Here's Where Your Lost Airline Luggage Ends Up

You’ve booked yourself a budget flight and are now determined to avoid those pesky luggage fees by carrying on your bag. Despite your best efforts to pack efficiently, your carry-on proves just two pounds over the limit, forcing you to check your suitcase through to your destination.

Beyond the sheer annoyance of having to stand and wait at the baggage carousel upon landing, the fear sets in that the airline will lose your bag. According to the Department of Transportation, only two percent of airline luggage is lost or goes unclaimed; but what of that two percent?

According to The Telegraph Travel:”Research from SITA, the makers of the World Tracer System for baggage, found that there were 24.1 million mishandled (lost and temporarily mislaid) bags in 2014, a figure that translates as 7.3 bags per 1,000 passengers.” Thankfully, SITA found that majority of lost bags are reunited with their owners within 48 hours, typically misplaced due to transfer mishandling, ticketing errors or tagging mistakes.

Unclaimed bags, however—that is, bags that are not picked up within 90 days—end up going to auction houses and re-sale shops such as the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. According to the Unclaimed Baggage Center website, they have exclusive contracts in place with major U.S. airline carriers so that lost luggage is brought to their processing facility by tractor-trailers before being sorted and priced. Clothes are washed and dry cleaned, jewelry is cleaned and appraised, electronic equipment is tested and wiped of personal data.

“Business is great,” Brenda Cantrell, brand ambassador at Unclaimed Baggage, tells The New York Times. Cantrell goes on to explain how little can surprise her these days, having seen everything from suits of armor to rare musical instruments come through the doors.

Expectantly, most of the goods for sale at Unclaimed Baggage Center are clothes—including wedding dresses and fine furs—followed by electronics and (no surprise here) a disproportionate amount of headphones. Should you lose your bag while traveling, you can rest easy knowing it will find its way to you within 48 hours; but if for whatever reason you are unable to pick your bag up within 90 days, then look no further than Alabama to find that long lost suitcase.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Culture Trip Spring Sale

Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

View Offers