Forced to gate check in Frankfurt - bag GONE!
May 21, 2015, 2:11 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1
Forced to gate check in Frankfurt - bag GONE!
Trying to help a young friend with trouble on her first trip to Europe.
Staff forced her to gate-check in Frankfurt but her carryon bag was nowhere to be found when they arrived in Florence. She had all her valuables in the carry-on "in case they lost her luggage" including the camera and laptop she needs for her summer study abroad class in photography!
Of Course she shouldn't have let those things go in the bag but she is young and inexperienced. Anyone have advice I can pass along? For now they are telling her the bag is untrackable from the number on her gate check tag.
Staff forced her to gate-check in Frankfurt but her carryon bag was nowhere to be found when they arrived in Florence. She had all her valuables in the carry-on "in case they lost her luggage" including the camera and laptop she needs for her summer study abroad class in photography!
Of Course she shouldn't have let those things go in the bag but she is young and inexperienced. Anyone have advice I can pass along? For now they are telling her the bag is untrackable from the number on her gate check tag.
May 22, 2015, 6:56 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: bouncing C1&2
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It is indeed important to distinguish between (a) "valet checking" or (b) gate checking, but since she got a baggage tag this most certainly means it is gate checked and thus will be handled as normal baggage unless it was marked for aircraft/gate delivery, which I highly doubt.
If she hasn't already done it, she should open a lost/damaged baggage file with LH in case that was her carrier, otherwise with the operating carrier, but trying to ask LH won't hurt. If this is opened she should also try and make the Italians in Florence look for the bag - sometimes airlines can / are willing to page airports to do so.
Second, make a list of all the items in the suitcase with their applicable material value (referenced by current retail price e.g.).
This is pretty much all she can do right now. However, if she needs clothing or anything else to "survive" either the airline will provide her with vouchers/money, but that will decrease the liability amount (that's roughly 1200€, a bit more I think).
Out of curiosity: Who tells her it isn't traceable? Staff in Florence or e.g. LH baggage services? If LH was the operating airline and they can't trace it, that's probably bad news... staff in Florence, well...
I once "lost" luggage after being rebooked from US to BA with BA not having ANY kind of information on my suitcase. However, it made it to DUS with the next BA plane and I got it delivered before noon the next day.
If she hasn't already done it, she should open a lost/damaged baggage file with LH in case that was her carrier, otherwise with the operating carrier, but trying to ask LH won't hurt. If this is opened she should also try and make the Italians in Florence look for the bag - sometimes airlines can / are willing to page airports to do so.
Second, make a list of all the items in the suitcase with their applicable material value (referenced by current retail price e.g.).
This is pretty much all she can do right now. However, if she needs clothing or anything else to "survive" either the airline will provide her with vouchers/money, but that will decrease the liability amount (that's roughly 1200€, a bit more I think).
Out of curiosity: Who tells her it isn't traceable? Staff in Florence or e.g. LH baggage services? If LH was the operating airline and they can't trace it, that's probably bad news... staff in Florence, well...
I once "lost" luggage after being rebooked from US to BA with BA not having ANY kind of information on my suitcase. However, it made it to DUS with the next BA plane and I got it delivered before noon the next day.
May 22, 2015, 8:01 am
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2010
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Unfortunately this is a third-hand and thus the 100% accuracy as to how the bag parted company from OP's friend, will matter. Gate check vs. valet check? The latter would not be associated with the PNR and thus not be traceable.
But, that does not absolve the delivering carrier of responsibility under the Montreal Convention.
Water under the bridge for this incident, but it always pays to have a small foldable bag at the top of a larger carryon. It's common for OH's to fill and this gate / valet check, thus a good precautionary measure. When it happens, simply pull the valuables & medication, put those in the small bag and gate/valet the larger one. There is always room for a small satchel-sized item somewhere.
But, that does not absolve the delivering carrier of responsibility under the Montreal Convention.
Water under the bridge for this incident, but it always pays to have a small foldable bag at the top of a larger carryon. It's common for OH's to fill and this gate / valet check, thus a good precautionary measure. When it happens, simply pull the valuables & medication, put those in the small bag and gate/valet the larger one. There is always room for a small satchel-sized item somewhere.
May 22, 2015, 2:50 pm
#6
Join Date: Jan 2012
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Well... this is very infortunate, and extremely annoying indeed, and reminds me a story a couple years ago on the last LH FRA-GVA flight of the day on a friday evening. The gate agent claimed that the flight was full and needed to gate check some luggage. As usual, they decided to select the first passengers boarding (i.e status pax mostly) as Guinea pigs to apply this rule, and I was one of them... Except that they simply "forgot" to load all the carry-ons in the plane, and when we figured out an hour and half later that our carry-ons were missing on the belt at 11pm, you can imagin that the only guy still working at the swissport office had a hard time facing 2 dozens of angry passengers ! Some pax actually had their keys, laptops, and sometimes wallets inside their carry ons... Luckily for me, I took before boarding my wallet, keys and laptop out of my carry-on luggage, but had to wait a couple days before receiving my stuff back home...
The most annoying thing is that the plane (and old 735) was actually half empty on this flight and I was able to see that this rule was not enforced for every passenger, which was extremely frustrating and annoying.
I indeed sent a complaint email to the folks in Liverpool (EU customer care centre) and got some compensation and apologies for this (miles or worldshop vouchers I cannot recall), but I am afraid that with the newly announced "light" fares and the baggage excellence program, things will definitely NOT get any better. For whatever reason, most of the issues I had with muy carry on luggage and gate checks were with SN/LH/LX, and they don't seem to care about the status.
I would advise your friend to keep all receipts of her mandatory expenses, such as toiletries or clothes and send the bill and file a complaint to LH customer service via email and also registered mail in case she does not receive a reply within 7 business days. And as it was mentioned earlier, everyone should consider in the future having a small foldable bag in your carry on just in case the latters gets gate checked.
The most annoying thing is that the plane (and old 735) was actually half empty on this flight and I was able to see that this rule was not enforced for every passenger, which was extremely frustrating and annoying.
I indeed sent a complaint email to the folks in Liverpool (EU customer care centre) and got some compensation and apologies for this (miles or worldshop vouchers I cannot recall), but I am afraid that with the newly announced "light" fares and the baggage excellence program, things will definitely NOT get any better. For whatever reason, most of the issues I had with muy carry on luggage and gate checks were with SN/LH/LX, and they don't seem to care about the status.
I would advise your friend to keep all receipts of her mandatory expenses, such as toiletries or clothes and send the bill and file a complaint to LH customer service via email and also registered mail in case she does not receive a reply within 7 business days. And as it was mentioned earlier, everyone should consider in the future having a small foldable bag in your carry on just in case the latters gets gate checked.
