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Welcome to the Mysteries of Lost Luggage SOLVED!
Please do not leave your luggage unattended
Unattended luggage may be removed and destroyed by security services, Thank You
Okay so you please make sure your seat is in the upright position
your belt is fastened and that your luggage is either stored in the overhead lockers
or under the seat in front of you. There is no safety card for this flight
so you better bloody well listen okay! Oi! and switch off the iPod
cos I am about talk you through the emergency procedure in the event of losing
your luggage.
This helpful guide is brought to because
Air Berlin lost my luggage but mainly because their customer service when they
did this
absolutely sucked!
So the first mystery is why it's called
'lost' because it's unlikely that your luggage is actually lost
I mean think about it, when you go through security to board a
multi-million pound aircraft, they want to check your bags
your shoes, under your arms, even feel inside the hem
of your skirt or trousers! So how likely do you think it really is that your
luggage is allowed to be
'lost' anywhere in the airport or loaded onto an aircraft
without it's barcode being swiped and recorded somewhere?
I think that it's highly unlikely or maybe worse than that, worrying
if that is the case that luggage can actually get lost.
Now if you've been the victim of lost luggage as I have
the question is if it's not lost them where the hell is it?
some people wait for days even weeks to get their belongings back and some never
ever see it again!
So assuming it's simply not possible the your luggage is lost then it must be
stolen right?
Well, not necessarily you see as with the recent example the
Air Berlin 8109 Stockhom flight, the pilot knowingly took off without luggage in
order to not miss his slot,
as it was deemed by the airlines to be less expensive to try and repatriate the
passengers with their luggage
at a later date than it is to suffer the costs involved in upsetting
the aviation timetable. Notice that what I said there was
less expensive for the airline, not less expensive for you
and certainly not less inconvenient, I'm sure most passengers would rather arrive
thirty minutes late
with their luggage rather than on time without it.
SO, what to do about it? Well in my case my chose to make a video
about my inconvenience, both to vent some anger and to serve as a
permanent advert
for potential customers of AirBerlin of what to expect
should they need to use customer services. I guess
ultimately my hope was that AirBerlin would actually properly apologize and
address their appalling aloof
attitude towards passengers lost luggage, what do I mean by aloof?
well the fact is there is no guarantee as to when
if at all your luggage will arrive and a quick Google search will show you that
some airlines basically don't care
so my advice is to bite the bullet immediately
and buy everything you're going to need, either on the day you arrive
or as soon as possible the day after, now with Air Berlin I did this
sent them all my receipts by email and then three days later
I got an email asking me to send them all the things I sent
in the last email, which just goes to show that these people simply don't care
and don't read they just cut and paste Incidently!
Ms Schwarblies of Air Berlin Customer Relations
Are you actually real or is it just a made up name?
Huh huh, come on let's hear from you! I'd like to see you face!
anyway here are my top tips to remember
No.1 - Get all of your 'Emergency' Supplies on the day you arrive
or soon after, I say 'emergency'
because this is the word the airline likes to use to denote 'essential'
well, if you have no idea when or if your luggage
is coming then everything that you had in the missing luggage
qualifies as emergency.
No.2 Keep all your receipts including the cost of fuel and transport needed to
solve your problem
Step 3: File your claim with the airline
note that some airlines will ask you to do this via your insurance company,
or ask if you have insurance, this is bullcrap,
they lost your luggage, and they're the ones that have to pay,
your insurance is exactly that
YOURS and only need be used in the event that the airline refuse to pay up
which it won't! Step 4: if you want to be a Smart ***
which of course you do, well the next time you fly anyway
do a Google search for GPS tags: there's a number
inexpensive options on the market pop one in you case
and then when the airline next time says 'location pending'
you can let them know that you have tracked it to a small fishing village in
the northern provinces
of China Step 5: Tell the world of your experience
you as the customer ultimately have the power, so don't be a wallflower
let's insist that these people improve. so Facebook them
Twitter, make a video and put it on YouTube, you don't even have to wear your
clothes to do that one ;-)
and post your experiences on travel forums write a Blog
ANYTHING that makes these people sit up and listen
and act, so anyway in closing I fly back home again
with AirBerlin in 10 days, yes I know what you're thinking but hey everyone deserves a
second chance don't they?
so in the event that this is the last you hear from me
then just let you know I've swallowed a GPS tag for the repatriation
of my body HAPPY TRAVELLING FOLKS!