Friends, we hasten to warn you that in Pulkovo airport There are problems with the luggage. Not exactly grandiose, but annoying. You cannot prevent them, but you need to be prepared and know where to go if something happens.
First a comment on the photo below, then a story, then an afterword to the story, then tips and suggestions. The photo for this material was taken on July 6, 2013 in the baggage claim area in Pulkovo-1 (the arrival hall for international flights) near the office Lost&Found(this is a service that is responsible for working with lost luggage).
As you can see, there are so many lost people that while they are waiting for their owners, they do not fit into the office itself, but are forced to sadly hang around outside. By the way, a passenger who has landed on a flight from another country and finds himself in the baggage claim area (and everyone without exception ends up in it immediately after passing through passport control) can quietly take any suitcase that interests him and take it away. There is a customs officer at the exit from this zone, but he hardly inspects anyone, and the flow of people in the summer is wow. The things are sealed, but again, with a large accumulation of bodies, you can’t keep track of who is carrying what, and it’s not the job of customs to look at whether you’re carrying a bag with a seal or without. And besides the tax collectors, there are no other inspectors there.
Now the story. A group of friends, including editorial representatives "Windows to St. Petersburg", flew on June 29 from Pulkovo-1 to Barcelona. At the airport of the capital of Catalonia, they did not receive their luggage - a sports bag - and immediately filed a statement about this with the local service company, which is specifically responsible for working with passengers' belongings. Returning to Pulkovo-1 from Barcelona on July 6, the owner of the lost item went straight to Lost&Found, where he expressed his grief and, with the help of an employee, immediately found and took the item. The office workers, by the way, are always very ready to help. It turned out that the luggage, of course, did not leave Pulkovo at all - it simply did not have a tag on it. It could come off, but most likely the airport employee stupidly didn’t attach it during check-in. Although, by the way, there was no rush at registration. Why are we describing it all so closely - so that you understand how everything happens in detail, it will suddenly come in handy.
But that's not all, now an afterword to the story, and this is the most important thing.
A moment after the items that did not fly to Barcelona on June 29 were returned to the owner, baggage collection began from the very flight from Barcelona on which he, the owner, returned. So for some reason it turned out that on the same very short tape, the things of passengers from two flights were simultaneously distributed - from, of course, Barcelona and the second - from Hamburg. How this happened is unknown to us; most likely, Hamburg was simply delayed. As a result, people stood around the tape in two, sometimes three rings, which greatly stressed them out. However, the tension quickly gave way to anxiety: the passengers heard loud knocks - their bags and suitcases were briskly slapping against the belt, leaving the hands of the loaders, and the author of these lines heard with his own ears several unprintable curses from his fellow sufferers. After some time, a man standing nearby, taking off his suitcase, quietly called the movers freaks; one of the passengers stuck her head through the window from which luggage was rolling out along the belt, and said something loudly to the loaders. Another man, sedate and wearing glasses, although unculturedly chewing gum, took a baby stroller from the belt and shouted with sincere feeling in the direction of that same window: “Be careful loading the freaks, b...d!!!”; and another woman discovered that the corner of her large plastic pink suitcase had been knocked to hell.
The baggage handlers stopped banging their luggage on the belt and on the nerves of the passengers - just after the remark of the lady who climbed through the window - and it is possible that only this saved them from the need to defend themselves. It is also possible that if they had not been caught, they would have continued in the same spirit to check the strength of the products. Or in another way: they always do this, it’s just that this time the passengers turned out to be sensitive. However, these are just assumptions.
Here are some suggestions to avoid losing your luggage, and if it is lost, how to find it:
1. When registering, check in person that the lady behind the counter didn’t mess up and didn’t forget to attach the tag.
2. Do not put anything very necessary or valuable in your luggage!
3. If you departed from Pulkovo or flew through it, arrived, and your luggage was flying, but did not arrive, then at the airport of arrival you do not have an exit from the luggage compartment, register the loss. They give you a piece of paper, and this piece of paper + boarding tickets with a sticky little thing with the baggage number on it is all you need to file further claims.
4. Be sure to keep all receipts from purchases of those things that you were forced to purchase to make up for the losses. For example, the above-mentioned group of friends, having arrived at the hotel, first of all went to the store for clothes and other household items.
