Baggage Doesn't Arrive Bkk!

[Bornloser 2]

So far I have been lucky in that my suitcase has always arrived with me at BKK.

 

Can anyone advise from experience what the airlines at Survarnabhumi do (if anything) to assist a passenger whose baggage has not arrived? I normally go directly from the Airport to PATs, without a layover in Bangkok. Would the airline forward my bag to my hotel in PATs, or must I wait for it in Bangkok?

 

MANY THANX!

[Arno 0]

Good question and something that I have sometimes thought about.

 

Don't know the answer and fortunately I also cannot speak from experience.

 

Lost luggage counters seem to be more obviously located in Western airports - not noticed any in Suvarnabhumi

 

All I can say is the obvious and what for me is common sense:

 

I always carry my best 'dressing up' clothes in my carry on luggage along with my laptop and other electronic valuables e.g. camera, ipod, etc. Leaving only the stuff in the hold that is replaceable e.g. I can always replace shorts, sandals, t-shirts, pharmaceutical products when I get to Patts or BKK then claim on insurance. Most insurance policies do not cover valuables left in hold luggage.

 

I wouldn't have thought that the transfer of your bag, if found, to your hotel in BKK or Patts would be all that swift given the third world transport infrastructure or even if it would get there at all...given that it would be handled by guys for whom the contents may be worth at least a few weeks wages.

 

Listing everything of reasonable value that I have packed and keeping receipts of purchase for insurance claims is something that I know that I probably should do but don't!

[joekicker 53]

Can anyone advise from experience what the airlines at Survarnabhumi do (if anything) to assist a passenger whose baggage has not arrived? I normally go directly from the Airport to PATs, without a layover in Bangkok. Would the airline forward my bag to my hotel in PATs, or must I wait for it in Bangkok?

 

Under normal circs, most airlines would send it to Pattaya, or anywhere else. I don't KNOW of one that wouldn't, but there may be one or two.

[darkmancomes 75]

Hi I can speak from experience of Oct 08 past when my bags should have left LHR enroute to manila via abu dabi with Eithad. I arrived in Manila and waited with two other friends but no baggage appeared, so and this is the vital point! I went directly to a member of Eithad ground staff and reported the non arrival of baggage and in about 10 mins they were able to tell me our bags were still in LHR ! So we filled in a form and it includes details of where you are going and what hotel you will be at when the estimated time the bags will arrive. Ask them to keep in touch with you via email and then they will arrange to have it sent to your hotel. Then when you get home complain like hell! KEEP ALL RECIEPTS OF EXTRA EXPENSE INCURRED YOU WILL NEED THEM FOR CLAIMING BACK FROM THE AIRLINE COMPANY. There is a form you will have to complete and send back with these reciepts and you will eventually get appx £80 or thereabouts. I have been fighting with them and annoying them on a very regular basis since my return in Nov and the matter is just getting sorted in their finance office as I write!

Edited April 2, 2009 by darkmancomes

[Regyai 414]

From experience (once arrived on a full 747 that only disgorged 3 cases onto the belt at BKK !!!! what fun!!)

 

You fill in the form

 

They courier the bags to you in Pattaya (or wherever)

 

While you read your travel insurance T&C's and buy up a few Thai receipt books in Friendship

 

 

 

.

[bigdelta 46]

Speaking from 32 years in the industry,the airline is responsible to deliver the bag to you in a reasonable amount of time.After 24 hours,you are eligible for interim expenses.Of course,whether the airline abides by these terms,that's another story.Until recently,those stipulations were included in your ticket jacket and are available on most airline websites.Or just call their toll free number.The IATA website used to include that info also.

Many times airlines are aware that your baggage isn't on the same plane as you and will page you on arrival.The previous station will send a forwarding message containing that info and what the disposition is.You should also receive an overnight kit if your bag isn't schuduled to arrive in the next 12 hours.

Keep all of your receipts as mentioned earlier as you will need to document expenses.We have paid for golf club rentals when clubs didn't arrive.

.Just as a head's up,a bag isn't considered lost until 30 days.In the interim,it's just delayed.After 5 days,the airline should send the form to your address for compensation after 30 days.

