Where lost luggage goes to die (and be sold)

When airlines can't determine who owns a bag, they sell it for a few bucks to the Unclaimed Baggage Centre, a warehouse-sized facility that would put your local PTA garage sale to shame.

Past an entranceway of world clocks and columns decorated with foreign currency, one traveller's misfortune turns into a bargain-hunter's paradise.

"You never know what you may find," says Clayton Grider, a Scottsboro youth minister who often starts his day at the shop. "It is a sport."

More than two million of the roughly 700 million suitcases checked on US airlines last year didn't arrive with their owners. The vast majority were returned within 24 hours, typically on the next flight. But 68,000 never made it. After 90 days unsuccessfully trying to reunite passenger and parcel, most airlines sell the bags here.

Shoppers seem to have no qualms about buying what was once a child's favourite stuffed animal or a wedding dress that didn't get to the church on time.

"I feel sorry for the guy who lost it," says Chuck Trykoski, who bought a digital camera for $US21 ($A19.97). "I mean, I've lost stuff on the airlines, too."

Each day, the store sets out 7000 new items, including sweaters, jeans, golf clubs, books and noise-cancelling headphones. And it's not just luggage. Plenty of belongings are left in seatback pockets.

"It's kind of an archaeological snapshot of popular culture," says Bryan Owens, son of the shop's founder and its owner since 1995.

Regulars line up each morning to get first crack at the goods. Others, like Trykoski, who was driving home to Illinois after a Florida holiday, stop out of curiosity. Local and regional church groups come by the busload. Most people hear about the shop through media reports and ads in the state's holiday guide.

It's "an adventure" for the 830,000 shoppers a year, says Owens, who wears a Tag Heuer watch once found in a suitcase.

There have been some surprising discoveries over the years, including moose antlers, a parachute, a medieval suit of armour, even a shrunken head.

Just don't come here expecting to find your lost luggage. Only a third of the items received make it to the racks. The rest are donated to charity or destroyed. The shop hopes to offer a small sliver of its ever-changing inventory online by the end of this year.

How did this city of 15,000 in the northeast corner of Alabama become the end of the line for lost suitcases?

Unclaimed Baggage was started in 1970 by Doyle Owens, a part-time insurance salesman in Scottsboro who had a friend working at a bus line in Washington. One day the friend asked if he wanted to buy lost luggage from buses. Four years later airline luggage was added. Since then, the shop has expanded to car rental companies, commuter trains and is eyeing cruises.

The airlines don't like to discuss how their customers' belongings end up here. American, Delta and United refused interviews. US Airways, JetBlue and AirTran acknowledged they sell items in bulk - sight unseen - to the shop but wouldn't say how much they are paid, citing confidentiality clauses in their contracts.

"It's not something that we make money off," says Bill Race, who oversees luggage for JetBlue. "It's probably less than what you paid for lunch."

Other airlines - Alaska, Frontier, Hawaiian, Southwest, Spirit and Virgin America - donate luggage to charities such as the Salvation Army.

Worldwide, almost 2.5 billion bags are checked each year, and 850,000 are never seen again by their owner, says Nick Gates, who oversees baggage products for SITA, an aviation technology provider.

The rate at which bags are delayed or mishandled is now half what it was in 2007. Experts say the fees - airlines collect more than $US3.3 billion ($A3.14 billion) a year - deter passengers from checking bags, easing strains on the system.

Still, some suitcases remain a mystery. The bags lack identification tags, which can be ripped off during conveyer belt jams. Airlines inventory the luggage and use a database to match the contents with owners' descriptions. Investigators also look for other clues.

"They don surgical gloves and then do an autopsy of the bags," says Jan Fogelberg, Frontier's vice president of customer experience.

Sometimes, it's as simple as a name on a prescription bottle. Other times, they track owners through shop receipts left in pockets.

JetBlue once reunited two newlyweds with their bag after finding a photo inside of their wedding cake. The couple's first names were inscribed on the icing. In the background were palm trees and a pool. The airline guessed the couple had a destination wedding in Florida and matched the names on the cake with flight manifests.

Bags that reach the Alabama store are opened and the contents are prepared for sale. Laptop and iPod memories are wiped clean and 40,000 pieces of clothing are washed each month.

Then the wet suits, rifles, coats, diamond earring and dresses are put out for shoppers.

While the shop might be an addiction for some bargain-hunters, others come just for the kitsch factor. After rummaging through the shelves, Auburn University students Ryan Little and Jordan Haden walked out with a Will Smith CD, a Destiny's Child greatest-hits album and a Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen hair dryer. The total cost: $US13.76 ($A13.09).

"It's a last chance," Little says, "for somebody to make a profit off impulse buys and bad Christmas presents."

TIPS FOR REDUCING YOUR CHANCES OF LOSING YOUR LUGGAGE:

- Before your bag disappears behind the ticket counter, make sure the airline's tag has your name, flight number and final destination.

- Place a copy of your flight itinerary inside your suitcase with your mobile phone number and the name of your hotel in case the tag is ripped off.

- If you can't live without it, don't check it. It might take days to return a lost bag. Don't pack medication or outfits for tomorrow's meeting or wedding. Never check valuables such as jewellery or electronics.

- Make your bag stand out. A bright colour or print - or something tied to the handle - prevents somebody from accidentally taking it at baggage claim.

- Prepare your carry-on bag as if it will be checked. You might not have planned to check your bag, but given today's crowded overhead bins many fliers don't have a choice.

- If your bag doesn't arrive, file a claim before you leave the airport. If on a cruise, give your itinerary to the airline so your luggage can be forwarded to the next port.

AP

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