4 Tips to Prevent Loss of Luggage 4


From my airline work experience, usually 1 or 2 bags each flight do not appear on the baggage carousel.  What can you do to help reunite you and your bag as quick as possible?

One of the things I do is take copies of my itinerary, passports and credit card.  Whilst I have mentioned including this in the planning and packing sections of this site I have never gone to great lengths about where to place the items and why.

So as an ex-Baggage Services Agent with our countries major airline I thought it best to let you know where to put said items in the event that your bag goes missing.

lost luggage travel tips

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Advice on helping reunite lost luggage with the owner.

1. Always put your name tag with at least a phone number on your bag.  Whilst they probably won’t ring you, they will enter those details into the computer system and it will help match your bag with your missing bag file.

2. Place a copy of your itinerary in the front unlocked pocket of your suitcase.  If your airline luggage tag has fallen off staff will go through pockets trying to determine the owner of the bag.  Your itinerary will not only let them know who the owner is but also where the bag should be.

3. Place copies of tickets, passports and credit cards on top of all your packed luggage.  If you have TSA approved locks then airport staff can access your bag and as soon as they open your bag these copies will be able to identify who is the owner and again where your bag should be.

4. In your hand luggage pack a spare set of clothes and any essentials.  It often takes about 24 hours to reunite you with your bag.  Pack a few of your essentials in your hand luggage.

Remember when your bag goes missing the airline really did not want to lose the bag – it costs them lots of money to reunite people and lost luggage.  The airline will help you as much as possible however, this is one of the reasons for ensuring you have travel insurance – don’t forget to take a copy of this in your hand luggage.


About Sally-Ann Brown

I am Sally-Ann the author of Toddlers on Tour. I am a wife and mother who has always had a passion for travel. I love sharing my experiences and lessons learned to help you have a better family holiday or day trip. Read "All About Me" under the "Home" tab to discover my story and what lead me to here.

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4 thoughts on “4 Tips to Prevent Loss of Luggage

  • Grace

    Great tips! I’m definitely going to think about packing some extra clothes for my carry on luggage next time. And extra copies of the itinerary would be useful too. As always, thanks for an informative post!

  • Cheryl @ Kids On A Plane

    Great tips! While I have never lost luggage I have never thought to put the itinerary in the unlocked pocket of the suitcase. I will definitely do that next time!

    • Toddlers on Tour Post author

      Most people don’t lose a bag, as yet I haven’t. But who’s to say it won’t happen on the next flight.

      So putting the itinerary in a pocket is really a simple thing to do to help re-unite your bag with you.