What To Do If Your Luggage Is Lost or Delayed

Unfortunately, there is a chance your suitcase can get lost or delayed if you’re taking a flight. The most common causes of lost or delayed baggage are not enough time for baggage handlers to put bags on the plane, bags not being transferring to connecting flights, errors on or damage to luggage tags, or someone else mistaking your luggage for theirs. If this happens to you, follow this advice to get your luggage back or receive compensation.

Get a Property Irregularity Report

If your checked-in suitcase doesn’t appear on the carousel, the first things you should do is report it. There should be an information desk or lost and found kiosk in the baggage reclaim area where you can file a Property Irregularity Report. The staff member at the desk can help you contact the airline, track down your bag, and hopefully tell you where it is and when you should expect it to be returned. Some airlines will have an online portal that you can use to check for updates on your luggage. When you collect your bag, you may need to show your boarding pass, luggage tags, and a form of I.D.

Claim Compensation From the Airline

If you have been informed that your bags may take a while to reach your destination, you should provide them with the address of your accommodation and your phone number so they can contact you. You’ll then need to make a claim to the airline within 7 days. You may be entitled to replacement luggage if your bag is lost or damaged or reimbursement for buying new clothes and toiletries if your bag is delayed for a significant length of time. You’ll need to check what your airline’s policy is. If you had connecting flights with more than one airline, you can claim compensation from either airline.

Make a Complaint to the CAA

If you’re not happy with how the situation has been handled by the airline, you can make a complaint to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA’s assessment of your case may take several weeks because they will need to contact the airline and review the situation. When making a complaint, you will need to provide evidence that you tried to resolve any issues with the airline first.

Make a Claim on Your Travel Insurance

If your luggage is lost or delayed and the airline or CAA can’t help you, you should make a claim on your travel insurance. Oasis Travel Insurance will provide cover for baggage delays on outward international journeys (the first flight of your trip, leaving the UK and arriving at your destination). If your luggage is delayed by more than 12 hours after you arrive, your travel insurance will reimburse you for buying any essentials that you are missing, such as toiletries and clothing.

If your checked-in luggage is permanently lost by the airline, your travel insurance policy will cover the costs of like-for-like replacements of your personal possessions. Usually, you will need to wait for 60 days before it is declared as lost. For more information on what your policy covers, you should read your policy wording.

Keep Records of Everything

If your luggage is lost, you will be asked to prove what your personal possessions cost so you can be reimbursed. You may also need to show when you purchased your belongings, as age and wear-and-tear will be taken into account. If you’re the kind of person who makes a list of everything you pack in your suitcase, it will help you out later when you need to figure this out. You should also keep the receipts of anything you purchase while waiting for your baggage to be recovered. Make sure you save any emails and communication you have with the airline, airport, your travel insurer, and the CAA.

To make a claim to your travel insurer, you will need to provide them with the necessary paperwork, such as your luggage tags, flight confirmation information, your Property Irregularity Report, proof of the length of the delay, any correspondence with the airline or CAA, and receipts of any essential purchases. If you receive compensation from the airline or the CAA, you may not be reimbursed by your travel insurer.

What You Should Do if You Get Your Luggage Back

If you get your luggage back, check your suitcase for any damage and look for any damaged or missing items inside. If anything is damaged, get photographic evidence to show the airline or your travel insurer. You will need to report the return of your bag to your travel insurer if you have already made a claim for delayed baggage.

Tips for Being Prepared

There’s not much you can do to prevent your checked-in bags from being delayed or lost, but there are things you can do to make it easier to find your bag or get compensation. When buying a suitcase, pick one that is easily identifiable, with bright colours or a distinctive pattern, and get a distinctive tag and write your contact details on it. This will make it easier to find your bag if it goes missing and will reduce the likelihood of someone else mistaking your bag for theirs. If you take photos of what your suitcase looks like, you can show them to your airline and you’ll have evidence of its condition if it is damaged.

It’s a good idea to put a slip of paper with your contact information inside your suitcase in case your bag and luggage tags get damaged or go missing. Many travellers opt to purchase luggage trackers so they can keep track of their bags themselves. Make a list of all the valuables and personal items you packed in your suitcase and take photographs before you pack it, so you have evidence of what was in it.

While the airline and your travel insurer will cover your outward journey, they may not provide the same cover for your return journey since they will likely argue that you have access to essentials and replacements at home. If you want to avoid dealing with luggage delays and loss completely, travel light and only bring a carry-on bag with you.