Garuda and AA: Where's my bag?

Hoping to enjoy the reputable services of American Airlines (AA) and Garuda Indonesia, I flew from Milwaukee to Los Angeles (L.A.) via Chicago on Aug. 12, with flight No. AA4319 and AA453. Then I took a connecting flight from L.A. to Jakarta via Honolulu with flight No. GA801.

When I went to claim my luggage at Honolulu airport on Aug. 13 a Garuda staff member (Andre) told me one of my bags had not been forwarded to Garuda.

He gave me a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) to fill out and promised it would be followed up.

I contacted AA in Honolulu the next day, and spoke to an employee called John. I gave him all information he required about my bag and he vowed to call me soon.

It did not happen.

When I arrived back in Jakarta airport on Aug. 18, there was still no bag. Garuda staff at Cengkareng told me to keep waiting, and I would hear from them.

Nearly two months later -- still no bag.

I have sent three e-mail messages so far to AA in the U.S. and contacted Garuda and AA representatives in Jakarta several times.

The AA in the U.S. has not bothered to respond to my e-mail and I get the same response from the AA and Garuda offices in Jakarta: "We are still waiting for AA's confirmation from the U.S."

I cannot understand why international airways such as AA and Garuda have handled my problem like this.

How can I claim compensation if my bag is lost?

The bag contains all the photos and negatives taken during my two-year stay in the U.S. and it is very important to me.

How can I place a value on those photos -- the most precious of belongings -- in order to claim compensation?

To Garuda and AA: I need your official confirmation about the fate of my bag.

NASRIZAL

Jakarta