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We’ve all been there, waiting impatiently at the baggage carousel, anxiously hoping for that first glimpse of our checked luggage. Then we breathe a sigh of relief, collect it and get on with our travels.
Or we don’t. Last year in the United States, airlines lost or damaged one out of 200 checked bags. It’s a small slice of the millions of bags flown each year, but a lost bag can have oversize consequences.
Airlines have a series of steps passengers need to follow to be reunited efficiently with their lost items — or at the very least, receive compensation for them. Brace yourself, though, as the process can be time-consuming.
First double-check, and wait at least another 20 minutes.
When a bag fails to appear on the carousel, most airlines report that it’s usually just delayed, not lost.
Scan the carousel again, and also the separate oversize-luggage area. You can also use the airline’s app, as some carriers, like Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, allow you to track your bag in real time, with details about when it was loaded or unloaded from the plane.
File a missing-bag report as soon as you can.
If your bag is not to be seen, get the word out fast. To report a missing bag, you must typically file within a few hours of arrival for a domestic flight and within a week for an international flight. If you flew using more than one airline, you file with the carrier that operated the final leg of your trip.
Before leaving the airport, check your airline’s website or contact the carrier to determine how you should file a report: online, by phone or in person. Some carriers, like Alaska Airlines, require the documentation to be filed in person. This document, called a property irregularity report, can be filed at the baggage claim’s service office.
For all carriers, you’ll need your flight’s confirmation number and your baggage receipt or bag tag. You’ll be assigned a file reference number, which will be crucial for correspondence later on in the process.
Your airline may cover necessary expenses while your bag is missing. Keep the receipts.
While they search for your luggage, airlines will generally reimburse the cost of immediate needs like clothing, toiletries and other essential items that disappeared with your bag. Amounts vary: Korean Air offers a one-time $50 reimbursement, while Delta will generally pay up to $50 per day, for five days.
Not all airlines publicly disclose how much they reimburse. If you have expenses beyond essential items, such as equipment rentals, it’s worth submitting them for reimbursement.
Select credit cards will also reimburse these costs after a bag’s been missing for a certain amount of time. The United Explorer Card will cover up to $100 a day in essential items for five days. Travel insurance may also cover these purchases.
Additionally, some airlines, including Delta and Alaska, will provide bonus miles for the inconvenience of a missing bag if you notify them within a few hours of your flight’s arrival.
In the United States, if your bag has been missing for over 12 hours for a domestic flight, or 15 hours after an international flight, you can request a refund for your checked bag fees.
Practice patience while airlines conduct a manual and electronic search.
If the carrier finds your bag, you will be notified by email or phone and asked where to have it delivered.
United will search for 30 days and will send regular email updates during this period. Other airlines, such as Delta, KLM and Air France, search for 21 days. Alaska says it will search for up to six weeks.
If an airline doesn’t make a determination after a bag has been missing for an “unreasonable amount of time,” it could be subject to enforcement by the U.S. Transportation Department.
As a last resort, file a complaint with the Transportation Department.
After five days and no bag, you may need to file another claim.
This can be completed on an airline’s website, even for carriers that required an in-person filing of the initial claim. Again, you’ll need documentation for the flight and your missing luggage, and the file reference number from that first report.
You’ll be asked for further details about your bag and its contents, and to estimate the value of the missing items. Use as much detail as possible here, including the color, brand and size of various items.
If you submit receipts for items purchased while your bag was missing, these costs will be deducted from the final reimbursement if your bag is deemed lost.
If it’s truly gone, expect limits on the total reimbursement amount.
For domestic flights, airlines will generally pay a maximum of $3,800 per passenger. The compensation required by law for international flights is lower, about $1,700 per person, though airlines can opt, in a case-by-case basis, to pay more.
For domestic travel, there are no cost limits for assistive devices, like canes or wheelchairs, that are lost.
Airlines won’t cover certain items they say shouldn’t be checked, including camera equipment, cash, jewelry, art, furs, antlers and historical artifacts.
File an additional claim with a travel insurance provider, or with your credit card, if applicable.
This is considered a secondary benefit.
You’ll need your initial report from the airline and that file reference number, along with the same information about your itinerary and your belongings. Some credit cards, like American Express Platinum and Chase’s Sapphire Reserve and Preferred cards, will reimburse up to $3,000. You’ll be asked for details about your claim with the airline and to show what the airline approved or denied. The process can be lengthy.
Elad Schaffer, the chief executive of Faye, a travel insurance company, said most travel insurance policies will reimburse only after determining what the airline has already paid.
Consider these best practices to better your chances next time.
Travel experts suggest placing a Bluetooth tracker, like an Apple AirTag in your bag; attaching a unique identifier, like a brightly colored belt, to your bag; and photographing the bag’s contents before heading to the airport.
And don’t skip the luggage tag, with your name and contact information.
Finally, avoid short layovers when checking a bag, advised Byron Smith, the chief technology officer at Reunitus, a lost-item resolution company that works with airlines.
“The most common cause of baggage delays is short time windows,” Mr. Smith said. “The good news is most bags get where they’re supposed to.”
For more travel advice, visit our collection of Travel 101 tips and hacks.
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