We have some useful tips found in “The Sun” so that you don’t have to wait forever for your suitcase on the luggage belt, as well as other useful tips for your trip to Malaga.
How to get your suitcase first on the conveyor belt
Unless you are one of the first lucky passengers to pick up your luggage at the conveyor belt, the waiting time can be considerable.
In fact, once disembarked, having to wait for your suitcase is the most time-consuming and we can estimate between 20 and 40 minutes depending on the airport and the season.
The author once had to wait almost an hour for her suitcase a Munich Airport, so she will try this interesting trick on her next trip.
According to the British newspaper ‘The Sun’, the trick is to place a ‘Fragile’ label on the suitcase.
Bags with a ‘Fragile’ label are placed last in the hold of the plane, near the cargo door. Therefore, they are also the ones that are unloaded and leave first on the conveyor belt.
A second trick is certainly only for passengers with nerves of steel.
It consists of checking in your luggage last, shortly before the check-in counter closes.
This way, your luggage will also be among the last to be loaded into the hold. And, consequently, will be among the first to be unloaded.
This trick is a bit risky. We personally don’t recommend it in high season and even less so at Malaga airport.
Bear in mind that you still have to go through the security filter.
Malaga-Costa del Sol airport is the fourth busiest airport in Spain. And in the summer months thousands and thousands of people pass through these security filters every day.
Therefore, the delay can be considerable.
For the same reason we recommend arriving at the airport at least 2 hours in advance.
What to do if my bag is lost at the airport?
You’ve been waiting forever at the conveyor belt, but the last suitcase has already left and it seems that one of your worst nightmares is coming true: Your suitcase is gone.
First a word of comfort. It’s rare for a bag to get lost on a direct flight. But it can happen if you have to catch a connecting flight with little time or because there was a delay in the arrival of the first plane.
Faced with this scenario, it is important to remain calm and follow a series of tips. Thus we minimise the impact of the damage and guarantee the best compensation.
These are the steps to follow:
- Immediately go to the counter of the airline you have travelled with and ask for a baggage irregularity report to record the incident.
- In the following days until your bag is located and taken to your hotel, you are entitled to purchase essential goods. For which you are entitled to reimbursement.
- It is therefore important to keep the invoices for all products purchased.
- And if the suitcase is not found, you are entitled to compensation.
- In order to claim compensation, you need to be able to prove the financial loss caused by the delay of your luggage: Expenses you were forced to incur, such as buying things you urgently needed that were in your suitcase. Or its loss (you can prove the value of your belongings with invoices, receipts, etc.).
- If you made a declaration of the value of your luggage before you flew, you can claim a maximum compensation of that value. If you did not make a declaration, the maximum you can claim is 1,200 euros.
Laminating your luggage does not protect against theft
Have you ever considered “laminating” your luggage in the machines at airports?
A survey carried out by consumer associations reveals this interesting statistic:
3.4% of passengers who had their luggage laminated were missing something inside.
Among those who did not, this percentage is only 0.9%.
The probability of something disappearing from your luggage is 3 times higher if you laminate your luggage.
How to make a Declaration of Value at the Airport?
The steps to make a declaration of value for your travel luggage at the airport are as follows:
- First of all, make sure that you are allowed to make a declaration of value for the specific baggage you need to transport. You can check this with the airline itself.
- You have to present yourself at least 2 hours in advance at the check-in counter of your airline. Some airlines ask for even more time in advance.
- Present your ID card, your airline ticket and the completed inventory declaration form. If you don’t already have it, you can request it on the spot.
- The airline staff must check the goods you have declared in your luggage and the condition of your luggage.
- You are obliged to use a key or padlock to lock your luggage.
- Make the corresponding payment to insure your checked baggage. This charge is set by the airline and can vary widely. The standard charge is 5% of the value of the insured goods, but some airlines set a fixed charge for excess baggage.
- Please note that if you travel by air with a stopover and change airlines, you will have to go through the same process again.
