Ask the Travel Diva: Two months later, suitcase still AWOL [BC-CREAGER-COLUMN:DE]

Dear Travel Diva: The airlines lost my luggage two months ago. I have had no luck in getting anyone at Northwest Airlines to track it down. What can I do? _ Suitcase-less

Dear Suitcase: While 99 percent of delayed airline luggage is quickly found and returned, the fact that yours has been lost two months is a bad sign.

Delta Air Lines took over Northwest's lost-luggage investigations in October. Delta is the new owner of Northwest.

But don't blame that for the problem, a Delta spokeswoman says.

"Factors that can affect tracking can be the time of year or the difficulty in retrieving the bag," said Susan Elliott. "It has absolutely nothing to do with the merger."

I looked into your situation and learned that you finally were able to get through to the Delta Central Baggage Customer Care Center in Atlanta (phone number 800-325-8224). They told you they were behind on processing Northwest lost luggage cases and to be patient for a few more weeks before giving up and asking for a cash settlement.

___

Dear Travel Diva: I bought $2,300 in cruise and travel insurance through CruiseQuick. Then I was in an accident and could not go.

When I filed an insurance claim for a refund, I found out the insurer, Prime Travel Protection Inc., had folded. What can I do? _ No Cruise, No Refund

Dear Refund: The sleazy part is that Colorado-based Prime Travel Protection Inc. was not an insurance company at all, but an unlicensed "insurance-like product."

You may get some help from your credit card's fraud division if you paid for the cruise and insurance with that card, suggests Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of Cruise Critic.

Ray Weiller, manager of CruiseQuick, based in Plantation, Fla., said his firm also was hoodwinked by Prime.

"CruiseQuick did stop offering Prime once it became apparent it was less than it promoted itself as," he said in an e-mail. He vowed to investigate your situation.

This story should remind travelers of a Travel Diva caveat: Never buy travel insurance from your trip supplier.

___

Ellen Creager: [email protected]

___

(c) 2009, Detroit Free Press.

Visit the Freep, the World Wide Web site of the Detroit Free Press, at http://www.freep.com.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

KeyWords:: BC-CREAGER-COLUMN:DE BC CREAGER COLUMN DE