Why you should always check your bag tag at check-in

It is by no means enjoyable when your baggage fails to reach at your vacation spot concurrently you. Sadly, that occurs to hundreds of vacationers every day.

Greater than 270,000 checked baggage had been mishandled (which means misplaced or delayed) within the U.S. in August 2024, in response to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Transportation. That equals a median of 6.4 checked baggage per 1,000 vacationers — and that is simply the statistics from U.S.-based airways. When you concentrate on what number of worldwide airways there are and the potential for mishandled baggage with them, the quantity skyrockets. Contemplating how many individuals can be flying throughout the vacation season, some baggage mishandling is unfortunately inevitable.

One main explanation for misplaced or delayed baggage is because of incorrect tagging. While you hand your baggage off on the check-in counter, do you check out the bag tag earlier than it disappears onto the conveyor belt? If not, here is why it is best to begin doing so.

How does a bag get tagged to the unsuitable vacation spot?

The only reply is that the check-in agent could have by chance enter the unsuitable vacation spot code. It’s possible you’ll be going to Dallas Fort Price Worldwide Airport (DFW), but when the agent by chance varieties in “DTW,” your bag will arrive at Detroit Wayne County Worldwide Airport as a substitute. Or possibly you are going to San Juan, Puerto Rico, the place the airport code is SJU, however the agent misroutes your baggage to SJO, an airport in Costa Rica.

One other chance is that another person’s bag tag with a special vacation spot was affixed to your baggage. Perhaps the check-in agent printed out an additional tag from the earlier buyer and, as a substitute of throwing it out, inadvertently used that one in your baggage. They may’ve put the identical unsuitable declare tag in your boarding move.

In case your baggage has a tag along with your contact data, you may possible finally be reunited along with your baggage (although it might not occur as rapidly as you would like). Be sure you have your contact particulars in a number of locations — a tag on the skin and one thing inside of every suitcase is suggested. If there isn’t any ID tag, your baggage will possible sit round with all the opposite unclaimed baggage.

Associated: My bag wasn’t tagged correctly — reader mistake story

Except you have elite status or use the right credit cards, many airways cost $70 per checked bag on a round-trip flight (or generally much more). So, it is necessary to do all you possibly can to make sure your bag will get tagged correctly.

Verify the vacation spot on the tag

Ask the check-in agent in the event you can see the bag tag both earlier than it is positioned in your baggage or earlier than your baggage is distributed down the conveyor belt. In the event you’re checking a number of baggage, you’ll want to have a look at the tag for each bag.

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Test the connection, too

It’s best to examine the vacation spot and the connection in case you are not flying nonstop.

That is particularly necessary as a result of baggage aren’t at all times routed on to the ultimate vacation spot. Typically, you might be liable for choosing up your bag from the primary leg of your journey and rechecking it; one of the simplest ways to substantiate that is to see what’s on the bag tag.

For instance, if you return to the U.S. from a world journey, you will need to acquire your baggage and recheck it on your connecting flight. Be sure you examine the bag tag at that time, additionally.

In the event you’re flying totally different airways on a single itinerary (even with the identical airline alliance), your bag could not at all times get checked via to your remaining vacation spot, regardless of what a well-meaning airline employee could inform you. All the time affirm it your self by checking the bag tag.

Visually affirm tags have been added to every bag you examine

Do not simply examine the place it is tagged. You also needs to wait on the counter till you see that the proper bag tag has been added to your entire baggage.

That is even doubly necessary in the event you gate-check your bag. Typically, an airline gate agent will be busy checking a number of passengers’ baggage on a full flight that has run out of overhead bin area. If a gate agent fingers you the declare tag along with your boarding move however then says they’re going to affix the tag to your bag later, simply politely say you need to see your bag get tagged to ensure it would not get misplaced.

Tag your personal baggage

Lastly, every time potential, use self-tagging at a kiosk that lets you print your personal bag tags and place them on the luggage you want to examine. Although human error is much less possible right here than on the counter, it is best to nonetheless double-check your bag tags even when self-tagging at a kiosk and ensure the proper vacation spot.

More and more, U.S. airways have arrange baggage tracking options on their web sites and cellular apps. Southwest Airlines, American Airways, Delta Air Traces and United Airways all provide a baggage monitoring software on their web sites and cellular apps. Many worldwide airways, together with the member airways inside Star Alliance, additionally provide baggage tracking.

It’s also possible to use a Bluetooth monitoring gadget, corresponding to Apple AirTags, to watch your baggage. This fashion, you possibly can see that your baggage has been loaded onto your airplane and arrived at your vacation spot.

Plus, Apple recently announced that customers will quickly have the ability to share a safe hyperlink with the situation of an AirTag or “Discover My” community accent with greater than 15 airways; taking part carriers embody Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airways, British Airways, Brussels Airways, Delta Air Traces, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airways, Swiss Worldwide Air Traces, Turkish Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling.

If issues go haywire and your baggage do not arrive if you do — particularly throughout the busy summer time or vacation journey seasons — this Apple characteristic will assist airways find them. Nonetheless, it is nonetheless necessary to pay attention to the steps it is best to take if you find yourself with lost or delayed luggage and to grasp how credit cards can come to the rescue.