Where Does Lost Airline Luggage Go?

We know that tons of people fly around the world every single day. Did you realize that 99.5 percent of all luggage ends up right where it is supposed to be—on the carousel at your intended airport?

But then there’s that other .5 percent. As writer Matt Meltzer put it in an article for Thrillist:

“Only one-half of 1% of checked bags fail to make it to the baggage claim, and of those roughly 80-90% are returned within 48 hours. Within a week, that number jumps to 98%. Then, for the next 90 days, the airlines go to painstaking lengths to match bags with owners. Math says you’re looking at only 1-in-10,000 odds of truly losing your bag on a US flight.”

If the airlines can’t match lost luggage with its original owner, it gets shipped off to the 40,000-square-foot Unclaimed Baggage Center, a store in Scottsboro, Alabama, 45 miles east of Hunstville.

This place has been around since 1970. Lost bags are purchased—sight unseen—via airlines, bus and train lines. Once it’s decided what is destined for re-sale, the cleansing process goes into effect. Electronics are wiped clean. Jewelry is cleaned and appraised. Clothing is dry-cleaned and laundered at an in-house facility, the largest in Alabama.

According to the Unclaimed Baggage Center’s website, only the best items are selected for resale. This place is, as you might imagine, a destination for those looking to score bargains.

Source: Simplemost

Read more here: https://www.simplemost.com/where-does-lost-airline-luggage-go/