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Looks like my rifle on the return from Burkina Faso to Orlando never made it. The team at Travels with Guns and I are trying to locate it. But we are on day 3 and I just need to cover alternatives. Has anyone lost a rifle returning from Africa? Has anyone ever lost a firearm in the airline baggage system? Has anyone been completely compensated for lost firearms and other accessories in the gun case? This truly sucks, Mike | ||
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I lost one for two weeks on AirCanada. It got mixed up in the airfreight. The airline should be able to track it exactly? Jeff | |||
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Jeff: I am hoping they can. They have airfrance, delta, and airfrance security looking into it. Its a tuffpack. I am stupid for not having my name and contact painted on it. 2 weeks in airfreight gives me hope. I can't believe they make you go thru all this paperwork of flying with a firearm and then lose your gun. Mike | |||
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Mike, I once, lost 2 rifles and a bow with the extra contents of both cases with Turkish Airways. It took them 6 weeks to locate and return. That was the one year I forgot to get firearms insurance for the trip, but I got them back. Don't give up hope yet. | |||
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Mike, any in between stops ? If so have you been able to confirm that the guncase, which I take it that you have a flight tag for, have passed through these stops ? At least you should be able to check whether it has been loaded on the plan when leaving Burkina Faso. I lost ( delayed ) my rifle from Norway to Joburg through Amsterdam with KLM last year. My tag was checked on the computer in Joburg and told us that the rifle was not loaded on the aircarft for Joburg in Amsterdam. It arrived 2 days later. Morten The more I know, the less I wonder ! | |||
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3 days is nothing in "airline time". It will probably show up. Did you have Travel Guard insurance? There is some coverage (read "some" not full coverage) for lost equipment. I spent two weeks in Zambia and my bag never showed up. They found it after two weeks and just sent it back to Texas. | |||
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Did not buy travel guard - in hindsight I should have. Its not the market value of the gun or scope - its that I am attached to my rifle. it has sentimental value to me. Plus I just hate having to worry and think about there my gun case is. Mike | |||
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SIAI, Sportsmens Insurance Agency, Inc will insure your firearms for a very reasonable fee and you don't have to list all of you firearms, just the ones you are taking with you, plus your optics. They insure them at MSRP and thankfully, I haven't had to file a claim. | |||
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lost and recovered quickly - Luis did that, niss him | |||
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Rick - I was going to send the rifle back to Wayne at AHR to get refitted with new stock and some additional custom work. More than the money - I am attached to my CZ rifle. I also find it very uncomforting that a firearm can get lost. I asked at Paris if my gun was checked in. Their terminal showed me as flagged and traveling with weapon. The gate agent said she will get back to me in the airplane with a confirmation - she never came or told an attendant. This has seriously got me thinking if it is worth it to travel with a very high end gun. Mike | |||
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Have them check where they store golf bags. Mine was there once. Mike | |||
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Delta lost a gun of mine 3 weeks, then found it, lost again (Cairo), and finally delivered it to my brother - same name on Frequent Flyer files... Have faith. Remind them that you will have to file a Police Report, and one with ATF, with the Managers name... will scare action into them. | |||
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Delta has a really cool iPhone app as part of their overall app that allows you do scan the bag receipts and then see where you rifle is. Of course, this doesn't work outside of Delta, but I have learned whenever I travel to present my bag receipts at the gate and confirm my bags are on the plane. It was a good thing I did last year coming back from Africa - my bags were not yet loaded, but they sent a runner out to track them down. I had one rifle lost once coming back from Africa but I had stopped in Zurich for biz and it was lost on the short connection between Zurich and AMS. Bag was delivered the next day but that was two weeks before 9-11. The real pain in the ass now is that Customs will want to see your 4457 or they may not release it. They will probably cut the locks - happened to me once coming back from Canada. | |||
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Once was seperated from my rifles returning from Africa due to a medical emergency. Once I got back started making calls to track down gun case and luggage. Luggage was easy one call to Delta and they delivered to my house. Guncase was a different story. Delta had no clue and I made several calls to different offices. Finally I somehow got customs number and called them and got lucky enough to talk to the lady that checked my gun case through, I had copies of my paperwork in the gun case. She knew exactly where my gun case was and it was with Delta cargo offices. Good Hunting,  | |||
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I have my 4457 with me. I also told the custom supervisor in Atlanta that the gun should be cleared in Orlando. It isa tuffpack and the locks are internal. I don't know how they can cut the locks and not damage it or how they can seal it again. The custom guy made and entry in their system that the case needs to be opened and checked in Orlando. | |||
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You personally must get involved with the airlines and be aggressive. My TuffPak was once "lost" for a week. All airline baggage reports were filed. After insisting that I be given the direct phone number for their lost luggage room at my terminal airport - some 7 days after it went missing - I got their guy on the phone. As I was halfway through the description of my TuffPak, he said he was looking at it on the other side of the room. It was delivered to me within 24 hours. BTW, my name, address and phone number were still on the case when it was returned to me. They apparently never looked at it. It is my belief that the case actually sat at the correct airport for at least 5 days before I was able to speak directly to the lost baggage agent. Also, U.S. Customs, nor anyone else, ever forced entry into the TuffPak Good luck, it will show up. Mike ______________ DSC DRSS (again) SCI Life NRA Life Sables Life Mzuri IPHA "To be a Marine is enough." | |||
