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Kelly Chen arrives but her baggage doesn't

Tuesday 29th July, 03:07 PM JST

TOKYO —

Hong Kong singer-actress Kelly Chen, 35, attended an event in Tokyo on Monday to introduce Hong Kong’s satellite broadcasting service MATV Movie Asia, but had to show up in casual clothes because her baggage was lost at Narita Airport.

Chen apologized at the event, saying, “I brought something dressy to wear, but my baggage didn’t turn up at the airport.”

MATV has been operating in Japan since March on SkyPerfect TV. The company said all programs will have Japanese subtitles and it will create original content for Japan as well.

For the curious, here is more information on so-called "baggage claim" from Wikipedia:

The baggage claim area is an airport terminology that describes the area of an airport terminal where one claims checked-in baggage after disembarking from an airline flight. For international arrivals, the area is usually in a restricted zone and within the zone before clearing customs.

A typical baggage claim area contains baggage carousels or conveyor systems that deliver checked baggage to the passenger. The baggage claim area generally contains the airline's customer service counter for claiming oversized baggage or to report missing baggage.

Some airports required that passengers display their baggage check receipt so that it can be positively matched against the bag they are trying to remove from baggage claim. This serves two purposes: first it reduces baggage theft, and secondly it helps to prevent passengers from accidentally leaving the airport with another passenger's bag that bears resemblance to their own.

In areas handling international arrivals, the baggage claim is typically located after the area where the passport is stamped and before customs, so that all baggage can be inspected by customs agents, but the passenger does not have to handle heavy baggage while moving through the passport booth. Because of the need to clear customs, all arriving international passengers' baggage is claimed here and can be re-surrendered to the airline for connecting flights on the other side of customs, unless the passenger is an airside transit passenger in a country that permits such transit-connections.

Domestic baggage claims are usually located alongside car rental desks and airport exits, and only passengers at their final destination claim their bags here. In most large airports in the United States and in some small ones as well, the domestic baggage claim is located on a different floor than the ticket counter, usually lower. One of the criticisms (by passengers) of the baggage handling and claims procedure is that airlines use a LIFO (last-in, first-out) process that rewards passengers that arrived late at their departure destination to retrieve their bags from their arrival destination first.

Some helpful hints from travelwithyourkids.com:

Baggage Claim

You’re always tired when you are waiting for your bags to come off the plane. If you are two parents, it is best for one parent to stand sentry duty next to the conveyer belt watching for luggage. The other parent can wait nearby with the kids. This makes it easier on the little ones as well as keeping them away from the moving machinery and other tired grownups slinging heavy suitcases around.

Stand Here

Stand just “downstream” of where the bags come tumbling off the plane onto the conveyer belt. There is always a crowd at the place right where the bags fall onto the belt, and you’ll do better to avoid that knot. Also, being just downstream gives you an extra moment to spot your luggage. Remember, at this point you are also likely quite tired and jet lagging as well.
If you were delayed getting to the baggage claim area, look around the belt area first for your luggage. To alleviate congestion at the belt, sometimes airline staff will pull bags off the belt and/or the plane and stack them nearby.

Missing Luggage

If one of your bags is missing or damaged, no matter how tired you are, it is always best to deal with it right at the airport. There is usually an airline office near the claims area where you can explain what happened.

The very good news is that with modern bar coded, computerized luggage handling, lost or misplaced suitcases are far and few between. In all our years of traveling, we have only had a single piece “lost”.

If the odds are against you and you believe you have lost a piece of baggage, have your luggage claim chits handy; they are usually stapled into your ticket envelope when you finish checking in. Be prepared to supply an address and phone number locally where you can be reached for the next two or three days (if the bag is truly “lost”, what happened is that it was put on the wrong plane and is sitting in Tel Aviv while you are standing in Geneva. It will take a day or two for someone at the other end to recognize they have an unclaimed bag, and another day or so after that for the machinery to get the bag to you).

Whenever a bag of mine has been delayed, the airlines will deliver it to wherever you are. They may try to get you to come back to the airport to pick it up. Don’t. They’ve misplaced your bag and majorly inconvenienced you. The least they can do is bring the bag to you. Even if you’re a few hours away from the airport, push on this.

Sometimes you can negotiate with the airline for them to provide you with toiletries and other small items to make the temporary loss of the bag less of a hassle on you. Once you get to your hotel, make the front desk aware that a piece of luggage will be arriving (hopefully!) in the next day or two, and make whatever arrangements need to be made at the hotel to receive your stuff.

Damaged Luggage

Damaged luggage is a bit different. Each airline will have its own ideas of what constitutes “damage” that they are responsible for. The basic idea is that “normal” wear and tear is your problem, and accidental rips and crunches are more of the airline’s problem. Like with so many things, smile, be polite and you have a better chance of the airline employee’s discretion going your way.

Some airlines will agree to mail you a check for the damage, though again in all of our miles we have had the check option offered to us only once. Most times the airline will only be willing to take the damaged piece from you right there in the airport, have it repaired at their expense and later deliver it to your hotel. You will exit the airport with the contents of the damaged bag dumped into a cardboard box. The repair will usually consist of a patch sewn over a gash, or a new piece of hardware to replace a broken clasp.

For this to all work out for you, you’ll need to be in one place locally long enough for the bag to be fixed and then delivered to you. Ask about how long the repair will take and decide if it is feasible for you to be around to take delivery of the fixed piece.

There is some justice available. You can now buy on-line stuff from other peoples’ lost luggage. This web site collects things from the airlines and sells them to you (there is no mention of what to do if you recognize your own “lost” items for sale). Most everything is labeled “one only” and the selection changes constantly. Things are organized by category (Mens Clothing, Electronics, etc.), and the products range from the boring (boxer shorts, two, white color) to bizarre musical instruments and individual music CDs.

If only Kelly Chen had read that!

Here are some definitions of baggage:
noun

1.	trunks, suitcases, etc., used in traveling; luggage.

2.	the portable equipment of an army.

3.	things that encumber one's freedom, progress, development, or adaptability; impediments: intellectual baggage that keeps one from thinking clearly; neurotic conflicts that arise from struggling with too much emotional baggage.

Disparaging and Offensive.

a woman.