It’s the great fear of every long-distance traveller. You’ve landed in Geneva for that global conference, but your suitcase with the all-important three-piece suit has gone off for a jaunt to Rio De Janeiro courtesy one of the world’s airlines. Never lost luggage? Don’t gloat, there’s always a first time. And your next journey may be the one on which you join the damaged/missing/lost baggage club.

What can you do to make sure that your luggage doesn’t go walkies? There are a few easy rules to avoid baggage catastrophe: if possible, avoid travelling by an airline that has a reputation for being inefficient about handling baggage. On a short flight, travel light and don’t check-in any luggage. The overhead luggage bin is the safest bet. On a long-haul international flight, non-stop is the best way to go, because you don’t have to change aircraft and your bags will travel with you.

Any veteran traveller will tell you that baggage usually goes missing on connecting flights. Says Ankur Bhatia, managing director, Amadeus, “It’s safest to allow for plenty of time in-between onward flights so that passengers can off-load their bags and check them in all over again for the next flight.”

There’s plenty you can do to ensure that your bags arrive at the final destination on schedule ? and in good shape. Remember that you must move immediately when bags go missing. “Though airlines are usually efficient in tracking down lost bags and delivering them to a passenger’s doorstep, it’s best to be prepared for any eventuality,” says Pankaj Gupta, die-hard traveller and director, Outbound Travels.

Before the trip

nIt’s advisable to get your travel agent to buy you travel insurance (it’s budget friendly) before a trip. Also, make lists of items packed in each case. It’s best to retain purchase receipts for items bought on shopping sprees. You never know when they may come in handy.

“It’s important to know the brand, colour, size and material of your luggage,” says Gupta. Those with a sense of flamboyance can keep the bags bright. If you’d rather not go flashy, bright marking on the bags could help identify them in the melee at the conveyor belt.

To ensure that your bags travel with you ? rather than arrive on a separate flight, arrive at the airport really early. Always label each piece of luggage (name, complete address and phone number). Put an extra label inside the case, just in case the outside tag gets ripped off during transit. And always keep those locks on.

Fine-tune your luggage to the rough and tumble of the airline’s ground handling crews. You may hate ripping off old labels. But it’s important to get rid of any sign of a previous trip ? baggage tags or airline information. Old tags may cause confusion and could result in your bags being sent to the last destination you visited. “Put new tags of the airline on which you are making the current trip,” says Gupta. And never lose the tags and slips of paper that the airline gives you for baggage.

You can also put the address where you’ll be staying at your destination, so, whatever happens, the bags have a better chance of getting to you. Keep the extraneous elements that define your luggage to the minimum. This should rule out any shoulder straps, handles or other loose elements that could easily get caught or entangled on the conveyor belt.

Happy landings

nOnce you have made it to your destination, it’s time to go find your bags. Though it takes several minutes for them to be put on the conveyor belt, it also takes you time to get to them. It’s best to get to the conveyor belt quickly and wait for the bags to come to you. It’s very easy for someone to mistake your regular-sized, black Delsey for their own and make off with it. If that does happen, one should notify the airline immediately. “Since so many bags look alike, passengers should double check that they are walking out of the terminal building with their own,” adds Gupta.

It’s also imperative to understand an airline’s written policy on lost luggage. Find out how much the airline will reimburse you to tide over the period till your luggage is retrieved and delivered to you ? wherever you are.

In the event that the bags are lost forever (yes, this is the original voice of doom), airlines have fixed a maximum liability that they will pay up as compensation. Airlines do not accept the liability for expensive items that may have been packed in the luggage. If you want to be certain that some of your most expensive shopping remains safe, carry it in the hand luggage that you are allowed.

The tediously written out packing lists come handy at this point should you find that any of your bags have not arrived, or are damaged or broken into. And here’s where the receipts will come in handy. These can help you arrive at the total loss that you have incurred due to the airline’s negligence.

Informing the airline and providing them with details on the contents of the bags will help in making claims from the airline or the insurance company. Always make the claim before you leave the airport as the airline may not even entertain you if you react later.

As you leave the airport, keep a hawk eye on your bags. Airport porches, and sometimes even hotel lobbies where you might queue up for a car rental or a taxi, are great places for having baggage stolen. So watch your luggage till you walk into your room.

Play safe, and you’ll never be sorry.