Long airport queues and flight cancellations might have left you worried about checking in luggage for a flight. Packing essentials such as swimwear, a change of underwear, medicine and keys in your carry-on bag is a straightforward way to prepare should your hold bags be lost or delayed.
If your bags do go missing, be aware that your airline is responsible for the luggage you check in under the Montreal Convention (caa.co.uk).
You have the right to compensation if your checked-in bags are delayed, lost or damaged. However, if you have travel insurance or home contents insurance that covers luggage, you could make an claim instead, which can be simpler.
If your airline did all they could to deliver your luggage on time but extraordinary circumstances – which can include strike action by workers – prevented them from doing so, you might not be due compensation.
What to do if your checked-in bag is delayed
Report the delay to your airline as soon as possible. Representatives of your carrier should be able to assist if you are still at the airport. Alternatively, most airlines have an online portal where customers can report delayed or missing luggage.
Should you fill in a “property irregularity report” (PIR) at the airport, which is a form handed out by customer services in the baggage claim area, you have already reported the problem. The form will ask you to describe your luggage and list where you are staying.
The typical deadline for claiming for delayed luggage is 21 hours after the flight, but check this with your carrier. Once reported, you can check the status with the relevant handlers, such as Eagle Aviation (eagleaviation.co.uk) or Sita World Tracer (mybag.aero).
Airlines are likely to provide you with compensation to cover essentials, such as toiletries and underwear. Keep receipts for replacements as proof for your claim. If you need to collect your luggage when it is returned, you may also be able to claim back your travel costs – again, keep receipts. Should your luggage be delayed on your return flight, airlines may consider this less of a loss. Some carriers may have a daily expense rate for lost luggage.
What to do if your luggage is lost
Luggage is not considered lost until 21 days after your flight. If your airline has not found it and got it back to you in that timeframe, you can claim for lost luggage. You should claim as soon as possible after the items are officially lost, writing to the airline within seven days after it is officially deemed lost.
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How to make a claim
The maximum limit of an airline’s liability for checked-in luggage is 1,288 Special Drawing Rights (a kind of international currency). Based on exchange rates at the time of writing, this is around £1,409.
If you are claiming for missing or damaged luggage or missing or damaged contents, the deadline for claiming compensation is seven days after receiving your luggage.
Your airline should advise what documents you will need to submit a claim, but this is likely to include your boarding card, luggage labels (for the barcode; you should be given this when you drop off checked-in bags), receipts for anything you had to purchase due to a delay, proof of purchase of damaged items, photos of the damage and cost estimates of any repairs you are claiming for.
You should claim by writing to the airline, explaining that you are “claiming compensation under the Montreal Convention” and including the details of your flight, what happened to your luggage, how much you are claiming for, descriptions of anything that has been damaged or lost and copies of the required documents.
What to do if your response goes unanswered
If your airline does not respond, or you are not satisfied with their response, you complain to the Civil Aviation Authority, asking them to take it up with the airline. As a last resort, you could take the case to the small claims court.