5. When again, go to Lost&Found on the first floor. It is indicated on the interactive map of the airport on its website: Local comrades are quite responsive to the needs of passengers and generally strive to get rid of the rubble as quickly as possible.
6. With a piece of paper issued at the airport of arrival and boarding passes and saved receipts, you, whether or not reunited with your luggage, go to the airline you flew with and file a claim. The amount of compensation is set individually. If luggage is found, everything is processed at once. If they are not found, then only after 21 days - during these days they try to find the luggage.
What does this have to do with the airline? She, of course, didn’t lose your things, she didn’t touch them at all, the airport scattered them. But the fact is that you do not have any formalized relations with the airport; you have relations only with the air carrier, so on all issues you deal with it as a seller of a complex service. And he, having satisfied your claims, is already going to the airport in search of compensation. It's comfortable.
Luggage photo: Yulia Nikolaeva
Ivan Semenov
St. Petersburg Airport introduces a new tariff for carriers. Aviators will have to pay the air gates of the Northern capital for the mistakes of other air hubs.
"DP" archive, Sergey Konkov
St. Petersburg Airport is expanding the list of paid services and intends to reimburse expenses spent on searching for lost luggage “in the sky.” The initiative turned out to be deliberately controversial: the carriers, who are legally responsible for the safety of suitcases and boxes, will have to pay, but in fact cannot guarantee their safety to passengers. Aviators promise to sue the St. Petersburg airport. In the meantime, the parties are arguing, Fontanka checked what the passengers are risking.
From February 1, Pulkovo will introduce a paid service for airlines - searching for lost luggage of passengers. The airport has already decided on the tariff for the new option.
As Fontanka was told in Pulkovo, the price list for “Luggage Search 5 days” will be 955 rubles excluding VAT per piece of luggage, the tariff for “Luggage Search 21 days” will be 2350 rubles excluding VAT per piece.
The airport operator, Northern Capital Gateway (VVSS), clarifies that the consumer of the service is exclusively airlines, and not passengers. And the carrier has the right to refuse these services.
The main questions for passengers are: who is now responsible for searching for luggage, how long it will take, and who is ultimately responsible for the return, delivery and handing over of lost suitcases to passengers. And will airlines raise ticket prices if they have an additional expense item?
Who will find my suitcase
In total, 70 carriers cooperate with Pulkovo, some confirmed to Fontanka that they have already received a letter of notification from LLC VVSS about the introduction of a tariff for them from February 1. The document (available to Fontanka) indicates how the “search operation” will now be structured. Let us remind you: the passenger turnover of Pulkovo at the end of 2016 amounted to 13.3 million people.
By February 1, carriers must decide and notify Pulkovo whether they themselves will search for suitcases lost along the way or simply start paying Pulkovo for this at the announced rates.
The “search” functionality of Pulkovo, without charging a fee, will be limited to accepting applications from passengers and entering data into the international baggage tracing system.
“In the future, regarding the status of luggage, the passenger will need to contact the organization carrying out the search - the airport or the airline - about which the passenger will be informed by the Air Force,” Pulkovo clarified.
Previously, the search itself, updating data in the search system, identifying and issuing found luggage were not stipulated in the agreement on ground handling between the airport and the airlines. Now representatives of Pulkovo have agreed on this procedure and established exact tariffs. And if the carrier does not join the process, then, under an agreement with it, Pulkovo will undertake the search, and then automatically include its costs in invoices for the airlines.
Executive Director of the AviaPort agency Oleg Panteleev believes that these changes will not affect passengers. The expert emphasizes that, in accordance with Russian legislation, it is the carrier, and not the airport, who is responsible for luggage. And it is to him, and not to the air hub, that passengers, when buying a ticket, pay money for the delivery of luggage from point “A” to point “B”.
All participants in the process will be forced to meet the search deadlines approved by law - 21 days. If the baggage is not found, then it is the airline that will first compensate its passenger for losses, and only then the carrier can recover this money from the air hub through whose fault the failure occurred.
Airlines: We're ready to riot
Not all airlines agree with the new order, predicting that the St. Petersburg story will begin with mass lawsuits and end with the spread of this practice, for example, at Sheremetyevo.
