Jaunted

Where Abandoned Suitcases Go To Die

8/24/2007 at 9:30 AM
Tags: Baggage, Luggage, Britain Travel, London Heathrow, London Travel (all tags)

Pack carefully when you're flying in and out of the UK: the latest stats report that 30 million bags a year go missing, which means yours has plenty of opportunities to end up lost. Apparently 85% of these bags do reach their owners within 48 hours, but the law states that if the bag and owner don't catch up within 3 months, the bag can be handed over to an auction house.

For some reason, it works like this: shoes, appliances and valuables are removed from the cases and sold separately; the rest of the contents--dirty underwear included--are sealed into the case and the cases are auctioned off "lucky dip" style. If you've been parted with your luggage (which is most likely to happen at Heathrow), you might want to try the Greasbys or Wellers auction houses to get it back--or to pick up an interesting replacement.

Related Stories:
· Lost Luggage Auctions [UK Times]
· Heathrow's In Chaos [Jaunted]

[Photo: Silvferduk]