What happens to lost airline bags that are never claimed? Here’s how you can buy unclaimed and discover hidden treasure.
4 October 2010Every vacationer hopes that they will have a smooth and enjoyable traveling experience, but sometimes, things do not turn out as they planned. Certain incidents can happen before or during a vacation, and they can result in a lot of frustration and significant financial loss. One of the unfortunate things that can happen to travelers is the loss of luggage. Many people who travel by air have their luggage misplaced and sent to incorrect destinations. While most of them manage to get their luggage back after some time, others have to accept the fact that they will never see their bags again.
Loss luggage can result from the incompetence of airline or airport staff, personal carelessness, or theft. Most of the time, the airline’s baggage handlers are responsible for loss baggage. They either mistakenly place the bags in certain places in the airport or send them to a wrong destination. When such errors occur, the airline will take measures to reunite the bags with their owners. Usually, a global luggage tracing system will be used for this purpose. If nobody shows up to claim the bags after three months, the airline will either donate them to charities or send them to a facility where they will be sold to the public.
Most of the luggage pieces that are permanently lost in the United States will be delivered to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, which is situated in the city of Scottsboro in Alabama. This center is a 40,000-foot facility that specializes in selling unclaimed baggage, and it attracts many people who are looking for a good bargain. The items in the store are sold at prices that are much lower than their original costs, and shoppers can be assured that they will get great value for their money. Shopping in this place is a wonderful adventure because many interesting items are available for purchase. In the past, the staff at the center had uncovered treasures such as a Barbie doll with a roll of bills worth $500.00 stuffed inside, a camera that was designed for the Space Shuttle, an F16 guidance system worth about $250,000, and others.
The Unclaimed Baggage Center does not offer customers the option of buying its products online. If you want to buy unclaimed luggage in the US, you have to travel all the way to Scottsboro. Nonetheless, you can be sure that the shopping experience will be worth the trip. Whether you are going there by air or road, you should make sure that you have the necessary travel insurance coverage. A travel insurance policy will give you the peace of mind you need to enjoy your trip.
Damian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip, and is a licensed agent for travel insurance (MA 1883287). He believes travel insurance should be easier to understand, and started the first travel insurance blog in 2006.