“In its letter, the Air Force refers to Federal Aviation Regulations No. 82 of 2007 and IATA practice 1743A. I assure you that lawyers for all airlines are now carefully studying the issue. The current legislation does not provide for the mandatory introduction of a baggage search tariff,” says the representative major airline, who wished to remain anonymous.
It is worth noting that some Russian ports already have a baggage search tariff, and in fact Pulkovo is not a pioneer. Thus, on the website of the Yekaterinburg Koltsovo Airport (part of the Airports of the Regions holding) it is reported that searching for luggage for airlines costs 969 rubles excluding VAT. The service is provided on a voluntary basis. The airlines themselves choose whether they will search for luggage on their own or delegate this right to Koltsovo (Koltsovo’s passenger turnover is three times lower than Pulkovo’s – 4 million 300 thousand passengers at the end of 2016). Tariffs for baggage search are also indicated on the website of the capital's Domodedovo Airport.
The Air Force also insists that the provision of baggage search services by airports is a common practice, and in many airports (Russian and foreign) the service is paid for by the carrier.
Expensive but fair
Executive Director of the AviaPort agency Panteleev agrees with Pulkovo’s position. “As such, the luggage search service provides connections to an international database. Airport staff are performing a large operation and the operator bears the costs associated with locating the missing items. And it’s logical that airports want to shift the costs to whoever passengers pay for cargo delivery,” says Panteleev.
Panteleev also responded to Fontanka’s clarification on how fair it is to shift costs to airlines if baggage tracking is carried out not by aviators, but by airport services. “If air carriers don’t like how the airport operates, they can sue it or change the air hub,” Panteleev said.
Let us recall that in 2013–2014, Pulkovo passengers often complained that suitcases were lost in the new terminal. The airport acknowledged the problem and explained this by the construction of the terminal and the launch of new baggage handling technologies. As Fontanka was told by the VSS, in this moment the Left Behind Index (LBI) is 0.11 percent. According to international standards, the ratio of the number of bags not sent on time to the total number of processed ones should not exceed 0.55 percent.
Panteleev reminds that airlines can organize their own at Russian airports ground service baggage handling: in base ports it makes sense to invest in this, but it’s another matter if the share of transfer operations is small. In his opinion, carriers will not “sew” a new type of expense into air tickets. “Airlines do not have the opportunity to pass on every increase in their costs to passengers. Prices are determined only by competition. If they raise the fare, they will start losing passengers.”
It should be noted that the introduction of the new tariff at the port is explained by “an increase in the amount of lately delivered luggage by carriers and an increase in the need for resources for search.” At the same time, the Air Force, citing the confidentiality of the agreement with carriers, refused to name the airlines whose passengers are most often forced to look for their belongings in Pulkovo. They also do not disclose the costs that the airport itself incurs annually due to the search for lost items.
Katerina Kuraeva
A traveler's eternal fear is to be left without luggage. In real life, I know one such story, although everything ended well and the luggage was returned to the owners within a day. But in Pulkovo they showed us a whole rack of ownerless luggage. How did it happen, what will happen to this luggage next, and what needs to be done to prevent your suitcase from ending up on this rack - read on.
The luggage space in Pulkovo is huge. Still, 13.5 million passengers a year, tens of thousands a day, and almost all of them with luggage. It was even more surprising to hear that only 5 people work directly with luggage. I didn’t make a typo, in fact it’s 5. Everything possible is automated. They asked us not to talk about all the stages of control through which luggage passes, so that various bad people would not take advantage of it. But we don't need that. It is important for us to know what to do to ensure that our luggage reaches its destination.
So, first and most importantly. Before your flight, remove all tags, including small duplicate tags left over from your previous flight. Your luggage is identified using these tags. And if old stickers remain on the suitcase, the equipment will read the barcode from them as well. In this case, the luggage will go unidentified, and it will no longer have to be dealt with by the equipment, but by people, of whom there are only five.
Second. Baggage belts move quite quickly, at a speed of 1-2 m/s. It is optimal to choose the most stable shape of luggage that does not allow it to slip off the belt. A rectangular suitcase is great. Round bag - there may be difficulties. The worst things are soft bags and suitcases, without walls that clearly hold their shape, wrapped in protective film. They turn into sort of puffers, or “koloboks” in local slang, and are characterized by minimal stability on the tape. That is, we take a hard case suitcase, if you want, you can wrap it up, it still won’t go anywhere.
