This Is Why You Should Take A Picture Of Your Luggage Before Checking It In To A Flight

There are many things you have to do leading up to a flight before you take your seat on the airplane. Checking documents, packing everything you’ll need, and checking in are just some of the tasks you have to think about ahead of time. Ever since people began traveling again after the slowed down years of the pandemic, airlines have been having a hard time keeping up with the demand.

That means a lot of delayed or even cancelled flights and lots of lost luggage. If you want to avoid dealing with the worst case scenario, when you’re searching for your lost bags with only your verbal description, there are some things you can do to try to make the situation better for you.

The Department of Transportation has written on its website: “Airlines are required to compensate passengers if their bags are damaged, delayed, or lost. Airlines are required to compensate passengers for reasonable, verifiable, and actual incidental expenses that they may incur while their bags are delayed — subject to the maximum liability limits.”

These limits at $3800 for delays that are domestic and $1780 for ones that are international. Additionally, the Department of Transportation continued: “This is the most that airlines must pay a passenger for a lost, damaged, or delayed bag. Airlines are free to pay more than the limit but are not required to do so.”

The money that is given can be used towards necessary items like clothes, toiletries, and any other items needed on a trip. If you do buy items due to your bag being delayed, make sure you keep all of the receipts so you can submit them with your claim.

If your baggage seems to be completely lost, check what the rules are with your airline, as it can very from company to company. Airlines can declare a bag to be lost after five days and up to fourteen days after the flight. For the lost baggage claims, the Department of Transportation says that “airlines may require receipts or other proof for valuable items that were in the lost bags.”

According to AirHelp, a passenger advocacy group, suggest taking a photo of any of your valuable goods, packed items, and your luggage before checking your baggage in. You should also take a photo of the tag placed on your luggage before it is taken to the carousel after you check in. This can help track down your bag and make it easier to understand where it may have ended up.