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Knowing the law that protects your rights is not much comfort to you when you have just landed at DFW and your luggage took a separate trip to DEN. There are some basic facts that can help you through a nerve racking experience, so relax and let's go over them.

Domestic travel within the United States and International travel have completely different rules with bags lost on travel to foreign countries being reimbursed at about 1/3 of the maximum allowable amount for domestic travel.

When you land and your bags don't you need to immediately go to the airline (the ticket agents or gate agents can direct you) and file a report. There is good news and bad news depending on what was in the luggage that you lost.

The airlines will not reimburse for unusually expensive items of clothing without proofs of purchase (keep the receipt for those $600.00 jeans). Even clothes where you have the receipts are reimbursed at less than retail unless you produce a proof of purchase that indicates the item(s) were new.

Cash and jewelry are strictly exempted from reimbursement as are laptops, cameras, cell phones, Blackberries and other electronic goodies that we all like to tote around with us. If you check any of these items and they are lost by the Airline, it is your loss.

The good news is that under certain circumstances you can receive emergency cash from the airline for some losses. For example, you are on the way to be married and the airline loses your tuxedo emergency funds, in an amount set by the Airline, can be obtained to replace the tux since the wedding will be over by the time the claim is settled. Be sure to check for emergency cash items and circumstances when you file your claim.

Here are my best suggestions to minimize losses from baggage.

Pack only essential items for your trip in your checked luggage.

Absolutely NO Cash, Jewelry, Passports, identifications, credit cards or
valuable electronics should be packed in checked luggage.

Any valuable checked item such as a handgun, musical instrument, prototype
computer, etc. should be documented with proofs of purchase or a legitimate value
determined before you leave home.

Do NOT pack all of your needed medications or medical equipment in the same
checked bag. Divide the necessities equally between your carry ons, and
your checked bags. The odds of losing both checked bags are lower than just one.

You are allowed one carry on AND a personal item (such as a laptop) and women
are allowed a purse in addition to the personal item.

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