Third. Let's register ahead of time. When checking in at the last minutes, you will be able to board safely, but it is not a fact that your suitcase will make it in time. We remember that there are many flights, late passengers too, not only you, but luggage must still be inspected according to all the rules. And if questions arise about the contents of your luggage, and you are already at the gate, that is, outside the access zone of the luggage department workers, you will have to call a policeman and inspect the luggage with his participation, drawing up an inventory and other slow procedures. In this case, you will receive your luggage on the first available flight.
And fourth. Do not put anything prohibited or resembling prohibited in your suitcase. At one of the conferences, Maxim was given a ballpoint pen in a metal case simulating a cartridge. We have never aroused such interest among airport employees either before or since. I had to throw it out of harm's way. Even the presence of a lighter in it may be a reason for your luggage to be delayed.
So what happens if your suitcase ends up on the rack for unidentified or unclaimed luggage (here it is, in the photo)
It is opened in the presence of a police officer, an inventory is drawn up, sealed, and within five days the airport services try to find the owner. After this period, the search for the owner of the luggage is transferred to the airline. Well, if the airline fails to find the owner, then the suitcase is destroyed along with its contents.
How is luggage accepted and issued to passengers at Pulkovo? This question interests many tourists using airplanes. Nowadays, most people love to travel and look forward to the summer when they go on a long-awaited vacation. Summer is a time of excitement at Russian airports.
Hot weather, slow checkout and long lines aren't the only problems modern airports. Although Russian airlines “keep up with the times”, equipping the airport hall with equipment and technology, problems and disturbances from passengers cannot be avoided.
Let's consider this issue in more detail. In connection with the situation in Egypt that took place in 2014, the Pulkovo administration carried out explanatory work among passengers on the search for lost luggage and on the algorithm for waiting for luggage to arrive at the St. Petersburg airport building.
New Pulkovo terminal: top view.
The airport includes the following additional facilities:
- airfield with 2 take-off runways;
- 88 check-in seats for passengers due to fly;
- 110 cabins for passport inspection;
- 3 dozen exits to the landing strip;
- 7 belts designed for passengers to claim luggage.
The airport keeps up with the times and equips the building with innovations and provides services at a modern level. In order to find out the schedule of arrivals and departures of domestic and international aircraft, just find the airport website and look at the required section: online scoreboard arrivals/departures.
This makes it possible to obtain complete and reliable information about the arrival and departure of flights.
Official website of Pulkovo Airport
In addition, the airport offers an online check-in service for flights. You can book a seat on the plane through the website.
As they say, it is better to arrive at the airport in advance, but waiting is always tiring. At Pulkovo Airport there is free access to the Internet. This activity is a great way to pass the time and get a lot of useful and necessary information.
The airport infrastructure is rapidly developing. It is equipped with everything necessary: changing rooms, rooms for mother and child, places for passengers to rest and much more.
Baggage rules
So, if, then you should know. Check the rules for free transportation of things.
<>/center Excess baggage is an excess of weight or the number of pieces allocated for free transportation, or a discrepancy between the weight of the luggage and the airline’s standards. Of course, if you are flying, you want to take more, but not if you travel by air: .If I fly in a business class cabin, I take with me baggage with a weight limit of 40 kg, in economy class - 2 times less. Norms hand luggage in business class - 15 kg, economy - 8 kg.
What is the cost of excess baggage at Pulkovo?
In a situation where baggage, in accordance with the quantitative number of pieces, according to the weight, the allocated pieces, exceeds the permitted allowance for free transportation, please kindly make an additional payment for the excess items checked in for the first time in accordance with the following airport tariffs.
Luggage at Pulkovo is accepted subject to additional payment, however, luggage in excess of the standard is accepted if available aircraft free containers for transportation.
It costs above the standard in different ways. To clearly determine the amount you need to pay extra, you should look at the established baggage allowance at Pulkovo.
The basis for establishing the norm for transportation paid luggage contains the following components:- excess hand luggage category;
- excess level;
- tariffs in national currency;
- tariff in international currency or in national currencies of other countries.
- 1 place;
- 2 seats;
- 3 and subsequent number of places.