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US Fish and Wildlife also wants too look in the case. The custom guy asked what was in the case. I said my rifle in a soft case, some clothes and another soft case with a piece of wood. Why wood - cause I needed to bulk up the case and asked my tracker to get a piece of wood the day I was packing and left camp. US fish and wildlife wants to look at the piece of wood which is fine with me. I just want to make sure a gun case on which I have (1) a baggage claim ticket tagged limited release (2) a expedited Airfrance number (3) All airfrance paperwork and registration (4) US custom entry into their system (5) US fish and wildlife entry their system Is not lost in the system Mike | |||
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Mike - I had almost a carbon copy experience to what LionHunter describes above. SAA sent my gun case to the next flight going to the States when it did not get on my flight to Dulles. I eventually tracked it down at LaGuardia in New York - same story - I got in touch with a baggage guy who said he was looking at my case. All told, it took me almost a month to get my rifles back, but I did get them. Once they cleared customs in New York (SAA had to hire a clearing agent to do this), they were FEDEXed to my local FFL dealer. If you stay vigilant on this and get in the airlines face every day, I bet you get your guns back. Good luck buddy! Dave | |||
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Mike, It pains me to tell you my story! I traveled with a group of 4 individuals last June to Namibia. We traveled with a well known travel agency here on Accurate Reloading. Our travel was recommended to go through Frankfurt, Germany and then to Windhoek, Namibia. All of our luggage and guns were lost by Delta in Detroit. We left on a Wednesday and arrived in Windhoek on a Friday morning. Upon arriving and having no bags/guns our contact talked with the airport officials, we filed all lost bag claims and were assured that they were on it. Our contact took us to the outfitter and said that they knew our Travel Agent personally and that they were good friends and that they would get a hold of them as soon as we left. We started our trip and rented rifles and all of us had an extra change of clothing in our check in luggage. We phoned our contact on both Saturday and Sunday and they assured us that our Travel Agent was working on it and had been notified. On Monday we used the satellite phone to contact our families back home and see if they could start helping us from that end. Within an hour we found that our Travel Agent while notified had not contacted Delta yet and that nothing was happening from that end. After some choice words and coercing the Travel Agent was on it. We proceeded to contact our Travel Agent everyday and were assured that you will get your items, no problem. On Wednesday (8 days from when we left) we received 3 of our 4 check in bags. On Thursday (day 9) we received our 4th bag, but still no guns. We were told that in Detroit our 3 bags had been forwarded to Frankfurt and then Windhoek on a Delta flight. We were also told that our 4th bag and rifles were put on a KLM flight to Amsterdam – Accra, Ghana – Windhoek. The ironic thing here is that there is a daily flight out of Frankfurt and that there is only 2 flights a week out of Accra? Also if the guns went through Amsterdam they needed a special gun permit to go that way. The 4th bag that arrived actually had a Johannesburg tag on it and had gone that way. To this day Delta will not talk with us even though they lost the bag. To this day the Travel Agent will not help us anymore as well, because they said there is nothing they can do. We did not have travel insurance (our bad and lesson learned). Air Namibia within the last month actually offered to pay on the claim, an amount of $425 total. The rifles were custom rifles, one being an Echols Legend. We have gone all the routes you have as well and have had no success. I might add that we even contacted another Travel Agency (Gracy) and while they had nothing to do with it, they offered much help. They did much more for us as far as feedback than our actual Travel Agent. They contacted customs/baggage claims in (Johannesburg, Frankfurt, Accra and Amsterdam). Gracy Travel will be an Agent forever for me based on what happened on this trip. We had used them before, but decided to try the other Agent based on several recommendations here on the AR Forum. The rifle case had our name and address laser engraved on the outside, there were business cards in the bottom, top as well as middle of the case. To this day we still have not seen or heard anything about our rifles. Our traveling companion did 2 more trips to Africa later in the year (Sept – Tanzania and Nov – Zimbabwe) and was able to check personally in both the Amsterdam and Johannesburg Airports. Wish I had better news for you. FWIW I contacted the Travel Agent and Airlines several times a week and sometimes daily for a long time. I was actually told once by Delta about 3 months in that they had found them and they would be delivered to me the next day. I asked for the person’s name and they would not give it to me or give me a phone #. The next day came and obviously we did not get the rifles. I believe they just told me that I would be getting my rifles to get me off the phone with them. I have learned a lot from this and would never travel again with out some kind of travel/home insurance on my contents. As you can tell I am very disappointed in the way this was handled by Delta and our Travel Agent and hold them both equally responsible for what happened. Bret | |||
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I find it interesting that those with Tuffpaks seem to be the ones with the problems of lost bags. A Tuffpak may not look like a firearm case, which might be good, but you probably are not fooling thieves. How many get taken out of the airport by baggage handlers? In the US, Delta hand carries and delivers every firearm case. I like the fact my case looks like a gun; with the exception of the missed connection in Europe and the TSA guy cutting my locks coming back from Canada, I have had zero problems. | |||
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The story above rarely happens, but it does. That is part of the reason I usually rent guns these days. The airlines have limited liability with losing baggage, let alone guns. I hope you get a settlement. | |||
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AZWriter, so that Delta app for Iphone is worth having you say? | |||
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Also, I have made 200 or so trips outside the US on business and pleasure. We have lost bags numerous times and always got them. Once, we had 17 pieces of luggage with 12 lost. They were in Brussels and we were in Oklahoma. After a couple of weeks, they all made it to us. WE have had things stolen from bags but there is not much you can do about that. Take your valuables in your carry on bag if you can. | |||
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zwickie 1, I'm curious as to why you don't name your original travel agent in your post. Frank "I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money." - Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953 NRA Life, SAF Life, CRPA Life, DRSS lite | |||
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Very sorry to hear of your experience.
