Qantas is Australia’s flag carrier and the third oldest airline in the world. It was founded in 1920. If you have often wondered about its queer name, let us share that it is an acronym for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service (Qantas). Its flying base is Queensland – an obvious conclusion.
Its maiden international flight was in 1935 on the Darwin-Singapore route. Back then in the 1930s, flights took longer to reach their destinations with frequent stopovers, and so was it with the “Kangaroo Service” as it served ports like Myanmar, Pakistan, India, Sharjah, Iraq, Cairo, Alexandria, Crete, and Italy, before finally touching down in London.
Qantas is one of the founding member airlines of the present-day 13-member Oneworld Alliance that comprises other top-rated carriers like American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines, amongst others. The objective of forming one bright alliance is to increase their network and flying destinations across countries and territories worldwide, besides offering elite status and an ultimate travel experience to their customers.
Alliance member airlines typically prioritize check-in and baggage handling for all their flyers, but rough days are unavoidable. With an increase in the number of staff strikes, flight cancellations, and delays, all airlines are facing severe staff shortages. This, in turn, causes an increase in cases of misplaced luggage that sometimes culminate in lost-luggage horror stories.
Here we tell you what to do if you don’t see your bag at the baggage claim.
Approach the Lost Property Office
Act instantly the moment you suspect that your checked bag may have been temporarily lost somewhere in transit. It is important to notify the Qantas baggage services officials at the arrival airport (ideally within the time limits they have specified on their website) before you decide to leave the premises. On lodging a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), they will give you a file number to track the status of your bag. It is better to wait a few extra hours at the airport and allow the staff to do the needful to track the baggage down for you and return it to you in person. If the process takes longer than it should, the baggage services team will guide you accordingly.
However, in a situation where you may have left behind your property onboard a Qantas aircraft or at the waiting lounge from where you took the flight at the departure airport, rest assured that the lost property team will get their acts together to reunite you with your baggage in the quickest possible time. You can visit their official website to check out the list of lost property contact details that they have provided for domestic (Australian) and international airports that Qantas serves.
Fill Online Baggage Claim
They recommend their customers to use their online services for speedy delivery. With the PIR number, you can follow up on the status of your lost luggage on their portal.
If you notice a dent or damage, or even missing items from your bag, please proceed to lodge a damaged baggage report at the baggage services desk before leaving the airport premises. If you prefer going online, fill out their Customer Care form and send it immediately. Remember, you will have to furnish all relevant receipts, photos, and bag tags to prove that your items got damaged in their care. The time limit for reporting damaged baggage for domestic flights is 3 days within the receiving item, and for international flights, it is 7 days within the receiving item. The airline, however, will not take responsibility for items that had pre-flight dents, were not supposed to be transported on the flight, or were not suitably packed.
For lost or delayed baggage, either lodge a baggage claim in person at the arrival airport or the Qantas office nearest to you, or visit their page here to know what to do next. Typically, the team will stay in touch with you till they have traced the bag for you. You may read up their terms and conditions before you make a claim for the inconvenience over the loss of your bag that may have contained important or emergency things. The time limit for delayed and lost baggage at Qantas is 21 days. In such a case, you will be required to complete a lost baggage claim. The airline will recompense you in accordance with their specified terms and conditions of carriage.
Reach Support via Phone & Social Media
The quickest way to get the Qantas officials at the customer care service to take notice of your plight is to reach out to them online via Qantas Customer Care. The following is the contact for their phone baggage services – 1300 306 980 (Australia), +1 866 767 2247 (US), +44 844 375 4251 (UK), +852 2116 8750 (Hong Kong), +86 10 6459 0629 (China), and +91 22 6685 9110 (India). You can also write to baggageclaims@qantas.com.au.
All airlines these days have a social media presence. Here are the official pages of Qantas on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You may take to social media to send out instant message/s regarding your lost/delayed/damaged property. Someone from their team will soon get in touch with you .
Conclusion
The bottom line is – do not pack heavy so that you have to get them checked in, and/or carry anything on the flight that may cost you dearly if you lost it in transit. You can even label your luggage on its exterior with a clear name and contact details so that less time is lost in getting reunited with your baggage. Before checking in your baggage, click pictures on your smart device to be on the safer side. Have a safe flight!