In view of this, if you exceed the number of places for carrying luggage, you will have to pay an additional minimum of 2,500, and a maximum of 7,500 rubles.
- more than 23, less than 32;
- more than 32, up to 50.
In accordance with this division, the cost of additional payment for exceeding the weight of things is at least 2,500 rubles, maximum - 2 times more.
Excess of burden according to measurement parameters:
- luggage over 1580 mm, up to 2030 mm;
- more than 2030 mm.
If you exceed all three parameters of hand luggage, you will have to make an additional payment in the amount of 5000-7500 rubles at Pulkovo Airport.
The holiday season is approaching. In this regard, Metro decided to find out what to do if your luggage gets lost at the airport, as this is one of the common problems that can ruin your trip.
Experts from St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport answered Metro's questions.
The passenger arrived in Pulkovo, but the luggage did not arrive. What to do?
If the baggage has not arrived, the passenger must go to the “Lost and Damaged Baggage” counter, which is located in the baggage claim hall, and present the ticket to the employee ( boarding passes), baggage tags for unarrived and received baggage. The employee will answer all questions, issue a certificate of non-arrival of baggage and take all necessary measures to locate it. If the passenger arrived on an international flight, entry customs declarations will be required.
How long does it take to find luggage when it is delivered?
In most cases, luggage is delayed at transfer points and arrives at the destination airport on the next available flights. After the baggage arrives at Pulkovo Airport and is processed, an employee of the baggage tracing department notifies the passenger of the fact of the baggage’s arrival. If the airline (carrier) provides a delivery service and if the passenger, when registering a non-arrival report, stated the need for baggage delivery, the employee agrees on the delivery time. Please note that delivery of forwarded luggage is carried out within St. Petersburg and the nearest suburbs; The employee will notify the passenger about the possibility of baggage delivery in each specific case when completing the report.
If the passenger arrived in St. Petersburg for a short time, and while he was in the city, the luggage did not arrive. What should such a passenger do next?
When filling out a certificate of non-arrival of baggage, the passenger must provide the employee with information about the length of stay in St. Petersburg and the further route of travel. The passenger can provide additional information (for example, when changing plans, changing the delivery address or contact person) by email [email protected] or call the help desk at +7 812 337-38-22 +7 812 337-34-44. In this case, you will need to provide the number of the baggage non-arrival report.
What should a passenger do if luggage can only be delivered at an inconvenient time?
Such situations can indeed arise. In this case, the passenger is asked to reschedule the delivery date, change the delivery address, or come to the airport and collect the luggage themselves.
What to do if a passenger has departed from Pulkovo, but the luggage has not arrived at the destination airport?
First of all, upon arrival at the destination airport (for example, Paris) and if the luggage has not arrived, the passenger must report this to the baggage tracing counter. If the passenger has not received his luggage before returning to St. Petersburg, upon arrival at Pulkovo he must, without leaving the baggage claim hall, contact an employee at the “Lost and Damaged Baggage” counter and present his air ticket (boarding passes), baggage tags for the unarrived baggage , a certificate of non-arrival of baggage drawn up at the destination airport. The agent will check the information about the location of the luggage and explain further actions to the passenger.
What is the difference between the Pulkovo lost and found service and the baggage tracing service?
The lost and found desk at Pulkovo Airport accepts for storage items found on the airport premises or in the aircraft cabin. You can receive information on all questions regarding lost items by email [email protected] or by calling the Pulkovo Airport information service +7 812 337-38-22 or +7 812 337-34-44. If you have questions about searching for baggage that has not arrived at Pulkovo Airport, you must also contact the Pulkovo information desk or at [email protected].
What can a passenger do in preparation for travel to minimize the risk of baggage loss?
To minimize the risk of baggage loss, it is recommended to issue or fill out a special (name) tag on the suitcase, in which you write in Latin your full name, current address of permanent residence, contact phone number, email address. When preparing for travel, you must remove any previous tags containing a barcode to avoid having the baggage handling system scan an outdated tag. It is not recommended to pack luggage in round-shaped bags and to give them this shape when packing with film. Round-shaped suitcases are more likely to be delayed in transit, as they are more likely to roll off sorting lines.
Additional resources can also help you find your luggage:
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