Lost Luggage

[prawn_86]

Hi all,


I'm in South Korea at the moment and on the way over here Vietnam Air managed to lose my luggage. I have lodged the proper forms and stuf but they got back to me today saying they have checked all the airports i had stopovers in and they couldnt find my bag and that it is likely that i will never get it back.

They have offered me a token amount of $20 per kg lost, and i have insurance, but i was wondering if anyone has any experience like this and if there is anymore i can get from the airline, as i feel 300 is pretty pathetic for the inconvenience and the fact that i could not contact them for 3 days when it first happened!

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.

 

[natashia]

Hi all,


I'm in South Korea at the moment and on the way over here Vietnam Air managed to lose my luggage. I have lodged the proper forms and stuf but they got back to me today saying they have checked all the airports i had stopovers in and they couldnt find my bag and that it is likely that i will never get it back.

They have offered me a token amount of $20 per kg lost, and i have insurance, but i was wondering if anyone has any experience like this and if there is anymore i can get from the airline, as i feel 300 is pretty pathetic for the inconvenience and the fact that i could not contact them for 3 days when it first happened!

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.

Well that really isn't good enough is it?

Check to see if at your point of departure that your luggage actually left ( airport) Australia...that can happen too...

How long has it been missing cause they do have holding bay's at all airports for lost luggages..they should be doing a secondary chase for that too..

If all else fails then you will have to create an uproar on how much you have lost in this mishap ie:-
as i feel 300 is pretty pathetic for the inconvenience and the fact that i could not contact them for 3 days when it first happened!
and that you demand more compensation as this has put you out quite abit and mention how you are disgusted with the whole debacle...That should help somewhat... Make sure to create a hoohaa!! while you are there.

 

[prawn_86]

Thats what i was thinking also Natashia.

I have finally managed to get a hold of an email address of a senior person in Aus, so hopefully she will help me out. I must say they have had terrible customer service.

It has been missing for well over 3 days now, and i have rang adel, syd, and busan (who also checked ho chi min) which was all my stopovers. None of them say it was in any holding bays or anything. They said it is most likely that it was stolen or put on the wrong plane. I have also been told vietnam air outsource their baggage handling in Syd so im trying to get a hold of that co now.

What i cant understand is the fact that it has just dropped of the face of the earth. Every bag has a barcode sticker on it so they should at least know which airport it was scanned at last, but they cant even tell me that!

I had some damn good clothes in there

 

[CoffeeKing]

If it does turn up over there where you are right now!!!

"Get someone else to open it first before going near any customs benches"

You just never know these days what can end up in your baggage???

Travelling is not like the old days in the 80"s to 90"s Backpack anywhere and you were always welcome, how times change...

 

[prawn_86]

No-one else been throught the same situation?

 

[Sean K]

Is a good example why not to put irreplaceable valuables in checked luggage, whatever that may be.

I think it will turn up Name Spelt Wrong.

 

[noirua]

Hi all,


I'm in South Korea at the moment and on the way over here Vietnam Air managed to lose my luggage. I have lodged the proper forms and stuf but they got back to me today saying they have checked all the airports i had stopovers in and they couldnt find my bag and that it is likely that i will never get it back.

They have offered me a token amount of $20 per kg lost, and i have insurance, but i was wondering if anyone has any experience like this and if there is anymore i can get from the airline, as i feel 300 is pretty pathetic for the inconvenience and the fact that i could not contact them for 3 days when it first happened!

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.

I don't know what people do with their suitcases. Having travelled all over the place for over 40 years I've never lost a thing. My suitcase was for many years one of my grandfathers that he made himself, a pennyless paupers type of case he called it. Perhaps it indicated poor quality goods inside a motley old case and I had to bin it in the end.
These days I use two long OLD sports bags and they both have a daub of orange paint on them so I can easily spot them.

 

[prawn_86]

I don't know what people do with their suitcases. Having travelled all over the place for over 40 years I've never lost a thing. My suitcase was for many years one of my grandfathers that he made himself, a pennyless paupers type of case he called it. Perhaps it indicated poor quality goods inside a motley old case and I had to bin it in the end.
These days I use two long OLD sports bags and they both have a daub of orange paint on them so I can easily spot them.

Well i didnt 'do' anything Noiura. I just checked it in, was assured it would be going straight through to Korea and then it didnt come out when i got here.

It was about 10 yrs old and all battereed and worn, so its not like it would have been attractive to steal.

 

[Stan 101]

Prawn, how did you get to Korea from Adelaide? What flights did you take, who were the carriers and was there a codeshare on any of the flights? Codeshare is where the flight has dual flight numbers (one number for each of the airlines sharing the flight).


cheers,

 

[prawn_86]

Prawn, how did you get to Korea from Adelaide? What flights did you take, who were the carriers and was there a codeshare on any of the flights? Codeshare is where the flight has dual flight numbers (one number for each of the airlines sharing the flight).


cheers,

ahh, yes there was codeshare. i will give you a list.

adel to syd was direct with virgin blue. i have called them and they say they cannot locate the bag on the system. they are also the ones who assured me my bags would go thru to korea.

syd to ho chi min was with vietnam air co-shared with qantas. not sure of the qantas flight no as it isnt on my itinerary.

ho chi min to busan was with vietnam co shared with korea air (i think)/ again not sure of the KA number as i was booked on the VA flight.

What were your suggestions Stan 101?

 

[Stan 101]

Virgin Blue don't codeshare with Qantas or Vietnam air (or didn't) and you would have needed to collect your bag at kingsford smith and checked it through at the international check in. I would check with Virgin again and just ask them the hypothetical. Do not mention you bag is lost and see if they offer the service to check your luggage through to Vietnam or South Korea. I'm guessing it is still on a carousel in Kingsford Smith domestic.


There is a protocol for lost luggage (the warsaw convention????) It is the minimum airlines must reimburse you for misplaced and lost luggage. This includes accomodation and purchasing of clothes etc on top of the lost luggage itself.

Also, as a last resort, if you paid for the trip with credit card, the chances are you have up to 90 days free travel insurance. Read the fine print and get the credit card lender into this.


All the best.

 

[Sir Burr]

More likely the airline has lost it but it is possible a passenger could grap a bag off an airport carousel and walk out.

At many airports, bags are not checked and tags numbers are not checked against the ones they stick on your ticket.

Have you called your insurance company?

 

[noirua]

The Warsaw Convention, in short, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warsaw_Convention

Unified Text of the Warsaw Convention: http://www.iata.org/NR/ContentConnector/CS2000/Siteinterface/sites/legal/file/warsaw.pdf

 

[prawn_86]

Virgin Blue don't codeshare with Qantas or Vietnam air (or didn't) and you would have needed to collect your bag at kingsford smith and checked it through at the international check in. I would check with Virgin again and just ask them the hypothetical. Do not mention you bag is lost and see if they offer the service to check your luggage through to Vietnam or South Korea. I'm guessing it is still on a carousel in Kingsford Smith domestic.


There is a protocol for lost luggage (the warsaw convention????) It is the minimum airlines must reimburse you for misplaced and lost luggage. This includes accomodation and purchasing of clothes etc on top of the lost luggage itself.

All the best.

thanks Stan 101. i was assured my bags would go from adel to Korea as Virgin has just started sharing with Vietnam. However the check in lady did not seem 100% but she got her supervisor to do it and told me the bags would go through.

would you suggest i contact KS domestic directly to try and see if my bag is there? you wouldnt know the general lost baggage number?

i will read the warsaw convention and see. at the moment Vietnam Air have now offered me $400, but that still seems too little to me. Its just the standard $20 per lost kg

Have you called your insurance company?

sure have. i have a good policy which is good in times like these.

 

[Sir Burr]

For items lost or found within T2 Domestic Terminal contact T2 Lost Property on +61 2 9352 7450.

http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/SACL/Terminal+Information/default.htm

 

[prawn_86]

For items lost or found within T2 Domestic Terminal contact T2 Lost Property on +61 2 9352 7450.

http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/SACL/Terminal+Information/default.htm

thanks SB,

i called them, but no luck. Same with Adelaide. I have now talked to Virgin, Vietnam and the general lost and found in syd and none of them can find it. Its not here in Busan either as i have had a Korean friend call them.

Looks like its either stuck in Ho Chi Min or went on the wrong plane. I dont think its in HCM, as i had a big stopover so just watched the belt as i had nothing better to do and it didnt come off there. I will check there agian on my way bag.

Theft or wrong flights looks like the main options at this stage

 

[Sir Burr]

http://www.worldtracer.aero/members.html

Looks like the airlines use that company to track lost baggage. Can't see Vietnam Airlines on their list of members.

 

[wildkactus]

Prawn_86
check your luggage receipt (the little tag they stick to your ticket) it should show the flights your bags would need to go on to get to your destination.
if it does not start in adelaide and end in korea the last one on the list will be where they are. as the system would have spat them out there.

I have had something similar and when I looked at my receipt noticed that they where not checked right through, i just showed this to the ground crew and they fixed it for me.

nine times out of ten these days a missing bag really is a stolen bag straight of the carousel, very few airports check bags to people.

hope you get your bag back.

 

[Sir Burr]

nine times out of ten these days a missing bag really is a stolen bag straight of the carousel, very few airports check bags to people.

Wow - is that a fact? Linky?

Here's some info: http://www.lostbaggage.org/

Looks like you may need receipts for the stuff in your bag if claiming from insurance. Hope you have kept the receipts for your undies

Speaking of that, hate to be in a new country with one set of clothes having to go get more.

SB

 

[wildkactus]

I was told this from my insurance company,
plus I know I have never been asked to prove if this is my bag when collecting one an I have been though a lot of airports.