inpd

Any suggestions on how to get AB to behave professionally are appreciated.

AB misplaced my bags in DUS. I flew DUS-JFK on AB then flew US Airways. As you all know the last carrier is responsible for filing and administrating the lost bags. However, USAirways is at a lost since AB won't even return their calls.

It's quite shameful of AB as I'm a OneWorld Emerald. The bags have been lost for a week and everyday USAirways calls me to,say they tried calling AB but get no response.

seawolf

Man credit card offers baggage insurance. Might be easier to deal with than AB?

Often1

What is the mention of AA? As I see it, there are only two carriers: AB and US.


File your insurance claim. Let them slug it out with the carriers.

inpd

I fixed the original post. AA was mentioned by mistake.

The problem is that US Airways cannot,declare the bags lost until AB responds to them. Besides, I want AB to at least try to find my bags. This BS of not returning calls shows AB to be a bunch of hacks. Tried calling them just then and I was literally hung up on even though I am OneWorld Emerald.

Air Rarotonga

US does not need to call AB... What would you achieve if US would call AB?

You need a lost baggage report from US. Then your missing baggage will be traced worldwide with all parteciping airlines and airports...

Did you receive a tracing number like this: XXXUS12345678 ?

https://usairways.nettracer.aero/pax...claim/login.do

Often1

Exactly. US has no reason to call AB. The system doesn't work like that (although in some specific incident, it could). US is supposed to enter the missing bags in WorldTracer, you get a # and sooner or later the bags turn up (or they don't).

There is nothing for US to "declare". Under the Montreal Convention, the bags are deemed lost at 21 days (even if they are later found and returned to you).

Forget calling AB, they are not supposed to be dealing with you. Call US and make certain that they have entered your bags in WT and that you have the WT #. Continued calling won't make it more or less likely that your bags are found.

inpd

Thank you for all your help, I know you guys know this stuff, but this is a special case.

I flew AB DUS->JFK, but the bags never arrived in JFK. You'd be right of course if the bags had been lost in the U.S., but due to new security requirements, AB needs to approve the sending of the bags over to the U.S.

USAirways for their part have been great. A call every day, they've escalated it to their highest priority but can't do anything unless AB returns their calls.

Very frustrating that AB treats any passenger this way, let alone someone whose loyalty they are supposed to be cultivating.

Often1

What new security regulations? This is a non-issue for a ticketed intl-domestic connection.

irishguy28

There is nothing special about your case. Thousands of passengers fly from Europe to the US every day, connecting to a second carrier on arrival in the US.

That is a misrepresentation of what actually happens. There are no "new security requirements" that involve any greater involvement on the part of the airline in the manner you suggest.

All luggage bound for the US is screened before being loaded. This has been the case for many years.

Or are you suggesting that there was a security issue with your bag which is the reason it was not loaded onto your flight?

inpd

I see, so US Airways when they told me all this information was fabricating this information for what reason? To poke fun at another OneWorld member? Because they have spare time to waste?

I know some of you fly a lot, but lets be quite frank, the airlines know a lot more about their business and procedures than you do, despite what you may think ...

Now getting back to my original question, is there a special number one can call to get AB to help with the bags? It's been over a week now.

Air Rarotonga

You don't honour our help and you don't trust what we're telling you...

Why, don't you just call the airline - that know a lot more about their business and procedures - to get your desired phone number?

seawolf

HUACA is quite a common term in FT. The reason for that is we all know CSRs are quite often misinformed on "business and procedures."

Please direct your attention to page 148 step 4 in 11.2 in following Baggage Handling manual and page 33 in the following operations manual.

Both will point you to WorldTracer.

As Air Rarotonga points out, it's inconsistent for you to, on one hand, to dismiss FT contribution by believing the airline CSR while, on the other hand, ask for FT contribution on a "special number to AB" that the airline CSR is not aware of.

irishguy28

The agent may simply have been misinformed (general customer service ). Or passing the buck. Or they may just have been trying to free up the line.

You didn't speak to the airline. You spoke to an agent in a call centre, who may not even be a direct employee of the airline, and who may not have received any specific training as regards baggage handling.

inpd

I'm speaking to US Airways baggage claims expeditors in Phoenix. They are not in some call center agents and work directly for the company.

I have no reason to disbelieve what US Airways is telling me. A different person calls me every day (since Monday of last week) to update me and they are all consistent about needing to hear from AB before going ahead.

irishguy28

Next time they contact you, ask them specifically what it is that they need to hear from Air Berlin.

In general, across the whole of Flyer Talk, we get requests like th is from time to time, from people who think that their bag will be found, if only they can talk to the correct person. But that is not how the system works.

All of these airlines participate in WorldTracer. It's a completely automated system, and does not require anyone to call anyone in the search for lost bags. You have already reported your bag as missing; therefore, your bag has been entered into the system (using the details you provided, as well as the Baggage Tag Receipt information), and you were issued with a file reference which you can use yourself to log into the system and check the current status. You can check this status here, via the US portal.

Airline and airport employees all over the world will, in the course of their general day-to-day routines, eventually notice if a baggage item is in the wrong place. There is not just one person, or one special team, out there in the field, searching for your bag. The system relies on all airport and airline employees everywhere to note when something is wrong - when a bag is spotted on the apron, having fallen off a luggage delivery trolley; when a bag is spotted on the floor deep within the airline baggage handling system, having fallen off a conveyor; when a bag has somehow been loaded into the wrong bin, and sent to the wrong airport/country. Any bag located or identified in this way will eventually have its details entered into the WorldTracer database. When they enter the details that appear on the luggage tag (the one applied by the check-in agent when you handed over the bag), then the system will match it as being your bag, and your new information (such as the address to which it must be delivered) will be presented to the person who has found the bag, and they will arrange to have it transported in the assigned procedure.

It may seem unusual that a bag can go missing, for days or weeks, and not instantly be noticed. But it is not so very unusual. And also, it certainly means you should not give up hope that it could still be found somewhere.

However, if the luggage label applied at check-in at DUS have somehow been damaged or lost, meaning that your bag no longer has a readable baggage reconciliation number (ie the number as presented on your baggage tag is no longer physically associated with your bag) then there is a very good chance that your bag is lost forever. Did you insert your name, address, and contact details on a permanent label somewhere on the interior of your luggage? In such a scenario, this may be your only chance of seeing your bag again.

So, in short, for an agent to (continually) tell you that they are ringing Air Berlin daily, and waiting to hear something (what exactly) back from Air Berlin, does sound like you are being fobbed off. If they do ring you (rather than you ringing them), and use this line again, ask them what it is that they wanted to ask. IF you have your lost baggage file reference, then you don't need to ring US (or AB) - you just need to check the WorldTracer website. Lost Baggage is NOT an aspect of the airline industry where one airline needs to call another airline at the level of enquiring about individual bags - except in very unusual and limited circumstances. And, similarly, it does not really help the process in any way to ring the airline every day, or for the airline to ring the customer every day (the airline should contact you once they see that a match has been made in the system).

You should, in any event, enquire with your travel insurer about compensation. I presume US Airways has already informed you about your rights to claim compensation from them - and remember that, until 21 days have elapsed, your bag is not considered lost (even if it turns up after that, it doesn't matter) and you become entitled to additional compensation.