Airport Scam at Virgin Brisbane Terminal.Be careful.

[serfty]

... We didn't notice that 1 bag got 2 tags and another got none.

Untagged bag had a QTag with contact # and was locked with a TSA compliant lock.
...

Presumbly they were tagged from Oz though SYD to DFW and then JFK.

So that double/il tagging would have happened in Oz?

If that's the case, 'tis lucky they appeared at DFW in the first place.

 

[MichaelD]

Presumbly they were tagged from Oz though SYD to DFW and then JFK.

So that double/il tagging would have happened in Oz?

If that's the case, 'tis lucky they appeared at DFW in the first place.

No, our bags were tagged SYD-DFW. We collected our bags at DFW, removed the existing tags and rechecked them at DFW through to JFK. It was at DFW that the double/nil tagging occurred.

 

[serfty]

No, our bags were tagged SYD-DFW. We collected our bags at DFW, removed the existing tags and rechecked them at DFW through to JFK. It was at DFW that the double/nil tagging occurred.

Why were they not tagged through to JFK at check-in at SYD? Even with separate bookings Qantas will do this onto another oneworld carrier.

 

[MichaelD]

Why were they not tagged through? Even with separate bookings Qantas will do this onot another oneworld carrier.

Because we didn't ask them to when we checked in.

However, the point here is that the valid contact information we provided on the outside of the suitcase was specifically and deliberately ignored because of TSA/airline policy.

Exactly the same poor outcome would have occurred if the suitcase had been tagged through to JFK and the tag had been ripped off en route to DFW.

 

[serfty]

Because we didn't ask them to when we checked in. ...

Fair enough - you must have had your reasons - I presume they were separate bookings.

FWIW, it generally makes it so much easier to simply bag drop than having to recheck. Just present all e-tickets at check-in.

As for marking/tagging, I'm of the QF<ffnumber> school.

 

[FlyboyAl]

I have our business address on my tags. Home address is too long, and shop is open every day and has full security system

 

[PineappleSkip]

Hum.

We have our home address on our bag tags, apart from the QF RFID ones, probably because we've never been done over while on holidays, but had mishandled bags lots of times.

As for the cabby, we only travel to the airport with cabbies we know well, not whoever the 13xx_x number sends. The $180 cab fare means we have no difficulty in finding cabbies we know willing to take us.

Cheers skip

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Whilst all I ever include on the outside of a suitcase is a QTag with FirstName and mobile number (in international +61 format), this proved to be of no help when one of our bags went astray at DFW earlier this year.

Short version of a long story: arrived at DFW from SYD just fine, collected luggage, then checked through to JFK. We didn't notice that 1 bag got 2 tags and another got none.

Untagged bag had a QTag with contact # and was locked with a TSA compliant lock.

When finally reunited with the bag, the zip mechanism had been destroyed (by TSA apparently) to gain access to the contents of the bag - the TSA compliant lock was nowhere to be seen. Additionally, we were informed that it was "not policy" for international phone numbers to be rung in this circumstance.

Still waiting for our compensation claim to be processed by AA...

(I still, however, only include the above bare minimum details on the outside of checked luggage.)

As Qtags are presently only for use on QF domestic flights within Australia I wouldn't confuse the issue by leaving them on your bags when travelling internationally. Despite having a cell phone number on a name and address tag don't assume all Americans know how to call overseas. I'm certain that only senior people at an airport would have the ability to make international calls from the US.

Presumbly they were tagged from Oz though SYD to DFW and then JFK.

So that double/il tagging would have happened in Oz?

If that's the case, 'tis lucky they appeared at DFW in the first place.

Because we didn't ask them to when we checked in.

However, the point here is that the valid contact information we provided on the outside of the suitcase was specifically and deliberately ignored because of TSA/airline policy.

Exactly the same poor outcome would have occurred if the suitcase had been tagged through to JFK and the tag had been ripped off en route to DFW.

Due to 100% reconciliation of all bags travelling internationally out of Australia, for your bag to be loaded on QF7 SYD/DFW it would have had to have had a tag on it in order for it to be loaded onto that flight. Even if the tag came off when the bag was unloaded it would still have been apparent that it from from that flight & loaded onto the corresponding arrival carousel.

Fair enough - you must have had your reasons - I presume they were separate bookings.

FWIW, it generally makes it so much easier to simply bag drop than having to recheck. Just present all e-tickets at check-in.

As for marking/tagging, I'm of the QF<ffnumber> school.

It's amazing how often you hear people saying "I asked the airline to tag my bags all the way through to eg ADL but they told me I couldn't as I had to clear customs in SYD". A lot of airline employees cannot grasp the fact that bags can still be through tagged to your final destination even if you have to clear customs at a city prior to that which is generally the first port of entry into that country.

Then there are pax who think just because their bags are tagged through to ADL that they don't have to pick them up & clear customs with them in SYD. I have no doubt that sometimes airline people tell them that.

 

[MichaelD]

As Qtags are presently only for use on QF domestic flights within Australia I wouldn't confuse the issue by leaving them on your bags when travelling internationally.

That's not logical. Internationally, they are simply a fancy looking name tag very securely fastened to your bag.

The revelation of this exercise for us was that having a valid phone number in +61 format on the outside of a bag was not helpful in the US.

 

[PineappleSkip]

The revelation of this exercise for us was that having a valid phone number in +61 format on the outside of a bag was not helpful in the US.

My last US experience was that there was very little awareness of what '+' means, let alone the rest of it.

Cheers skip

 

[ozbeachbabe]

That's not logical. Internationally, they are simply a fancy looking name tag very securely fastened to your bag.

The revelation of this exercise for us was that having a valid phone number in +61 format on the outside of a bag was not helpful in the US.

I haven't got issues with having a name and address tag with a valid phone number in +61 format on your bag but why not just use a normal luggage tag with those details. I wouldn't travel to the US with a Qtag because it doesn't serve any purpose other than a potential souvenir for someone along the way.

 

[MichaelD]

I wouldn't travel to the US with a Qtag because it doesn't serve any purpose other than a potential souvenir for someone along the way.

That's an interesting view. Why would you say this? (Genuinely interested - I leave the Qtags on because I travel pretty much weekly domestically and can't be bothered changing them - they aren't the easiest of tags to put on/take off. Hadn't considered them to be worth souveniring for anyone, especially overseas.)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

That's an interesting view. Why would you say this? (Genuinely interested - I leave the Qtags on because I travel pretty much weekly domestically and can't be bothered changing them - they aren't the easiest of tags to put on/take off. Hadn't considered them to be worth souveniring for anyone, especially overseas.)

I've heard from more than one person that their bag has arrived on the carousel only to have the Qtag missing off it. I know a lots of people do leave them on when travelling overseas so they can identify their bag when it's on the carousel.

The only thing that could be confusing for baggage handlers is when they're loading a bag onto a domstic flight within Oz that is part of an international journey where the bag has both thermal tag (paper tag) & a Qtag when they are loading the bag they may not see the paper tag & go to scan the Qtag which of course is inactive (as only paper tags can be used for international trips) & gets put to one side to sort out later & by the time it gets sorted the flight has departed. :shock:

Of course for wholly domestic trips within Oz you can only have one or the other (thermal tag or Qtag) on the bag at the one time as the autobag drop will not inject the bag when there are two tags on it, never mind in some cases the system wanting to charge some people $30.00 for the 'extra' bag.