'My suitcase went missing, then I got a call from an unknown number'
It's a situation which would send even the most relaxed traveller spiralling.
Turning up at the luggage belt to find your suitcase missing. And not only that... you also spot one eerily similar to yours whirling around.
That's what happened to my 80-year old mother when she landed in the UK after flying from Australia recently.
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Having your suitcase go missing is a travel nightmare. Getty
A delay with the assistance she'd booked at Heathrow meant while she should have been one of the first off the plane she instead ended up being one of the last.
By that time, all but a handful of suitcases had been claimed.
Including hers. But not by her.
What to do if your suitcase goes missing
As you should, she went to the lost baggage counter and filed a report, explaining her case wasn't there, but pointing out a remarkably similar one was.
(Officially, you'll need to wait 21 days for the status of your baggage to change from 'delayed' to 'lost', before you can do anything else).
The missing case finally arrived back in England. Supplied
She messaged me and I was able to confirm, via the Qantas app, that her new pink suitcase had in fact landed in London, which was very helpful.
And so it seemed somebody else had claimed it.
She was panicking because it had all her cards and gifts in from her recent 80th birthday, as well as her iPad ("why wasn't that in your hand luggage!" I reprimanded her).
I was panicking because it had my new Dyson travel hair drier in there as well.
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Checking the app means I knew the bag had landed. Supplied
However, because the luggage had made it to London, this was different from a usual missing suitcase situation.
And while Googling what to do I found an important note on the Qantas site.
"If your baggage is collected by another passenger without your permission, we're not liable for any damage or costs, unless the damage was caused by Qantas," it states.
My heart sank. All we could do is wait, and check her travel insurance policy.
After an anxious 12 or so hours, her phone rang.
My mum's suitcase was lost on the way back to the UK. Supplied
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She didn't answer the unknown number, and the caller left a message.
"I can't believe it," the caller said.
"I sure was tired this morning... I've just gone to unpack and I've got the wrong case."
The lady, named Brenda, finally discovered her mistake and called my mum via the number on her baggage tag.
After an anxious 12 or so hours, her phone rang. Supplied
Having that information on your case is obviously something baggage handlers recommend you do, as well as popping a note inside with your name and number.
We were cursing Brenda, though.
Brenda had taken the case (which had no less than three colourful bag tags on it) all the way to Wales and my mother was in the north of England.
We were lucky that in this case, Qantas did accept liability. That's because Brenda had received assistance from an airport worker.
They take you from the plane and through baggage, customs and immigration.
Qantas was only liable to help as the traveller had required assistance. Supplied
They'd presumably got the case she pointed to from the belt from her - but failed to check it with her that was the right one.
Brenda texted again the next day to say the case had been collected by Qantas and was being sent to my mother.
READ MORE: What you must do if your luggage goes missing
Brenda messaged to say the case was on its way. Supplied
How to prevent your suitcase going missing
Of course it's easy to make mistakes, but always check the airline tag on your case matches your name before you leave the baggage area.
Adding colourful tags can also help - though my mum had a few on her case and it made no difference.
Many people also add ribbons, but that can be an issue.
"Ribbons that people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall," a baggage handler said.
Using a trackable suitcase can also help, though as we found many airlines have this on offer now.
Removing any stray straps can also help.
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