Lost Luggage Tales from ABC News

ABC News 20/20 recently published and aired a segment about how to take the edge off of holiday travel. Our own Tom Lombardi, APR's president, was interviewed for the segment, but his part got left on the cutting room floor.

ABC also interviewed behind the scenes experts who looked into the myths about lost luggage.

They showed a video of the TSA opening bags with a bevy of cameras whirring overhead. Then a horror show, showing a bunch of mug shots of a group of bad-ass baggage handlers who got together and stole valuables out of suitcases while they were on conveyor belts. These guys were caught after dozens of discarded suitcases were found in a nearby dumpster.

If your bags are lost in transit, the airline does spend quite a bit of time trying to find the original owner. They go through dry cleaning reciepts and other papers in the suitcases to try to find out who owns the bags. If they're unsuccessful, after 90 days luggage is sold to the Unclaimed Baggage mall in Alabama. There, travelers can find a bevy of bargains, all from unfortunate travelers who never put tags on their bags.