DON'T LEAVE THE AIRPORT WITH A BROKEN BAG

Airlines can be forced to pay you up to $4,700 hundred dollars if they damage your bag. But literally, so very, ever take. I'm a little. If your bag is damaged off your flight, there are two things you must do before you leave the airport. And then there's one phrase that changes everything. Now, I hope you never have to use this, but if you do, it's really not that hard. You know this. Most people get their busted suitcases off the belt, don't notice, or they just suck it up and go home. That's the exact moment that you lose your claim at the airport. You have no leverage. Now, I've filed these claims before and I've always been paid. This isn't a "this works" tip. This is an DOT process. I wanna walk you through exactly how it works. First, before you check your bag at the counter, take a photo of it. Every single angle, including any marks that's already on it. Now I do this before every flight because I learned this lesson the hard way on a trip that I'll tell you about another time. It involved a broken wheel and a really long walk through the airport. Next, if your bag comes out damaged, go straight to the baggage service counter of your airline, not the customer service line in the terminal. The actual airline counter that you flew with and say this: "I'd like to file a damaged claim under DOT regulations." Say it exactly like that. Here's what they're gonna offer you. A travel voucher. It sounds nice at the time, but don't take it. The voucher is hoping you forget that $4,700 dollars is the maximum they're allowed to owe you. You need to politely say, "I'm requesting monetary compensation, not a voucher." Do those two things in that order before you leave the airport, and you will totally be taken care of. Now, let's be honest, you're not gonna get $4,700 unless you're traveling with a really like a Louis Vuitton, but you will be reimbursed. So save this. You'll never know when you really need it. And follow along for more stuff that airlines hope you never learn.