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It is cool as hell; very good for checking in as well. We used the bag tracking app in Jan when we went scuba diving in Hawaii - we scanned our bag tags in LA and saw they were on the plane. you just select the tab for bag tracking and it turns on your camera. You hold the phone over the tag, and as soon as it can detect the bar code it gives you the status (after you type in your last name). | |||
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Thanks AZ. Sure hope you find your guns Beretta. | |||
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On our 1st trip to Namibia we had the Air Namibia screw up with maintenance, our local travel agent was zero help, our hostess called Gracy & they made other arraignments for us. Guess who we will use from now on? LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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+1 | |||
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Bret, Sorry to hear your tale of woe. Rocky told me the story in less detail but it seems the follow up on the luggage was far less than satisfactory. I'll continue to recommend Gracy Travel. I think they just have more resources than alot of the others. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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I too had Delta lose my guns in Detroit of all places also. No one gave me a good reason for why it happened- I flew BA back to the US, and then switched airlines to delta to MSP at Detroit. I had to check them in at Detroit, and I was told "someone forgot to put them on the plane." Gracy was able to get them back to me within 48 hours. Delta couriered them to me, probably because I was rather impolite and they did not want me at the check in again. The baggage folks at Delta/MSP were of no use when I was at the airport. Whenever I fly with guns internationally, Gracy has my business as they have taken care of me. | |||
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zwickie 1 please name your travel agent for the benefit of all of us! "Never, ever, book a hunt with Jeri Booth or Detail Company Adventures" | |||
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I see the sharks are smelling blood in the water!! Guess we haven't had a GOOD OLE Kangaroo Court Case here in awhile?  Larry Sellers SCI(International)Life Member Sabatti 'trash' 9.3 x 74R Double Shooter Blaser R8 DRSS
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Not looking to roast anyone, Larry. Just want to make sure one fo the "recommended" agents didn't drop the ball. How are we supposed to know who is good and who screws up unless folks are honest on this site? "Never, ever, book a hunt with Jeri Booth or Detail Company Adventures" | |||
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Firearm is located with airbill number and confirmed physical id at Delta cargo in Orlando. Going to get it tomorrow am. Have to clear Customs. I am relieved and happy as one can be. Mike | |||
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Good for you Mike. Nice work! | |||
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I just love happy endings  | |||
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Good deal. Glad it was cleared up quickly. LORD, let my bullets go where my crosshairs show. Not all who wander are lost. NEVER TRUST A FART!!! Cecil Leonard | |||
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Mike – Great to hear. Glad you were able to get your rifle back. All/Larry – Was definitely not trying to start a kangaroo court, I believe that many could learn from my experience. After reading over my post again I feel I left out a couple of items as well: 1) Delta – Delta would not help me because we had filed a missing bag claim with Air Namibia. Air Namibia would not help us because Delta had lost the bags and had never received them from Delta. It was a vicious cycle trying to get into contact with anyone who would help. If you could get anyone on the phone with Delta, they would immediately say I’m sorry you filed a claim with Air Namibia please contact them and hang up on you. With Air Namibia’s $425 claim, we would have had to sign a liability release to get it. We respectfully declined. 2) Travel Agent – I don’t know that it is important who it was. You can read others reports and there are only basically two travel agents who handle 90% of Safari’s. If its not Gracy then it’s easy to figure out. I know many of you and it’s not a secret who it is, I have willingly shared that info. I have a very well documented email correspondence with them. In fact they emailed me after one month and told me they were to busy to help me out anymore. I never once received a communication correspondence from them that was not initiated by myself. I had to phone, email, hold, call back multiple times a day to get them to respond. A simple email or phone call that, “here is the status of where we are at”, would have been nice. If I am traveling with guns I will use Gracy. | |||
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Have the gun in my possession. As happy as i can be - its my birthday and getting back the rifle was the best birthday present. Delta did charge me $50 for international custom - i did not want to fight with them. Gave them my cc and got the paperwork. Us customs in orlando were great. Now the gun heads to Wayne at ahr for a new stock, metal bottom, bolt and refinishing. Mike | |||
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