We spend our allocated amount each day on clothes, toiletries etc. I’ve always been successful in claiming reimbursements (last one with the aforementioned suitcases totalled $500), plus our one borrowed suitcase was damaged and I was able to get it replaced back home.

I don’t put valuable items in checked luggage – I have a special jewellery ‘pouch’ that contains the minimal items I would like for the trip and keep it with me at all times in my hand luggage.

Thank you for reading, and while I appreciate your point about the potential compensation for lost bags, it by no means a certainty that your will re-coup $3,300 per lost bag.

As Chris, our master ombudman, would surely agree, there is a burden to prove the value of the items -whether you are going for compensation from an airline or a third party insurer. So even if I paid $2,000 for that jacket (& that was ten years ago) I had to have the receipt. Who keeps receipts that long? And the airline and/or insurer will do everything to ensure that they mitigate how much they have to pay.

It wasn’t so bad, though – since I’m a woman, I used my misfortune to justify a shopping spree to replace the items.

And to clarify, my position was less about the monetary value of luggage items than the disparity of treatment – Sully’s folks got primo treatment because of the PR value of spending many millions to restore their luggage – when you and I turn up at the counter we get much less consideration even though our loss is at least as inconveniencing -if not more, because we are continuing our trip and need the items we intended to have with us.

All I’m saying is that the logic of spending millions to return things to about 150 people while they ignore the goodwill that could be derived from extending better treatrment to the other tens of thousands fo folks who lose their things seems a bit shortsighted.

It’s not that Sully’s people deserve less, it’s that the rest of us deserve a little more consideration than we’re getting.

Wouldn’t it be reassuring to people who have not had their luggage “found” to know where these centers are and have a process by which they could find out if their “lost” items ended up in one such center.

As far as I know, most people are unaware of this.

If your bag isn’t on the carousel and isn’t found and returned, the airline is liable for compensation up to a maximum of $3,300 per bag (it was raised from $3,000 a few months ago). If the contents of your checked bag are worth more than that, you might consider purchasing “excess valuation” coverage if the airline offers it. To find out more about lost baggage compensation and how to claim it, go to http://airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm#baggage.

Spending millions of dollars on one plane load of passengers is clearly going above and beyond (and is clearly a deliberate PR move – both in terms of good press coverage and as a way of telling the passengers “we’re doing all that we can for you – remember, we’re all victims in this unfortunate accident – please don’t sue us”). However, for those few passengers each day who are are permanently separated from their possessions without a plane crash, it wouldn’t be that costly (and would breed a lot more good will and good PR) to provide a little more attention than forms and paperwork, and a little more compensation than the bare minimum required by law.

I’ve had airlines lose my checked bags several times. So far, in each case they’ve managed to locate my bag and had it delivered to my hotel or home within a day. I generally had a change of clothes in my carry on so getting my bag to me by the next day was good enough. I didn’t incur any extra expenses so I didn’t seek any compensation from the airline. None was necessary. But I have been immensely grateful for those amenity kits, regardless of how puny the portion of toothpaste had been.

Of course, there was the time that I was on a business trip and my bag caught the continuing flight to Rio during Carnival. Why didn’t I think of trying that…

I usually always wear pants inflight, but the hotel in Florida (Disney) had picked up the wrong bags to shuttle to the airport – leaving me with the carry-on of souveneirs to choose from as my attire that morning – I had hoped to get back into more reasonable wear at the airport.

My point was not that the passengers of the flight on the Hudson didn’t deserve their belongings, or that they weren’t entitled to a little extra care, but that maybe airlines could elevate the type of customer service they extend to ALL passengers, and be a little more considerate when your lugggae is lost, permanently, or temporarily.

I do think that a $MM price tag is a little excessive, though, esp. in that US taxpayers are footing part of it through their bailout of AIG

Granted this was a while ago, but I’ve had airlines reimburse me for having my luggage (and its contents) soaked with red wine (not mine) on a flight and a down jacket reduced to mere feathers by careless handling of luggage (and perhaps some bad packing on my part). I agree with Carlo — even if it was a pr stunt, it was a good thing to go to special effort to get back the belongings of those on flight 1549.

I’m not saying you don’t deserve to be treated with respect, I’m just saying the plane crash victims deserve a little something extra, ya know?

I would want my laptop back in whatever state it was so I could get it replaced under the “complete care” warranty.

Actually, what I would really prefer is that no one be involved in harrowing incidents such as this and I am glad they were all safe.

In line with the airline industry’s new “survive and prosper through fees” mentality, I’m waiting for the first airline to announce a fee for tracking down and (possibly) returning “mishandled” bags. This is something that must involve considerable expense to the airline, and it would be grossly unfair to place that burden on an airline’s beleaguered executives and shareholders. So it’s an ideal candidate to be “monetized.”

The fee structure should reflect the airline’s desire to put the passenger in control by maximizing the range of options. So the passenger first pays a “claim filing fee” to defray the expenses of processing the claim form and tracking down the bag. The passenger always has the choice of voluntarily abandoning the bag, thereby avoiding the fee. A “baggage return fee” is payable when the passenger collects the returned bag. Because no fee is due if the bag is permanently lost, those passengers save money! The passenger also has a choice of picking the bag up at the airport or paying a “baggage delivery fee” for delivery to their hotel or residence. If the bag or its contents are damaged, a “damage claim fee” defrays the expense of investigating and dispositioning the claim.

I’m sure everyone would agree that the foregoing fee structure provides the fairest way for airlines to provide excellent customer service while giving passengers the most flexibility and choice! Now which airline will be the first to implement it?