The belt empties, everyone takes their suitcase and leaves, and yours does not come. At that moment the worst decision is to leave the airport, because the moment you step outside your task becomes considerably harder. The great majority of lost baggage cases are in fact delays and the suitcase is found a day or two later. Below I have written how to spend those one or two days properly.
How lost baggage is registered at the airport
There is a baggage service desk belonging to the airline or the airport next to the baggage belt. You go there and have a report drawn up; that document is known by the international abbreviation PIR. The shape, colour, make of the suitcase and the main items inside are written on the report, and you are given a tracking number.
Be sure to have this report drawn up before leaving the customs zone. Even if a later application is accepted, the burden of proof passes entirely to you. Do not throw away the boarding pass and the baggage tag; both will be needed.
How long you have to wait
According to the statistics the majority of lost suitcases are returned to their owner within forty-eight hours. The reason is usually simple: there was not enough time in transit and the suitcase comes on the next flight. The airline has to deliver it to your hotel, so write the address on the report correctly.
During the waiting period you have the right to buy essential items. Underwear, toiletries and things needed for a child are included, and they are paid for against receipts. Do not rush to buy expensive clothes, because they may not pay the part above a reasonable amount. Once twenty-one days have passed the baggage is officially considered lost and the compensation discussion begins.
Read more: Hand luggage rules: size, weight, the liquid limit and how to pack a suitcase
Compensation for lost baggage
On international flights liability is set by the Montreal convention and an upper limit is placed per passenger. The limit is expressed in special accounting units, which at the current rate comes to around one thousand five hundred euros and is periodically updated. That is not the value of everything inside the suitcase but a maximum limit.
| The PIR report | Drawn up before leaving the airport |
| Essential expenses | Against receipts, within a reasonable amount |
| 21 days | After that the baggage counts as lost |
| A written claim | Sent to the airline in official form |
If you have expensive items, you can declare their value at check-in for an extra fee, and the limit then rises. If your travel insurance has a baggage clause, it is possible to get more than the airline pays from there, so run the two documents in parallel. The international civil aviation rules are published on the ICAO site.
Ways to prevent the loss
Put the documents, medicine, keys, electronics and one change of clothes in your hand luggage. That single habit turns a baggage delay from a serious problem into a mere inconvenience. Drop a piece of paper with your name and telephone number inside the suitcase, because the tag on the outside often comes off.
On separately bought tickets the baggage is not checked straight through to the final point; you have to collect it in the intermediate city and hand it in again. Someone who does not know that loses both the plane and the suitcase. When building the route, using professional help in arranging the trip clarifies such details from the start. Putting in a tracking device is now the simplest insurance there is, and for it to work you need internet abroad on your phone.
In brief
Have the report drawn up before leaving the airport, keep the receipts, wait twenty-one days, then send a written claim. Always keep the most important items in your hand luggage and do not forget that on separate tickets the baggage is handed in again. For the route and visa plan, fill in the application form.
Note: the compensation limit and the procedure differ by airline and route, so check the ticket’s terms.
