A visit to the land of lost luggage

FIRST, SOME STATISTICS about one of my favorite topics: airline baggage. When it comes to delayed, damaged or lost bags, U.S. airlines are quick to claim that 97 percent of all lost bags are reunited with their owners within 24 hours. What about the remaining 3 percent? The airlines also boast that half of those are then reunited with their owners within 72 hours. Even if you believe the airlines’ robust claims, it’s time to forget the percentages and look at the real numbers they represent. Consider this: The remaining 1.5 percent, the bags that are lost and never found, translates to a staggering 435,000 bags.And where do they go? With the exception of some bags that are victims of outright theft, the rest head for the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the small town of Scottsboro, Ala. — an unlikely destination which has now become the mecca for all lost luggage. And within a few days, the bags — and their contents — are on display, and for sale — at the huge Unclaimed Baggage Center. As a result, this tiny northeastern Alabama town has become the top tourist destination in the state. It attracted more than 1 million visitors last year alone from every U.S. state and 40 foreign countries. And for good reason. There are some serious bargains in Scottsboro. “If those bags could talk, the stories they would tell,” laughs Bryan Owens, who runs the UBC. The center was started by Doyle Owens, Bryan’s father, 30 years ago. He bought lost bags from Eastern Airlines, National Airlines and for a while, Air Florida. What started as a small warehouse dealing with three airlines has now grown into a huge operation, and the airline list has also expanded.In fact, 115 people now work at two huge locations: the main, 30,000-square-foot retail space in Scottsboro, and another 17,000- square-foot “clearance center” in Boaz, Ala., about 50 miles away. Here’s how it works. When an airline loses a bag, and a passenger files a claim, the airline tries to find that luggage. But after 90 days, if the airline is unable to match a bag with a passenger, it pays the claim. The current baggage liability limit for the airlines is $2,500, but hardly anyone ever gets paid the full amount. There are many items the airline excludes from coverage, and those it includes are only covered based on depreciated value. Once the claim is paid, the airline officially owns the bag. And then the bag — and its contents — is sold, sight unseen to Owens. Because of contractual agreements with the airlines, Owens (and the airlines) refuses to discuss the nature of his arrangement with the carriers or how much he actually pays for the lost bags. “All I can tell you is that our trucks go all over the country picking up these bags.” His staff then separates and catalogs the items — about 1 million items a year. On any given day, about 6,000 new “things” are put on sale — and the list includes just about anything you can imagine. There are some obvious items. About 60 percent of the store is clothing, but there’s also fine jewelry, cameras, golf clubs, skis, electronics — a veritable Wal-Mart of merchandise.
TREASURES OF LOST LUGGAGE
Some bags reveal big surprises.
In recent years, Owens has discovered a camera from the space shuttle (it was returned to NASA), rare Egyptian artifacts (they weren’t returned; they were auctioned at Christie’s in New York). Windsurf boards, kayaks and boogie boards line the walls of the store. (How do you lose a kayak?)There are separate, dedicated display cases just for Barbie dolls, designer sunglasses, watches and portable CD players. But don’t forget the full suit of armor ($1,000), the 5.8-carat diamond solitaire ring ($23,000), or the original Versace runway dress, still with price tag attached ($8,000), which sold for $500. Jewelry shoppers take note: At any given time, the center has 30 wedding bands and 20 diamond rings for sale. Owens is stumped on what to do with some items: an airplane engine, 50 vacuum-packed frogs, a coffin, and a constant parade of dentures. (Those go to the clearance center or get thrown out.) The most popular item these days? Palm Pilots. Like all the other stuff at the center, they typically sell for about 30 percent of their original retail price. In addition, there are hundreds of new items for sale, still with their original price tags. “After all,” Owens reports, “people will often shop for new clothes and other things before taking a trip. When the airline loses their bags, that’s what we find as well — new stuff.”
SOME RECENT FINDS
Indeed, on my most recent visit to Scottsboro, I bought a new Mizuno baseball mitt, which retails for $160, for $40; a new pair of pants for $16, and a slightly used large metal suitcase that retails for $825 for just $30. Here’s what I didn’t buy, but someone did: 40.9-carat emerald, appraised at $29,000, sold for $14,750 A 175-carat aquamarine, appraised at $17,000, sold for $8,765 A room-sized hand-hooked Persian rug: $4,500 Want an airplane engine, 60 cigar humidors, African wood carvings, a Chinese wedding dress? Or two kayaks? Last I looked, they were still for sale. But the case carrying 50 vacuum-packed frogs? Those, thankfully, were thrown away. In fact, so much stuff comes into Scottsboro, the center now has special sales. In March, there’s the scuba sale. July 4 is sporting goods; Labor Day weekend is (and I’m not kidding) the art sale, and the big daddy — the first Saturday in November — is the ski sale. It’s so popular every year that a few hundred people actually show up the night before and camp out in the parking lot, waiting for the store to open. “We provide the coffee,” Owens says. And, in case you never make it to Scottsboro, don’t worry. The Unclaimed Baggage Center has a Web site where you can make online purchases.

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