The United States government has been in a partial shutdown since February 14 due to a lapse in funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the government agency that oversees the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
As a result of Congress’s failure to reach a bipartisan funding agreement for the DHS, TSA workers are being forced to work as ‘essential employees’ despite not being paid as a result of the shutdown.
In turn, the chain of events has become: No funding → unpaid TSA → fewer workers → longer waits & security lines → missed flights → increased cancellations → system-wide disruptions.
Why are bags piling up at major airports?
While long lines and significant wait times at airports across the nation have been making headlines over the past few weeks, there is a developing issue impacting many of the country’s busiest airports: unclaimed bags.
As one of the nation’s busiest travel hubs, Washington, D.C.’s three major airports now have the issue of bags piling up faster than they can be claimed.
This is a result of:
- Missed flights: Bags are traveling to D.C. without their owner, piling up as they remain unclaimed.
- Cancellations: Bags are being stuck in the transfer system.
- Understaffing: A hindered baggage reconciliation process means bags continue to pile up as staff struggle to ensure unclaimed bags go to their rightful owners.
My bag made it to D.C., but I didn’t – what do I do?
The first thing you will want to do when you realize your bags are missing is head to your airline’s baggage service desk.
Once there, you’ll want to file a lost baggage report immediately, which will require your bag tag number, a detailed description of your bag, and contact information with a delivery address.
At this point, you will likely be given a tracking/reference number you can use to monitor if your bag is being delivered to you.
If you believe that your bag has been left unattended at the baggage claim because delays led to your bag taking a different flight, you’ll first want to follow the same steps mentioned above: head to your airline’s baggage service desk and share all the information necessary to file a lost baggage report.
If they confirm that your bag has arrived at the same airport, you can either have it delivered to you when it is located (which typically takes between 24 and 72 hours) or request information about the flight it was transported on and which baggage claim your bag was sent to, which may help you track it down.
With some luck, you’ll be able to walk out with your bag without an issue!
