Airlines lost 30 million bags last year

The Straits Times, Wed 22 March 2006

An estimated 30 million bags were temporarily lost by airlines last year and 200,000 of those bags never reunited with their owners. I am shocked to find out that there are actually so many luggages lost by airlines each year, it makes me feel really grateful and blessed to know that i have always managed to find my luggage on the luggage belt after each flight. I never knew that there were so many cases of lost baggage in the airports, i usually thought that only a small number of people were the unlucky ones who had the misfortune of losing their baggage, obviously i was wrong. The cause of the increasing number of lost baggage each year is attributed to many passengers changing airlines during a single journey, this causes a mix up in the bags when they are transferred to another aeroplane. I believe that the problem of lost baggage can be solved if we all were very careful. Firstly, people should try and take direct flights if possible and not take flights that need to transit, as baggages might tend to be left on the first plane. In addittion, one should never leave their bags unattended at all times. One never knows if someone might swop baggages or accidentally mistake your luggage for his as they are identical. Nowadays, there are many identical brands and designs of baggages, hence i believe the best way to identify your bag is to label it clearly by fitting it with an identity tag or a personnal mark. This way, it will be easier to identify one's bag and it would not be easy for your bag to be mistaken for someone else's. One should always be alert of one's baggage at all times and never leave it out of sight especially when in a foreign country. If baggage is lost and it contains the passport and daily necessities, the traveller will be stuck in the country's airport with no where to go.