Edited April 2, 2009 by LTGTR

[nidnoyham 30]

A few travel tips from years of being the bloke you shout at when your bag is missing on arrival.

 

First of all, don't blame the person in front of you, who is dealing with your problem. Try to remember that he/she is the only person in the world, who will find your bag for you, so don't piss him/her off.

 

Try to avoid checking in too early or too late. Too early and the containers for loading you bags may not be in position, so your bags may get put to one side and forgotten. Too late speaks for itself.

 

Always have your name on the inside of your bag. Should the handle get broken off, there goes all your destination and I.D. labels.

 

If you have common looking bag try to personalize it with a strap or stickers, preferably bright clours. Not all passengers are young and well sighted. An old biddy could pick up yours and trot off with it. It's known as a 'switch' in the trade. I remember an old Indian man, who's son phoned to say that someone had tampered with his dads baggage. They had put a strap around it and changed the name label and contents, including a cooked sheep's head. Of course he had not only picked up the wrong bag it wasn't even from the right flight.

 

Try to remember it's brand- Carlton, Everlite, Samsonite..... and it's colour ! Each colour has a three letter code for computer tracing- GRN, BLU, WHT........

 

As you close the case or pack, remember a few items on the top. The person who finds your bag with no I.D will need a bit more than 'men's clothes' to go on. Pink shorts, Leopardskin thong, penis enlarger, is much more useful.

 

As the Agent tags your bag at check-in, look to see the destination is correct. This should be less of a problem nowadays, but you never know.

 

Be sure to keep your baggage receipts in a safe place. The modern e- ticketing system gives you nothing to staple them to. The tag numbers will be in your booking file, but try to have them anyway.

 

If you are visiting friends, have the address ready for the Agent to deliver your bags to. If you have no address it's not a problem. Call them when you get a hotel and tell the hotel to expect a delivery for you.

 

If you lose your bag on arrival home, don't make a lot of exagerated value of items in the bag. As a resident, you will need to fill in a C3 customs declaration form. If it has valuable items in,they will definatley open your bag when it arrives, as opposed to possibly waiving it through. It's amazing how many people suddenly remember those gold chains in the missing bag, were in the bag they have with them when asked to fill in a C3.

 

Do have your name on the bag, or remember to mention if it's a borrowed bag with another name on.

 

Be nice, it helps a lot.

[bigdelta 46]

The 3 years I spent in Baggage Service were the worst years of my career.

[Arno 0]

As the Agent tags your bag at check-in, look to see the destination is correct.

...I would say also check that the check in staff have sealed the tag properly i.e. that the tag tape has been sealed together over several centimetres of it's length at least.

 

Sometimes in their haste the staff only seal it together over a centimetre or so. This means that the tag could easily fall off when the bag is being transported.

 

This is most signiificant where you have a connecting flight. The bag tag is the way that the airport staff know which plane to put your bag on. If it falls off then they will just put it aside and it will miss the connecting flight. The bag may stay there because they don't know where in the world it is supposed to go to, until you raise a query that your bag has not arrived at your destination.

[whilliam_mancon 2]

I have had the misfortune of not getting my luggage one time at Survarnabhumi airport, flying with Thai air from London to Bangkok. After waiting for my luggage for about 45 minutes I walked over to the Lost luggage counter with only my hand luggage, it was more like a kind of office with desks for each Thai-air personal behind a wall in the main hall.

 

After filling out my "lost form", leaving my phone number and address to my hotel, I could leave, after they gave me a phone number and a contact person. I went to my hotel to check in, went out and had a massage, shower, shave and a haircut and went to get something to eat. After coming back to the hotel I phoned my contact person who told me that they still had not found my lost bags! (about 5-6 hours after arrival). I then went out and bought some clothes, shoes, underwear and toiletries.

The next day, about 27 hours late, they called me and told me that they found my luggage and it was delivered to my hotel in Bangkok in another 2 hours.

 

Since I had payed the ticket with my American Express their built in travel insurance took care of all the expenses, this is basically the same deal you have on all major cards, like Diners Club, Visa, Euro-card and so on.

