104
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
Drive. Insurance won't help with something you can't replace and may not have time to repair, and you don't want the stress dealing with the risks of handing over control.
Do yourself a favour and ...
- 54.7k
50
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
Source: I had a small hand in a cubesat built in West Virginia and was around during launch integration preparation.
Our contract lead filed paperwork ahead of time with the TSA. (Various forms, I ...
- 601
42
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
Contact a parcel carrier such as UPS, DHL, Fedex, etc. They all have options for delivering high value items which may or may not meet your needs. For instance, DHL offers a separate delivery vehicle ...
- 9,970
20
votes
Are airlines not liable for damages and losses to the contents of luggage?
The airline is definitely liable for the contents as well but that's not what the answer you received is about. For example, you can get compensated if your luggage is lost completely and not only for ...
- 104k
18
votes
Can checked baggage on airplanes ever get wet?
Absolutely. Just on Monday there I arrived at London Gatwick in heavy rain. Took them 50 mins to offload plane and load bag onto carousel (strangely mine was the first on the carousel). Bag was ...
17
votes
Accepted
Can a (slightly) damaged suitcase be used as checked luggage?
I suspect you'll have no trouble at all.
My wife & I recently flew to the US from the UK with a brand new (and very cheap) suitcase with a front zip-up pocket. It got to the US okay, but on the ...
- 4,089
17
votes
Accepted
Can checked baggage on airplanes ever get wet?
tl;dr: Yes, baggage does get wet.
They will get wet, twice. Luggage are almost always transported in small chains of relatively flat carts pulled by a motor vehicle. Then, a conveyor belt loads them ...
- 44.1k
16
votes
There is tear in my nylon luggage as in the picture. How would you repair this?
You have a few options.
There first is to leave it. It doesn't look like anything has a chance of escaping there.
You can stabilise the edges of the abrasion, possibly tidying it up a bit in the ...
- 7,526
14
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
I'd say driving is probably preferable, but our lab has transported cubesats as hand luggage on commercial flights before. We use the same type of packaging as you describe. I think you'd be surprised ...
- 241
13
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
The word you're looking for is supercargo
That is a human: the responsible person whose job it is to physically escort the cargo.
It is perfectly common when you have a high-6-digit payload like ...
12
votes
Accepted
What happens if a bag accidentally opens while being loaded on a plane?
Assuming you are flying on scheduled airline service, the employees who last handled the bag should pick it up with its contents, put it in some larger container and take it somewhere where someone ...
- 326
10
votes
Accepted
Is the possibility of a cabin sized trolley bag being damaged when checked in high?
I have checked in many a cabin sized piece of luggage and never noticed them being handled any different from bigger sized items.
At times I have chatted with the check-in staff when checking in a ...
- 58.4k
9
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
For shipping and transportation, your greatest risk for misadventure is not on the long-haul part of the journey, but at the hand-offs.
Damage is most likely to happen during loading and unloading, ...
- 1,586
9
votes
Accepted
Sketchy offers from Lufthansa damaged luggage handler Dolfi1920
Update: they agreed to send me a cash refund, after one month and four different e-mails in which I insisted on it and reminded them that according to GDPR it was illegal to send me further ...
- 3,519
8
votes
Accepted
Are airlines not liable for damages and losses to the contents of luggage?
The exact liability an airline will have for lost or damaged baggage is dependent on the airline (specifically, its Contract of Carriage or equivalent document) and the applicable laws of the country/...
- 13.2k
8
votes
There is tear in my nylon luggage as in the picture. How would you repair this?
General answer: Darn it. I actually think you would have decent luck darning in this area, even if there is interfacing in the bag you will probably be able to pick up a thread with your needle by ...
- 436
8
votes
Sketchy offers from Lufthansa damaged luggage handler Dolfi1920
Auch, don't go for any of this..
https://nl.trustpilot.com/review/dolfi1920.de
The reviews there are very, very bad...
If you want to lose your money, go to Dolfi1920 - Our suitcase was
pulled ...
- 596
7
votes
Can a (slightly) damaged suitcase be used as checked luggage?
I flew from mainland France to Mayotte, last summer, and the Mahores have some interesting strategies for "cheap luggage".
Many of them were using big coolers wrapped in plastic, for example.
Others ...
- 2,547
6
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
Jcaron hit that in his comment.
If your university can afford their own private jet they have enough cash to:
Pay for delicate cargo delivery with all service. Large, precious, expensive assemblies ...
- 623
5
votes
DHL damaged luggage, requests exact spare part price, but I can't find spare parts for the brand. What can I do?
There are few things you can try :
go to a luggage repair center and ask for a repair quote
ask the place where you ordered it originally to provide a copy of the invoice (or at least a proof that ...
- 3,195
5
votes
Can a (slightly) damaged suitcase be used as checked luggage?
As Andrew said, it's very unlikely that they'll prevent you from checking it in.
I flew from the UK to Sweden last year. The suitcase I had was broken: the handle was locked in the topmost position, ...
- 1,555
5
votes
Ensuring duffel bag handles aren't caught in a conveyor belt
I have flown with many duffel bags as hold luggage and I have never had a problem with the handles. The warning you quote refers mostly to big rucksacks which have thick loose shoulder straps, and ...
- 52.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Emirates damage claim reply with Montreal Convention 1999 excuse
The Montreal convention (Article 18) states the following about damaged bags:
The carrier is liable for damage sustained in the event of the destruction or loss of, or damage
to, cargo upon ...
- 2,076
5
votes
Accepted
Huge delay with processing compensation for damaged luggage
This is unfortunately a common problem these days, and LATAM's behavior is not unique. Since Covid in early 2020, airlines have consistently refused and delayed and avoided paying claims. Search on ...
- 24.7k
4
votes
Accepted
Damaged luggage compensation
That is a fair offer. Within $10 is actually quite good and most times replacement costs are not offered and you only get repair costs which makes the suitcase usable but not like new either, so I ...
- 44.1k
4
votes
Considerations for very fragile and expensive (> $100,000) items in carry-on luggage
Checked baggage is a risk no matter how well you pack it...and if you disclose that it's both delicate and very valuable, the airline's T&C will require that you execute a Waiver of Liability ...
- 24.7k
4
votes
Shipping tag on suitcase vs. on handle
If your referring to the baggage handling tag that the airline puts on at the airport, the whole tag is a sticky label that can be applied to flat objects like boxes or handle-less suitcases.
The ...
- 16k
4
votes
Are customs liable if they break something doing their job?
I agree with the initial response - that there are probably laws (variations on the same - for each country)but hard to enforce or redress. I recently experienced the same situation - unnecessary ...
- 41
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible