A new baggage tracing office has opened at St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport. From now on, several employees using a computer system adopted at most of the world's airports are searching for the missing belongings of passengers. Vesti FM correspondent Oleg Yakhontov found out the details. The international baggage tracing system World Tracer has been operating in Pulkovo in St. Petersburg for 15 years and helps to quickly obtain all information about lost items, quickly find them and explain to the passenger where they were lost, and most importantly, when and how he will receive them. However, according to the head of the baggage search department at Pulkovo Airport, Ekaterina Gerasimenko, due to the increase in passenger traffic, the baggage search service office had to be expanded and modernized. “Transportation is increasing, airlines that use this system are increasing. Almost all foreign companies that exist use the system, and Russian ones are also slowly starting to use this international standard, so we have increased the number of jobs to four,” comments Gerasimenko. The new baggage tracing office is located directly in the baggage delivery hall, next to the conveyor belts. A passenger who has not received his luggage need only take a few steps and talk about his problem, which, according to Ekaterina Gerasimenko, exists in all airports in the world. ""Modern large airports are being built and with such a large flow, airlines do not always have time to reload luggage from one flight to another. Baggage is delayed and arrives later. Therefore, our main task is to inform where the luggage is, find this luggage, deliver this luggage to the passenger. Or, if he wants, he can come to the airport himself and get it,” says Gerasimenko.

The new system works smoothly and in the vast majority of cases luggage is found quickly. According to Ekaterina Gerasimenko, the computer searches for it using several parameters at once. ""There are special tables that determine the type of luggage. When a passenger comes to us, we enter information on all his documents into this computer, into the system. This information goes to all airports where luggage can be left; the passenger just needs to point his finger and say: I had a suitcase like this, this color, with wheels. All this is also entered into the system. We open the computer and see where this luggage is: in Domodedovo or already with us, or it is just flying to us. Let’s find out what flight he will arrive on,” Gerasimenko demonstrates. Despite the fact that Pulkovo Airport is the fourth largest airport in Russia in terms of passenger traffic and served about 8 million people last year, there is no crowd in the baggage search office, only the manager Alla from Moscow did not wait for her suitcase. Found it pretty quickly. Alla: I arrived on flight 837 from Moscow this morning and did not receive my luggage. May I know where he is? Employee: Your documents, please, let's check the information now! Your luggage is sent today on flight SU 841, arriving at 11 am.

Alla: How can I get my luggage? Can they bring it home to me? Employee: Now you need to draw up a baggage arrival report and fill out an application for baggage delivery. World practice shows that almost everything is located. Although 17 years ago the actors of one of the St. Petersburg theaters waited a week for their things. From Berlin they were sent not to the city on the Neva, which had just acquired its historical name, but to the small town of St. Petersburg, lost in the vastness of the USA. Now everything would be much faster. The main thing, according to the head of the baggage tracing department at Pulkovo Airport, Ekaterina Gerasimenko, is not to lose your presence of mind. “No need to be nervous and worry! Well, it’s delayed! Lost luggage is found in 99% of cases,” reassures Gerasimenko. In just a few years, after the completion of the construction of new terminals, Pulkovo Airport should turn into a real “hub” - a powerful air transport hub that will be used by hundreds of thousands of transit passengers. The baggage tracing system must be prepared for this and work quickly and efficiently.

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 tariff for searching luggage,” says a representative of a 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 the VSS reported to Fontanka, the Left Behind Index (LBI, undeparted baggage index) is currently 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 ground baggage handling service at Russian airports: at base ports it makes sense to invest in this, but it’s a different 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

Peter. It’s a cold morning, deserted streets and I’m leisurely walking towards the Chernyshevskaya metro station. Ahead is a flight to Kyiv and home...

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a black cat runs across my path! This is on the deserted morning streets of the center of St. Petersburg! I called the animal, greeted it and continued on my way, thinking about luck, accidents and other mysticism.

Having reached the Moskovskaya metro station, I safely transferred to the bus to Pulkovo-1 airport and reached the terminal without incident. There, after having breakfast, I checked in for the flight and, after customs inspection, proceeded to the departure waiting area.

Outside the window, a plane hummed its engines very close. It seemed to me that he was being prepared for departure. “Isn’t this mine?” - I thought. Meanwhile, a white car with flashing lights drove up to the plane and began to lift its body up to the doors of the airliner. The doors opened and a gangway was brought up to them. Immediately people started walking back and forth along it. They carried a stretcher... They carried a woman out of the plane... Feet first...

“If only it wasn’t our plane,” flashed through my head. The remnants of the mood gave way to gloomy thoughts about existence and death. Amazing!

Fortunately, it was not our plane...

Sorry for such a long and lyrical introduction. I just wanted to convey the mood that probably led to the loss of my tablet.

So, already at home that same day, after having lunch, I didn’t find my iPad in my bag. I started to remember: you know, during takeoff and landing, we are asked not to use electrical appliances? I, as a law-abiding citizen, followed this requirement by putting the tablet in the pocket of the seat in front of me (never, never, ever do that!). I opened the magazine and prepared myself for all the delights of landing a plane in fog. It is not surprising that once on the ground, I hastened to leave first the plane, and then the airport.

The iPad stayed on the plane! My tablet was left on the plane!!!

Having overcome an attack of panic, then anger, and then resentment (here I must thank my wife Valyusha for her enormous support), I completely said goodbye to my beautiful tablet. However, I could not take any action. What to do if you forgot something on board the plane?

To begin with, you need to call the lost and found office of the arrival airport, which we, or rather Valyusha, did. In Boryspil, our appeal was registered, explaining, however, that after the passengers disembark, the plane is cleaned and if anything is found on board, it is handed over to the crew. The crew gives the find to the airline. An item could only get into the lost and found office if it was grabbed by one of the passengers on the plane. That did not happen.

