At a time when if you lock your case flying from the US, it will be forcibly opened and searched, news comes in from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics that more bags were lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered by U.S. airlines last year than in at least eight years.
Reports of mishandled bags on domestic flights rose 23 percent in 2005, from 4.91 per 1,000 passengers in 2004 to 6.04 per 1,000. That's an average of about 9,700 lost or damaged bags each day.
Of the 20 carriers that reported to the Transportation Department, Atlantic Southeast Airlines had the highest rate of baggage complaints — 17.41 per 1,000 passengers — and Hawaiian Airlines had the lowest, at 2.95 per 1,000.
May I share this trail of e-mails with you and your readers
Dear Delta Baggage Service Centre
In reading your e-mail replies below, I am appalled and bemused at your request for information to identify the baggage.
What considerable concerns I had at the time of writing my original e-mail on the 23rd of August are now magnified several times over with this abject demonstration of lack of focus and incompetent customer care.
Firstly during one of my 18-minute transatlantic phone calls to Atlanta Baggage Service Centre I gave a clear and concise description of the suitcase and was assured this was to be logged on the file. To enable as you state “our tracing system will search for an exact match”
Secondly if you take the trouble to reread either copy of my e-mails sent 23 August and 1st of September you will find it embodied in there.
I am resisting the temptation to have the next lines flash at you in bold neon text.
“Black Carlton hard plastic suitcase with 1 inch yellow stripe around the splitline. Our name and address is taped inside the lid on A4 paper with duct tape”
Additionally I attach a representative picture below and manufacturers description: “Carlton Airtec luggage made from virtually unbreakable Polypropylene * 3 Dial combination lock * 2 side latches * 3 Year guarantee * Corner wheels * Spring loaded handle * Size 67 x 53 x 24cm Weight 4.6Kg Capacity 60Ltr”
Thirdly on Monday I faxed you copies of your Property Loss Claim Form (the original following by UK Airmail Post) and associated supporting documentation including a full and detailed description of the missing contents with a request for confirmation of receipt by return e-mail. This surely demonstrates a complete lack of co-ordination and customer aftercare, don’t you agree?
Probably the most significant and indentifiable items in the contents are a white christening dress and shawl and shoes…. of major importance as a family heirloom I must add.
Without wishing to cloud the issues can I also point out that at the start of this saga the web based baggage check facility on your web pages was unable to process my request. More importantly the fax number listed on the Passenger Property Loss Form is unobtainable and it took me 9 minutes to get the correct number from your U.K. office. Once more a clear indictment of your departments parlous and deplorable service to your customers.
I now request you share this mail with your supervisor in the forlorn hope that as per my original e-mail request, “Someone from Delta Airlines please personally take charge of the situation to perform an earnest and comprehensive search for my wife’s baggage” and that the information we have provided to date is confirmed as being entered onto the file including receipt of the PPLC form.
Sincerely
DAVE PICKUP/SUE PICKUP, LANCASHIRE, U.K.
From: “Delta, ATLResBSCMail” To: “D dot P”
Subject: Pickup, Sue/AHL MANDL35147
Date: Wed, 6 Sep 2006 16:49:03 -0400
Dear Mrs. & Mr. Pickup,
Thank you for your inquiry and please accept our most sincere  apology regarding not only the delayed luggage but the time it has taken us to respond to your e-mail as well. We regret we do not have any new information for you at this
To enhance our tracing process, please provide the  following descriptive information:
Contents of Luggage – Please provide us with a description of three or four specific items in your luggage, located toward the top. (A book or anything with your name, such as medical > >prescription). If the identification tag and destination tag has come off, this information will help to identify your luggage.
When this data is received, we will include it in your file and  our tracing system will search for an exact match.
Again, we apologize for all the inconvenience this situation has caused.
The Delta Baggage Service Center/AD
From: D dot P []
Sent: Fri 9/1/2006 7:59 AM >To: ATL655, BSC
Subject: RESENT 1/09/06 REGARDING baggage PIR MANDL 35147
I am writing with some considerable concerns regarding ny wifes delayed and hopefully not lost luggage as per the above.
Inbound from New York to Manchester 13 August DL 154
PIR man 35109 ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED.
Changed to MANDL 35147.
All enquiries to MANCHESTER AVIANCE UK are met with what I can only describe as ” polite indifference”  The last information we had was that some one had been sent to MANCHESTER Terminal 3 ” to look for it” This has been the situation for 3 or 4 days now. The case was tracked via Madrid to Paris CDG SURELY if 3 or 4 searches have been performed at Manchester without success, Paris and possibly Madrid should now be investigated. ???? The file has details of the suitcase which I repeat ” Black Carlton hard plastic suitcase with 1 inch yellow stripe around the splitline. Our name and address is taped inside the lid on A4 paper with duct tape. I ask can some one from Delta Airlines please personally take charge of the situation to perform an earnest and comprehensive search for my wife’s baggage. I have little or no confidence with Aviance Manchester after my contacts with them across the last 5 days the term “polite indifference” is worth repeating yet again to describe/endorse our frustrations at our dealings with your agents. ;I trust Delta Airlines can bring this to a happy conclusion and look forward to your replies. And thank you in advance for your efforts.
sincerely
DAVE PICKUP & SUE PICKUP, LANCASHIRE, U.K
This is similar to what happened to me and motivated me to create a better system for getting the vast number of lost luggage back in the owners hands. The service is completely Free and more to the point it works. go to http://www.BagsReunited.com and register in less than 30 seconds.
A point to note if youÂ’re checking in luggage is that many of the travel accessories that are sold as luggage security items (locks, cable ties, security seals, etc) do not actually work to protect your luggage. YouÂ’d think for the money spent on these things it would take time to break into a bag, but itÂ’s as simple as several seconds with a paperclip or even a pen. And people wonder why there is a problem with luggage theft.