 

If not, you have to deal with your insurance company, (and hopefully you had travel insurance included in that), and then it is very important that you list EVERYTHING that was in your bag/bags, (if they don´t turn up), as well as that you KEEP ALL YOU RECEIPTS of purchase for future insurance claims. This is of everything you have to pay extra for or that you have to purchase because of the lost luggage.

 

To my experience the the major airlines do what they can to assist a passenger whose baggage has not arrived?

[jacko 8,778]

My problems with lost baggage reduced somewhat (touch wood) when I stopped flying through London, which I see is mentioned above.! The last instance was actually KLM with a tight connection in Amsterdam. My name was announced in the baggage claim and I was told the suitcase didn't make it. So I went home and it arrived not long later via courier at the house before I finished my second cuppa!

[BigDUSA 71]

Twice United sent my luggage on a magical mystery tour around Asia. First time it took them three days to get my luggage down to Pattaya. They gave me $150USD. The second time my luggage was only delayed two days. I received $100USD for my trouble.

[nidnoyham 30]

Just had a great idea ! Yes me !

 

Just before you check in take a picture of your bag on your phone. If it goes AWOL just show the picture to the Baggage Agent on arrival.

 

I know it's pretty bloody clever, but that's me- surprises all the time.

[THE_DRUID 21]

It happened to me a couple of years ago.I flew from Manchester to BKK via Dubai on Emirates and everyone(around 40 of us) who started on the Manchester leg our baggage didn't arrive at Suvarnabhuni airport Bkk.We arrived at around 1 pm and had to fill forms out at the baggage desk.We were told the baggage wasn't lost but the container with everyone's bags from Manchester wasn't loaded on to the plane from Dubai to Bkk.I was well pissed off,the baggage desk at the airport told us that the bags may arrive on the later Dubai to BKK flight that evening.After an hour of faffing about filling out the form i made my way to Pattaya with just my hand luggage and no change of clothes!!We were given a hotline number in Bkk that were supposedly tracking our luggage.When i got to Pattaya i had to go out and buy a change of clothes and toiletries(found out later that i could've claimed money for these before leaving the airport for Funtown).Anyway to cut a long story short my Bag arrived the next afternoon via a courier/Taxi to my hotel in Pattaya courtesy of Emirates.I was told i could claim from Emirates at their information desk before my departure flight back home.I went to the desk at the airport before check-in and i was given the equivalent of $50 in Baht for the inconvenience of my baggage arriving a day late.

[wetwillie 12]

I used to fly American all the time and it was years before I realized my bags were suppose to arrive at the same time as me

[midlifecrisis 4,030]

I used to fly American all the time and it was years before I realized my bags were suppose to arrive at the same time as me

[jacko 8,778]

I used to fly BA to Saudi a lot, bags often didn't make the Heathrow transfer. We were all well versed in the procedure of INSISTING on an immediate cash payment to cover the need to buy toiletries and a change of clothes. They always tried to lie their way out of it, or fob us off, but were actually dodging the legal requirements.

Make them pay!

[Emil 0]

So far I have been lucky in that my suitcase has always arrived with me at BKK.

 

Can anyone advise from experience what the airlines at Survarnabhumi do (if anything) to assist a passenger whose baggage has not arrived? I normally go directly from the Airport to PATs, without a layover in Bangkok. Would the airline forward my bag to my hotel in PATs, or must I wait for it in Bangkok?

 

MANY THANX!

 

Once the "last bag" is indicated on the carousel and you don't have your bag head over to the baggage counter. It has happened to me twice in the past few years. They will check the computer and find out where its located. Then they will take your information on where you are staying and deliver it to your room in Pattaya. At least that's the way United has handled my cases and I received the luggage the following day.

[Mr.Dream Transport 0]

Contact the airline directly. They will give you their number for the office in the airport, then those people will give you the number for the lost baggage. Your odds of getting your bag back with everything intact, are fairly high though. A worse case situation, would be if you had gotten your bag back, and the scavengers sorted through your belongings, taking anything of value and name brand clothing. Thats a 2-3 month process before you get reimbursed lol.