“Your tablet was not brought to us... Call the airline, call the next airport of arrival, because the cleaners may not have noticed your iPad. You understand..."

Got through! At the other end, a girl operator answers me. I explain the whole situation to her. She is clearly embarrassed. “We don’t deal with such issues...” she says. “... call the airport of arrival, the lost and found office.”

Everything is in a loop...

I ask Google: “I forgot what to do on the plane.” I found several topics where the main advice was to forget and not worry.

Lovely!

I turn on “lost mode” for my tablet. If, I think, they connect it to the Internet, they will see the following picture:

It's not very effective, to be honest. It is much more effective to password-protect the device. Anyway.

I find all possible contacts: Boryspil, Pulkovo, Rossiya airline. I am writing to each email with the following content:

Hello!

On February 14, 2013, I flew flight FV 0841 of Rossiya Airlines on the route St. Petersburg - Kyiv. Departure time is 9:40. Arrival time is 9:40. Place 22A. Coming out of the plane at Terminal D of the Boryspil airport in Kyiv, I forgot my iPad tablet computer in my information pocket. It came in a brown leather case with Yoobao embossed on it. The device itself is black, 16 Gb, to unlock you need to enter a code. On the same day, I made calls to Rossiya Airlines, where I was advised to contact the receiving airport. The tablet was not found in the Boryspil lost and found office. They advised me to contact Pulkovo.

Please help me find my iPad!!!

Sincerely,
—
Dmitry Bespalov

In addition, I find Rossiya Airlines on social networks and write there as well - Facebook, VKontakte, twitter.

The first to unsubscribe were from Pulkovo:

Dmitry, hello!
Unfortunately, your tablet computer cannot be at Pulkovo Airport, since items forgotten on the plane can be brought for storage to the arrival airport after the aircraft is cleaned or stored at the airline. We recommend that you contact Boryspil Airport and Rossiya Airlines again.

Sincerely,
Sycheva Svetlana
Specialist "Quality Control and Complaints Service"
Pulkovo Airport
LLC "Air Gate of the Northern Capital"

I answered:

Hello Svetlana!

It is possible that the tablet was found upon the plane’s arrival at Pulkovo. The fact is that the Rossiya airline plane arrived in Kyiv at 9:50, and at 10:30, as far as I know, it was supposed to fly back to St. Petersburg. The cleaners could simply not have noticed it due to extremely limited time.

Please check with your lost and found office to see if the tablet was brought to them!

Thank you!!!

Sincerely,
—
Dmitry Bespalov

Dmitriy,
Yes, of course, such a situation is possible.
But, unfortunately, in the baggage tracing department of the Pulkovo-1 airport, where forgotten things are handed over, your tablet was not brought.
Inspection and cleaning of aircraft is carried out by Rossiya Airlines OJSC.
Unfortunately, we cannot organize a search for your item, because... This is within the competence of Rossiya Airlines.
We recommend that you contact Rossiya Airlines again.

Rossiya Airlines contacts:
http://www.rossiya-airlines.ru
In St. Petersburg: tel. 633 38 00, 633 38 43

In general, I am very pleased with their efficiency. The request was even assigned a number, which indicates a very high-quality system of working with clients. I didn't even think about it!

After a couple of days, I finally came to terms with the loss of the device. I began to think about what to do or not do tomorrow. One thing I knew for sure: I wouldn’t buy myself a new tablet. Something like self-punishment.

Imagine my joy when I received a letter to my email with the following content:

Dear Dmitry!
Your iPad was found on board the plane and is located in the Kiev representative office of Rossiya Airlines. We ask you to provide us with your contact phone number so that an airline representative can contact you and discuss ways to return your tablet computer.

Sincerely,
Quality service of SE MA "Boryspil"

On the same day, an employee of Rossiya Airlines contacted me. He said that they had already taken my tablet, and they even wrote a receipt about it. The Kiev representative office of Rossiya Airlines was surprised to learn about the continuation of this story. According to me, I even had to threaten the new owner of my iPad with the police.

In general, I am quite surprised by the whole situation. How was this man not scared? After all, having stolen a device worth more than 5,000 UAH. You can easily get a deadline. Yes, it will most likely be suspended, but this is a criminal offense. And he signs that the tablet is his. Marvelous!

I am writing this note from the very tablet that is discussed in it. He is safe and sound. I received it back with a completely dead battery, which is why the Find My iPad function was of no use.

Let me systematize what lessons I learned from this story.

1. Never forget anything on airplanes, or anywhere else in general.

2. If you forgot anything on board the plane, call the airline first. Better yet, do as I did - write to the airport of arrival and the airport by email. Surprisingly, it works! In the letter, do not forget to describe the forgotten thing - black, rough, small, hissing.)

3. Set passwords on all your electronic devices. In case of loss, you will be able to get a certain head start in time and prove, if necessary, that the device is exactly yours.

Also, I want to thank the employee of Rossiya Airlines for taking my tablet from the attacker and delivering it to a convenient (!!!) place on the same day! His name is Khomenko Nikolay Anatolievich. Thank you Nikolay, thank you Pulkovo, thank you Boryspil, thank you Rossiya! I am very grateful to the professionalism of the staff and everyone involved in bringing my iPad home!

Yes, and I am very, very pleasantly surprised!.. :)

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 to the employee the airline ticket (boarding passes), baggage tags for the 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.

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 check-in and long queues are not all the problems of 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 necessary section: the online arrivals/departures board.

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.

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. Hand luggage allowance in business class is 15 kg, economy class is 8 kg.

<>/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: .

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 an additional payment, however, excess luggage is accepted if there are free containers on the aircraft 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 the carriage of paid baggage is 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.