UnitedSkies

I'm not sure if this was posted yet, but there is a new online baggage tracking tool for lost or delayed baggage. This information is available to customers who have filed a baggage claim inquiry with Baggage Services.

http://www.united.com/bagtrack

PanAm916

That's handy... hopefully I won't need it though since UA has a perfect score for bags this year for me so far. (21.5 segments)

*knocks on wood*

mogulskiir

I have had horrible luck with bags so I just don't check them unless I absolutely must. I guess this is a nice feature and will probably cut down the number of calls they get regarding lost bags however.

droopyUA

That sounds like a great tool....but it's the ".bomb"....and I am so far perfect this year as well on baggage when checked (knock on wood) so I am hopeful not needing this tool.

kb1992

This is nice.

But can I change seats online to save UA a lot of $$ by reducing most of my phone calls to the 1P line?

747LWW

After UA lost bags the third time that year a while back, I made a promise to myself...if you cannot carry baggage on board, leave it at home, office, etc.

Just my personal policy...nothing to do with speed of getting off, etc. Only has to do with security of items arriving with me when I have more important things to do then "mount a search for a lost bag" , especially on international flights.

LWW

German Expat

Nice tool. Does it actually work or it is just another .bomb screen ?

Ari

I suppose this feature could come in handy-- but it isn't the type of feature to "advertise" outside of the baggage office...

I agree with another poster that changing seats online would have wider appeal than tracking lost baggage online.

flyinryan

Okay, first of all - what's more alarming here?
-The fact that the airline loses so many bags that it needs an online tracking system for them?
-The fact that the airline loses so many bags that the people running it saw the above need and made it happen?
-The fact that united.com continues to be a worthless cyber black hole, but this feature gets added to it?
-The fact that time, money and resources were spent on developing a system to track lost bags, instead of developing a way to stop losing so many bags to begin with?
Or, the fact that once a bag has been located, it is no longer "lost," it's FOUND, and someone better dang well be bending over backwards to get it back to the owner, instead of updating the bags' current location on the internet!

Am I missing something here?
Mind you, I am not upset with Mr.Skies for forwarding this piece of news, but...sheeesh! "Online Lost Baggage Tracking, another enhancement!"

Ari

Before Mr. Skies has to come in and rescue this, I'll interject that airlines lose bags. It happens. There is nothing wrong with introducing a tool that many other carriers have on their websites.

The appropriate beef is that of all the "features" to add, this was one that could have waited.

flyinryan

Ari, I totally get that airlines lose bags - I'm one of the fortunate ones who has yet to experience this little joy myself. And I have no isuues at all with UnitedSkies - other than the cheerleading, he's great. (And he's seen enough PMs from me to know that.) But for all the effort that went into this - like you said, there's gotta be bigger fish for this airline to fry.
There are not enough pilots or flight attendants, and flights toward the end of the month risk being cancelled because of it. united.com continues to set the IT industry back 15 years to the time of Compuserve, and the list of big problems goes on and on...yet instead of correctly addressing this problem - reducing the number of lost bags, United has chosen to make the problem very very slightly better by giving you a web link to tell you where they may have misplaced your bag.
Maybe I was sick the day they taught business in business school, but I always try to work on eliminating or reducing the roots of chronic problems before I concentrate on how to smooth over the resultant mess. In other words, let's lose fewer bags and make fewer people mad, rather than come up with a way to make all the mad people slightly less so.

UA_SYD

I guess (as I'm no expert on the airline industry) that addressing the core problems of mishandling of bags is going to take a longer more concentrated effort. A gradual changing of practices and procedures eventually leading to a consistent reduction in mishandled luggage.
It's obviously a costly problem for the airlines, in compensation as well as the man hours to deal with each incident.
Perhaps UA are recognising there is no quick fix and are offering a 'token improvement' to the customer in relation to their dealings with lost baggage?
Like other posters have said, the average person will ring a couple times to find out the progress of a claim. This tool will elevate man hour pressures on UA and give the customer an impression of being up to date with the progress of a claim....

just my 2c..

magiciansampras

Do you have any evidence to suggest that the above is true?

magiciansampras

What a lot of folks don't appreciate is that if a system was in place to make sure all bags were on the correct flight and matched with individuals and such, it would make flights more delayed than they currently are. Sure, they fix the bag problem and then all of you are complaining that 10% of the flights go out on time.

Pick your poison. Personally, I'll pick the one that punishes the suckers that check their bags .

gomike

So I have some nice Samsonite bags and United ripped two zippers off, one of the United reps says this isnt covered, is that true?