COMING AND GOING

Lost Cause

LUGGAGE TAG

Lost Cause

The missing and lost-luggage problems of the busy summer season have raised a number of reader queries. Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions:

* No, there are no government rules about how much time must pass before a misplaced bag is considered a lost bag. Report a missing bag before leaving the airport; most airlines allow you to make a claim for compensation for lost luggage after about 10 days.

* Airlines swear they don't stop looking for your bag once you've filed for compensation. It's not like someone is assigned specifically to look for your bag. More likely: While going through a stack of misplaced bags, they stumble on yours.

* If an airline finds your bag after compensating you for its loss, it probably won't make you repay the money.

* Bags lost on an international flight are governed by international law, which sets a cap of about $1,500 per passenger. For flights within the U.S., a new cap of $3,000 per passenger was set in March.

* Airlines won't compensate you for electronic items you say were in your bag. See their Web sites for the long list of things not covered.

* Each airline has policies about what it will pay to reimburse you for toiletries and other necessary items when your bag doesn't arrive with you. Typically, the airline requires prior approval, requires receipts for what you bought and pays only a portion of the expense. Money provided to help you cope will probably be deducted from your reimbursement if the missing bag becomes officially lost.

UPRIGHT AND LOCKED

It Started With a Nail . . .

The nonstop flight from Phoenix to Reagan National last month was about 1 1/2 hours late boarding, then an additional hour late taking off because of a nail in a tire and problems with the captain's oxygen supply.

As the US Airways plane finally approached Washington, the pilot announced that Reagan National was really busy and they'd have to stay in a holding pattern for 45 minutes. Tina Jennings of Washington took it all in stride, even after the pilot announced, after 45 minutes of circling, that the plane was being diverted to Raleigh-Durham, N.C. The airline staff would make hotel arrangements, the pilot said, and would rebook passengers for the next day.

On arrival, though, the pilot noted that because it was now 11:30 p.m., no one was available to help with hotels or rebookings. Passengers were handed a phone number for the airline's reservation line and for local hotels. There were no seats available on US Airways flights until the following afternoon, and the airline now said it wasn't paying for hotels because the rerouting had been caused by weather. Jennings paid $200 for a rental car, including a hefty drop-off fee, to get home in time for morning commitments.

The next day she called US Airways and was told to come to the airport for reimbursement for her rental car. She drove to National, but agents "unapologetically told me they couldn't help," and they gave her a phone number. That led to a recording that tells passengers where to send unused tickets for refunds, obviously not a helpful number for Jennings.

US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder, contacted by CoGo, said the plane had been diverted because of bad weather at National. Why Jennings was told to drive to the airport for reimbursement of her rental car expenses remains a mystery because, like other airlines, US Airways does not offer free hotel rooms for weather delays and does not pay for rental cars. "We apologize if she was misinformed," said Wunder, who noted that "as a gesture of goodwill," Jennings has been sent a $250 travel voucher.

If weather is the cause of a delay or diversion, don't expect a free hotel room, and never expect reimbursement for a rental car. However, it's worth trying to make a case for some compensation if some of the flight's problems were under the airline's control, as in this case. After all, if the flight had left on time, it might have beat en the bad weather.

TRAVEL TICKER

Americans and Australians ages 18 to 30 will be able to travel and work in each other's countries for a year under new visa agreements. An unlimited number of visas for eligible Americans will be available Oct. 31 . . . The backlog of passport applications has been wrestled to the ground, the U.S. State Department announced. Processing time for routine applications has returned to the standard six to eight weeks, and no more than three weeks for expedited service, the department said.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Icelandair is having a fall sale with discounted prices from BWI to nine European destinations, including Glasgow, Scotland; Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. For example, round-trip fare to Oslo is $635, including $74 taxes; fare on other airlines starts at $715. Travel Oct. 1-31. No booking deadline, but seats are limited. Buy at www.icelandair.com.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

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