Lost bag - Gatwick departure

[Radiatorvalves]

Hello. My son flew out of Gatwick on Sunday with one big bag checked in. And it didn’t arrive. He’s reported it but they said there was no record in the system. The luggage label will have had his name on it and with computers there must be a record. I was there and saw him print the label, put it on bag and put through the outsize bag despatch. Assisted by a staff member. Global Baggage Handlers are saying they can’t help.

im trying to contact someone at Gatwick / the airline but its impossible to speak to anyone. I also wondered about using a company called Flight Bag Rescue to help. Their reviews are positive but I’m worried it could be a scam. There’s a minimum charge of £50.

There’s nothing of value in the bag but it’s a years worth of clothes, some kitchen equipment and other stuff for student life abroad.

Any advice particularly about Flight Bag Rescue? Thanks in advance.

No idea but bumping for you.

Don't know about the company you've named but as a starter for ten has your DS still got the receipt for the bag?

@notimagain no he hasn’t. It was a self serve, print out label, put on bag yourself process. He was then told to put it in outsize bags and we saw it disappear. The tag or receipt must be on the computer system linked to his booking…. You’d think!!

Did he take the little sticky tag off the label that went on the bag, and stick to the back of his passport or boarding pass?

Also - which airline was it? You may be able to go through social media to contact them.

Was it well labelled with hai name, flight and destination? Any id inside? Normally you put the small part of the sticky label on your passport or boarding pass so it can be scanned if lost.

When you do self serve, there is a piece of the luggage label which you peel off and attach usually to the back of your passport, or wherever you wish so that you have a record of the bag. If your son didn’t do that, then it makes it very difficult for the Airline to track the bag down. Hopefully it at least has a secure luggage label with his details on the outside?

Did he put his bag tag receipt on his boarding pass?.

Hopefully it will turn up but it’s the responsibility of the airline to get the baggage to the correct destination.

Has a PiR form been completed?

This happened to me, the label got ripped off on the equipment as it went through, fortunately I had put a sheet of paper with our name, address and mobile inside, and the Gatwick north manager called me, she was fab, and put it on the next flight out, as she saw it just sitting there,

id urge everyone to always put your name address and phone number in the bag, as if the label gets ripped off, they cannot identify it, but if you’ve done it, they will reunite you with it.

edit to add, mine also disappeared from the tracking system as the label got ripped off.

Or an airtag! We used airtags in the bags to track our bags through two airport connections this summer.

At gatwick self service for easyjet the machine offers you a receipt but says it has been logged against your booking. If he is flying with easyjet I would contact them first.

This^

And this is IMHO a real weakness of the whole concept of DIY bag drops/bag tagging..no-one makes sure you have the little sticky label-barcode anymore.

Some people also take a quick photo on their phone of the bag tag in case they lose the sticky, but that's no use to the OP now.

I can only hope there's enough ID on the bag for it to somehow get retrieved...

Yes.

Thanks. 100% this. Agree with benefit of hindsight he could have done things differently. But as we are here, the computer system should be the back up.

You shouldnt need the small sticky label. It should be logged against the booking.

Exactly my thoughts. But it’s like getting blood out of a stone. Maybe Air Transat will have more luck than me…

https://mybag.aero/baggage/#/pax/airtransat/en-gb/contact-airline

If it's Air Transat, are these the two numbers on which you're not getting through? You might be able to call the 514 number using Whatsapp for free, or use Google Voice.

Thanks @Xiaoxiong I’ve been calling a Uk number but I think it redirects to Canada. I will try again in an hour… when it’s 10am over there. I’ll check the other options too.

There's an email address there too, [email protected]. Good luck OP...so frustrating when there's no customer service reps answering phones.

I agree with @notimagain that this whole DIY bag tagging only works if you have travelled for years and know what the agents usually do, with the sticky label on the back of the boarding pass/passport, plus the bar code sticker somewhere on the bag itself in case the label gets torn off. If you don't, it's far too easy to do what your son did and off it goes into the bag chute before you know it.

We lost my husband's bag years ago. Until weeks later we got an email from an airline in Columbia who had found the back. They tracked it to us, sent it to Lufthansa who we flew with who couriered it back.
Hope you have a luggage tag on it and it finds its way to him

I think…. We may have it. He’s just heard from Air Transat. Not cracking the champagne yet. But she said she’s got it.

Some lessons learned here. Very much appreciate everyone’s suggestions and comments. Xxx

Hurrah!! Great news!

Hi, just to reassure you Flight Bag Rescue is a genuine UK service. They step in when airlines or handlers aren’t responding and push things forward to get bags back quicker. The £50 is their standard case fee, not a scam. If you do use them, you’ll get updates and a proper case reference.

I always thought the bag tracked to the booking number. I travel a lot and never peel anything off. The only airline to lose a bag was Aer Lingus and that was due to someone else picking it up off the carousel. I had to spend about £250 to survive and although it took a while, they reimbursed in full despite the fact the bag was returned within 24 hours. I didn't know it would be so had to buy undies, toiletries, a clean top, etc.