FAA1996

AA flyer here so not very familiar with BA procedures involving delayed (or lost) luggage. I flew MIA-LHR-TXL on July 30th and my bag didnt show up in TXL on Juky 31. After the hassle of filing out a claim at TXL I haven't been able to get any information other than my bag is being located; what does this mean? AA has a system that scans bags when they are check in, loaded, unloaded, etc. so you (and they) know where the bags are throughout your journey. Does BA really not know here my bag is? Should I consider it lost?
Also, people on phone are very unhelpful, they tell me my bag was "supposed" to be on a flight today, but it may take up to three hours after the flights lands until I hear from them (it's been 12 hours) then I say surely there must be more than one flight to TXL from LHR and they guys says "more than 10 actually", so why isn't my bag in one of those flights?
Finally, not sure what to do about clothes on my trip, they say I can buy clothes, but they are not sure if they'll reimburse me for laundry at the hotel, any experience with this? Am I better off purchasing clothes? I am not used to buying clothes in Europe and they all seem really expensive, even a pair of cotton shorts and cotton t-shirt are about €65 for the least expensive things at Galleries Lafayette, any experience with getting reimbursed? I have travel insurance that says it covers $200 for delayed luggage but not sure if I file with BA first and then my travel insurance or the other way around.
Thanks for any suggestions, been over 36 hours and being on holiday with no clothes is getting old real quick.

DeathSlam

I've had baggage go missing many times (I'm not usually a HBO traveller).
Fingers crossed it has never been permanently lost yet.
Ask BA what the arrangements are for forwarding it on to your final destination as they can't expect you to wait at the airport.
As for interim clothing I have never claimed because the company policy where I work covers the cost of replacement clothing under these circumstances, so I just expense it. When it happens on leisure trips I might wear the same clothes for an extra day

corporate-wage-slave

Don't try too hard with this, they will show up in due course, I suspect the bag is in with quite a few others in LHR and eventually it will get to you. Just keep an eye on WorldTracer, and make sure that at any given stage it has the correct contact details for you. If you are moving around then clear out the address and put in telephone and email address, but try and keep a relevant and useful city name in the system.

Yes, you can spend up to about £1200 on clothes and other replacement items such as cosmetics and phone chargers, though it still needs to be reasonable. The prices you quote don't seem wildly off to me, but if you buy from C&A, H&M or the more reasonable end of Gap then I don't think you'll get into difficulties. The £1200 would also need to cover replacing your bag in the unlikely event of it being lost completely. I can't recall any pushback from BA on spending for clothes and other essentials, the only one I recall was someone being a bit over the top on a replacement suitcase. Make sure you photo the receipts, it's easy to lose them when travelling around. I'm not sure if there was a typo in your earlier message, but strangely BA don't refund laundry bills.

highpeaklad

FAA1996

Thanks, I meant laundry and changed it. I'll go shopping tomorrow I guess.

golfmad

As for the process of claiming... I would suggest you call your travel insurer and alert them that you may need to claim This avoids a situation where they may have required you to inform them within a certain time period in order to make a claim. Then once you have been reunited with your luggage take the total expenses you've incurred and submit a claim to BA. As others have indicated above it is highly likely that BA will pay your costs. If that happens and you are satisfied you may call the insurance company and tell them there's no need for you to claim after all.

FAA1996

I don't know, there is a Galleries Lafayette across the street from the hotel (Regent Berlin) and haven't had much time to look for other stores. I thought his would be comparable to Macy*s in the USA where you can get average clothes, but just seems so much more expensive. Never bought clothes at H&M I guess in the back of my mind I consider those disposable type clothes.

FAA1996

Thanks for the reply, AA usually sends me a check at home, but BA wants bank transfer information; is this standard for them? Also, do I wait to file until I get home? Until I get my bag? Or every day as I need to buy more clothes? Thanks!

corporate-wage-slave

Ah, I know where that is. It's not an outrageous place to go shopping, but if you get your hotel concierge to point you in the direction of Leipziger Platz, there is the shopping centre "Mall of Berlin", which is my idea of hell as a confirmed anti-shopping person, but it does have C&A, H&M and other similar shops all in the same place. It's about 10 minutes walk from your hotel in the direction of Potsdamer Platz.

BA will transfer the money direct into your account, best to claim when your bag finally surfaces, and I'd buy 2 days of clothes at a time so you're not permanently shopping.

MarkFlies

golfmad

Once you receive your bag or once you get home if the latter is not significantly later than the former.

FAA1996

Thnaks for all the replies. I will try to come back to post the outcome and my experience as a reference point for other travelers. Safe travels!

FEMW

Hope you are reunited with your bag quick, FAA1996. I flew EDI-DUB-JFK and bag did not reach me until 5 days later despite all the promises EI made that it 'was on the next flight'. I just got stuff out of GAP (shorts/t-shirts/underwear/trainers) and luckily had a change of clothes in my hand luggage. Submitted receipts to Aer Lingus all iin one go and they settled up quick.

They should be an industry standard amount you are allowed per day for the hassle of having to shop/do laundry etc.

simons1

How would that work then. Everyone's needs are different. Someone going to a presentation who needs a suit, tie and formal shoes and someone going to the beach who needs swimming gear and flip flops. Try and find a middle path and someone gains while someone else gets stiffed.

I would have thought existing conventions cover this suitably.

FEMW

I am aware of everyone's needs being different - I thought I was going to have to find a New York optometrist to get specialist contact lenses for a serious eye condition which would've could $$$. I could've claimed for a posh designer frock which I have no need for. I could've bought my expensive make-up but went without. I could've gone out a bought a big supply of hearing aid batteries. The point I'm making is that the airline claims 'it's on the next flight' so you think you are going to be reunited that night - but no 5 days later. If you have a set amount for your basic consumables and then get reimbursed for the extras like suits/ties/posh evening frocks/shoes etc

Now when my husband and I travel...half on my stuff goes in his bag and vice versa.