was reduced. Photo Shutterstock
Tips to keep in mind
- Identify luggage with personal data such as name, address, e-mail and cell phone. Also put the data inside the luggage.
- Remove tags from previous flights before checking in.
- Lock the suitcase.
- Carry essential medicines, money, valuables and documents in your handbag.
- Declare if you travel with any element of great value.
- Keep the baggage ticket until the end of the trip.
See also
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