Do they handle your baggage right?

Following are a few things you should be careful about before entrusting your baggage to the airline in which you plan to fly, reports Archana Khatri.

Air passengers are a harried lot these days. Northward moving tariffs, delays in flights, the I-don’t-care-attitude of increasingly wooed airline staff, and if you are unlucky, you may also have to face a situation of the lost or damaged baggage.

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Following are a few things you should be careful about before entrusting your baggage to the airline in which you plan to fly.

* Check with the airline for their baggage handling policies, which should also mention the airline’s liability for loss, delay, or damage to baggage. The baggage policy is usually different for a domestic and international travel. Airline personnel are not always uniform in enforcing their baggage damage policies. Things airlines usually do not cover are normal wear and tear, minor cuts, scratches, dents etc.

* It is best to check up your baggage on pick-up and make a claim with the airline immediately regarding any damage, if any. Most airlines will not accept damage claims unless they are made within a reasonable time frame.

* Make sure to label your bags with your name, address, and phone number. Inside each bag, pack a copy of your itinerary. At check-in, make sure that each bag is correctly tagged with the destination airport's three-letter code.

* Carriers assume no liability for fragile, valuable or perishable articles. Further information may be obtained from the carrier.