Maybe you’ve worked all summer long, perhaps only managing the odd weekend escape to the seaside. You decide it’s about time you went on holiday with your friends and you all head for Bari, southern Italy. The forecast is 28℃ and you think to yourself “Finally, a bit of sunshine after months of rain and cloud”.
You pack your bag: shorts, sandals, factor 50 sun cream… You just about manage to squeeze in your snorkel and flippers – you wouldn’t want to miss out on those colourful Adriatic fish!
You and your friends leave Munich in your sweatshirts and raincoats. You land after just one hour and forty minutes and make your way to baggage claim. The minutes go by, you’re getting more and more nervous, you’re feeling warm with all those layers on. Rucksacks, bags, suitcases and the odd box pass by… All except yours. The belt stops. The words on the screen change: it’s time for the bags from the next flight to start coming through.
You think to yourself, no, it’s not a psycho-thriller, just a setback that happens, especially during the busy holiday season when airports are overcrowded. But you really didn’t expect it this time.
So, what do you do? You keep calm and go to the Lost & Found office to report your lost luggage. You immediately get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a reference number that will help you check the status of your luggage. In the meantime, you buy some essentials (underwear, toothbrush and toothpaste etc.), which will be refunded in return for your claim. Don’t forget to keep hold of receipts to provide evidence of your purchases.
In all likelihood, your luggage will turn up soon and what might have seemed like a nightmare at first will become just a small nuisance.
Setbacks happen. Remember to always have the essentials in your hand luggage: medicine you can’t do without and medical prescriptions, spare contact lenses, a small toiletries bag and something to protect you from the air conditioning in the airport and on the plane!
