Lost luggage: what to do
If your checked bag does not arrive, report it to the airline before you leave the airport and insist on a written report with a copy. Keep the bag tag, the boarding pass and the receipts for anything you buy. The rules and the deadlines depend on the airline and the route, and they are short.
Morsilla Travel may earn a commission from its partners; it does not change the price you pay.
Updated October 2026
At the airport, before you leave
This is the step that decides how the rest of the claim goes, and it happens in the baggage hall, not the next morning. Report that your bag has not arrived to the airline's staff, insist that they create a report, and ask for a copy of it even if they tell you the bag will be in on the next flight.
In Europe that written report is called a Property Irregularity Report, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority is plain about it: you must report at the airport and keep a copy, because it is what you will need to prove the claim. A report is not a promise of payment, but without one the claim is very hard to prove.
If your bag arrives open, unlocked or visibly damaged, the same applies: report it to the airline before leaving the airport and insist on a report being created. Make a note of the date and the time, and of the name and telephone number of the person you spoke to.
What to keep
Four things are worth putting in your pocket before you leave the baggage hall:
- The bag tag, the label with the barcode the airline put on your luggage. Do not throw it away until you have your bag back, because you may have to show it to leave the baggage-claim area.
- Your boarding pass, which ties the bag to the flight.
- The copy of the report the airline gave you.
- The receipts for anything you have to buy while the bag is missing.
While you wait for the bag
Most bags turn up. Airlines have tracking systems and most delayed bags are found and returned, so stay in contact with the airline rather than waiting quietly: keep the phone number the airline gave you for the claim, and not the reservations number.
While the bag is missing you will need the things you cannot do without. In the United States, the Department of Transportation says airlines must cover reasonable, verifiable and actual expenses while a bag is delayed, and cannot set an arbitrary daily amount. Elsewhere, ask the airline what it will reimburse before you buy much.
Making the claim
If the bag is not back quickly, the claim moves to the airline's baggage claims office. You will normally have to file a second, more detailed form, and the first report from the airport is only the beginning.
Airlines work out the value of what was in the bag from the information on your form, and they look at what the things were worth rather than what a new one would cost. That is why you should keep receipts, credit card records or any other proof of value. Airlines often refuse claims they think are inflated, so describe the bag honestly.
If the flight was a connection with two airlines, the final carrier is normally the one that processes the claim, even if it looks like the first airline lost the bag, so it is a good place to start.
The deadlines
Deadlines are short, and missing one can invalidate a claim. In Europe the rules are written down: you must write and complain to the air carrier as soon as possible, within 7 days for damage and 21 days for a delay, counting from the day you receive the bag, and any court action has to be brought within 2 years of the aircraft's arrival.
The rules depend on the airline and on the route. Every airline has its own contract of carriage, and those terms may include claim-filing deadlines that are shorter, so check your airline's own terms and do not wait for the last day.
Lost luggage with children
A missing bag is a much bigger problem with children, because their clothes, nappies, medicines and comfort things are usually in it. Pack the first day in your carry-on, in a small bag you can reach in the cabin, and keep the medicines, the passport and the children's documents with you rather than in the bag.
If your child's car seat is in the missing bag, tell the airline straight away and ask what help it can offer.
Sources
- Official page of the U.S. Department of Transportation on lost, delayed or damaged baggage: passengers should file a baggage claim with their airline as soon as possible, stay in close communication with the airline, airlines must compensate reasonable, verifiable and actual incidental expenses and may not set an arbitrary daily amount, most airlines declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight, the airline puts a baggage destination tag on the luggage and gives the bag identification tag to use at the destination, and the tags should not be thrown away until the bags are retrieved. — transportation.gov (checked 21 October 2026)
- Fly Rights, the consumer guide to air travel of the same agency, on delayed and lost bags: if the bags do not come off the conveyor belt, report it to airline personnel before leaving the airport, insist that they create a report and give you a copy even if they say the bag will be in on the next flight, get a phone number for following up that is not the reservations number, keep all receipts, and once a bag is declared permanently lost you have to submit a second, more detailed claim, because missing the deadline for filing it could invalidate the claim altogether. Each airline has specific rules in its contract of carriage, which may include claim-filing deadlines. — transportation.gov (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official summary of the EU air carrier liability regulation, on complaints on baggage: if checked baggage is damaged, delayed, lost or destroyed, the passenger must write and complain to the air carrier as soon as possible, within 7 days for damage and 21 days for delay following receipt, and any court action must be brought within 2 years from the date of arrival of the aircraft, or from the date on which the aircraft was due to arrive. — eur-lex.europa.eu (checked 21 October 2026)
- Official page of the UK Civil Aviation Authority: you must report that your luggage has been lost, delayed or damaged at the airport and keep a copy of the Property Irregularity Report that the airline's staff will complete, then contact the airline in writing within seven days for lost, stolen or damaged items and within 21 days for delayed bags from receiving the delayed bag, and you have to show the value of what you claim with receipts, credit card records or other proof of value, because airlines do not allow new-for-old replacement. — caa.co.uk (checked 21 October 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What do I do if my checked bag does not arrive?
Report it to the airline's staff in the baggage hall before you leave the airport, insist that they create a written report and ask for a copy of it, even if they say the bag will be in on the next flight.
What should I keep when a bag goes missing?
The bag tag with the barcode, your boarding pass, the copy of the airline's report, and every receipt for anything you have to buy. The tag may have to be shown to leave the baggage-claim area.
How long do I have to make a claim?
In Europe you must write to the air carrier within 7 days for damage and within 21 days for a delay, counted from the day you get the bag, and court action has to be brought within 2 years. The rules depend on the airline and the route, and an airline's own contract of carriage may set a shorter deadline, so check it early.
Will the airline pay for what I had to buy?
In the United States, the Department of Transportation says airlines must cover reasonable, verifiable and actual expenses while a bag is delayed, and cannot set an arbitrary daily amount. Elsewhere, ask the airline what it will reimburse before you buy much. Either way, keep every receipt.
How do airlines work out what my bag was worth?
They use the information on your claim form and they look at the value of the items at the time they were lost, not what a new one would cost. Receipts, credit card records or other proof of value are what they ask for, and claims they think are inflated may be refused altogether.