JuliaLans

Ever since I made my first trip, I’ve always had a great admiration for airports. They are the first thing you get to know when arriving in a new country. US airlines can boast about the most spectacular airports. This is the reason why I get excited each time I go on a long-term business trip to the US.

I should say I am quite a mature traveler. Over the last 5 years, I’ve covered about 20,000km and dealt with 5 airline carriers. Extensive travel has provided me with a vast knowledge of how US local airlines operate. I’ve learned much about airline services and now know better which flights benefit me the most. There are a couple of secrets of successful flight.

- The difference in price between flights from US low-cost airlines and common airline carriers does not exceed $10.

- European low-cost airlines offer their passengers a higher number of discounts and reductions.

- These sources (https://trackmyflight24.com, https://www.airbnb.com, https://www.tripadvisor.com) contain up-to-date and helpful information you most likely will need while getting ready for flying.

- Airline meals on US domestic flights mostly consist of snacks, so bring more food with you if you are having a long flight.

To realize why I am so deeply loyal to US airline companies, below, read more facts proving the magnitude of US airports.

To date, the US is ranked first in the number of airports globally. There are about 15,000 airports for local and international travel, with about 5,000 airports employed in civil air traffic. Surprisingly, US international airports constitute only a tiny proportion of the total number of airports. Namely, about 50 airports receive flights from other states and continents. Finally, Americans believe that an airplane is the fastest, most convenient, and affordable means of transport. Passenger traffic getting more and more intense every year makes US airports the busiest in the world. All this explains why the US accounts for 44 airports of the world’s top 100 airports.

Besides American supremacy in air travel services, the US is remarkable for other high-end services related to business and travel. If you are passionate about exotic and outstanding places, you should definitely visit John F. Kennedy International Airport located in Jamaica, which is not the famous island in the Caribbean Sea but a middle-class neighborhood in New York City. So you won’t see here any reggae dancers or rum drinkers but have a chance to fly with your favorite pet benefitting from the All-Animal Terminal located in Cargo Building 78A at JFK.

Kennedy Airport is equally convenient for attendants who are not going to enter the terminals but are allowed to use Kiss & Fly free parking area. Here, any non-passenger can park their vehicle for hours while their relatives are waiting to board.

Travelers, in turn, will be pleased with TWA Flight Center, the former terminal and present-day upscale hotel. It used to belong to an airline carrier owned by the dollar milliner Howard Hughes. The center has prominent expressionist architecture. The TWA terminal was designed by a Finish-American architecture Eero Saarinen and built in 1962. All buildings have a curved and winding configuration and form a huge umbrella with a span of more than 91 m. This extraordinary architectural style makes TWA Flight Center look incredibly modern and fantastic even in the 21st century. If you would like to touch the history of US airlines, this place is a must to see for yourself.

I had never been that kind of a person to lose their luggage at the airport, but unluckily, this happened to me at a local US airline. I was flying to Indianapolis when the airplane made a short stop in DC as a result of which my luggage mistakenly flew away on a different flight. I approached the airline staff, filled in the form, gave them my address, and went about my business. My luggage arrived intact on the same evening.

Not every story ends well though. So I am going to give you some advice in case you run into similar trouble. Here are some airline scenarios to know how to work out luggage problems. 

1.   You have been standing by a baggage carousel for an hour, and your luggage hasn’t come yet. There can be several reasons for this failure. The most common one is that too many airplanes have arrived concurrently at the airport and baggage handlers might have misplaced your suitcase when unloading all baggage quickly.
2.   If you have run out of patience, contact an airline employee in the airline’s ticket office, check-in desk, or head office. With the assistance of airline personnel, you should report your missing luggage giving a detailed description of the stuff stored inside and show your baggage claim ticket. One copy of the report remains with you, whereas the other one is submitted to the airline administration.
3.   Before leaving, try to get compensation for lost stuff. Those airliners caring for their reputation will calm things down. They will either pay you in cash or reimburse all the receipts for purchases made within 24 hours after the date of filing the report (rarely exceeding $250).
4.   After finding the luggage, the carrier will contact you and inform of the delivery time. Your luggage will be delivered at the indicated address for free. Or you can take it at the airport at any time on your own.
5.   The luggage is viewed as lost or stolen 21 days after the passenger reported their loss. After this period, the airline is obliged to compensate for missing luggage. On average, the reimbursement of missing luggage varies between $1,525 and $3,500. Besides, international travelers usually can get higher compensation than domestic passengers.
6.   If you have got your luggage damaged, you are equally entitled to claim reimbursement on the same terms working for lost luggage. Another subtle way of getting a refund is to write the airliner a letter in which you put an emphasis on your utter loyalty to this very carrier. Then you describe in detail how you have been waiting all week to get your delayed luggage, and now you find out that your favorite thing, for example Gucci glasses, was broken during flight. It is not a legal way to settle such issues, but it may turn out successful.
7.   Let’s pretend you received $300 for your lost suitcase, but one piece of clothes in there cost at least $600. So you are at a disadvantage. If you are eager to get paid in full, file a claim with the airline carrier first. Within 7 days of receiving the damaged luggage, you need to make a claim with the airliner’s attestation. If the damaged luggage has been delivered to your place of residence, the deadline for complaints reaches up to 21 days (from the time of delivery). If you have managed to stick to the deadlines, the airliner most likely will approve your claim.

8.   If the airline carrier has declined your claim, they will send you a refusal letter. With this letter, you should appeal to the court. You are eligible for bringing an action within 2 years from the date on which your luggage was supposed to have arrived at the airport of destination.