The luggage did not arrive, what should I do? What to do if you lost your luggage at the airport

The most common reason for the absence of luggage at the airport of your arrival is the fact that it was not loaded onto the plane. Sometimes it happens that luggage is loaded, but on the wrong side. In the second case, it will take longer to return your luggage. What to do if your bag gets lost and how to avoid it?

Possibility of lost or delayed luggage

• according to statistics, 2% of all transported baggage is lost, which is about 1 time for every 50 flights, and each leg of the flight is counted separately;
• if you fly direct flights, then the probability of losing luggage is 1 time in 25 trips; if with transfers - 1 time in 10-12 trips.

The most common reasons for missing luggage

• the destination is incorrectly specified;
• the wrong tag was stuck on the luggage or the tag came off completely;
• inattention of passengers who accidentally take luggage that is not theirs (therefore it is good to have a suitcase that stands out clearly from others);
• computer crash;
• too short a connection, during which there is no time to transfer luggage to the next plane;
• there was not enough space in the luggage compartment;
• the luggage is poorly packed or the packaging is damaged.

Tourists who travel with transfers are most likely to lose their luggage. While you are thinking about how to make it from one flight to another, airport staff are making sure that your luggage “moves” along with you. At the same time, no one has canceled the human factor and they can “automatically” stick a sticker on you only to the transfer point, and not to the final destination. Therefore, before your luggage goes along the conveyor belt, carefully look at what is written on the sticker of your luggage. For your information: regardless of who paid, all responsibility for searching for luggage lies with the last air carrier.

It is also an extremely common mistake by terminal workers to glue the wrong tag or glue it poorly. As for yourself, always remove tags from previous flights when transferring to a new plane. Luggage is usually sorted automatically, that is, the robot reads your tag and sends it to the right place. Sometimes, of course, this is done manually. If the old tag is not removed, both the person and the machine may make a mistake and send the luggage in the wrong direction.

To protect yourself, be sure to insure your luggage before traveling. This will make your trip a little more expensive, but more reliable.

What to do to identify your luggage

Sometimes tags fall off luggage, and terminal workers leave such suitcases at the airport until someone finds it upon request. By the way, tags easily come off from corrugated plastic, so tags on suitcases made of this material need to be glued especially carefully and you need to control this.

Many suitcases have a special transparent pocket for luggage signature. Always indicate on it your full name, the flight number you are flying on, and your destination. If there is no pocket, glue a piece of paper with the inscription described earlier onto the tape. You can also use a special rubber badge for suitcases. Write your name, phone number and home address on it. The badge should be attached to the handle of the suitcase. Be sure to write clearly and in large letters. This greatly increases the likelihood that your suitcase will not get lost.

Luggage packing

While the suitcases are being loaded on board the plane, they are not handled on ceremony and are thrown with all their might. If your suitcase has bad locks or is overfilled so that the locks are subject to excessive stress, then it is better for you to take care of the safety of your personal belongings yourself. To prevent the suitcase from opening, pack it at home in cling film or at the airport in transparent tape - this will allow the luggage to remain closed.

You can also use special belts. They secure the suitcase and prevent the zippers from coming apart. Remember that if someone wants to open your bag, they will do it, but you can and should protect your luggage from accidental opening.

In addition, special luggage covers have appeared on the market today. They protect suitcases not only from opening, but also from dirt. If scammers want to open your suitcase packed in a case, then they will need more time to do this and some thieves will simply refuse such an idea.

Baggage Security

To secure the contents of your luggage, choose a suitcase with a lock that firmly secures the zipper sliders. At the same time, pay attention to whether there is an international sign on the lock indicating that the airport services have a master key with which, if necessary, they can open the lock (for example, during additional inspection) without breaking or damaging it. To understand why a retainer is needed, watch the video:

What to do if you haven't received your bag

If, upon arrival at the airport, you stand near the baggage belt for 40-50 minutes, but you still haven’t noticed your suitcase among the others, then most likely it is lost. In such a situation, you should contact a representative of the air carrier. This person will accompany you to the counter where they search for your luggage.

At this counter you will fill out a missing baggage report. The act is filled out in 2 copies, one of them goes to you. The act must indicate the external features of the bag: shape, material, color, data from the owner’s tag, some special features, for example, the absence of the left wheel. As evidence, you attach to the document your tear-off coupon of the baggage tag, received upon check-in at the airport of departure. If you have a camera, take a photo of this ticket before departure. Also, to be on the safe side, take the phone number of the airline employee who is accompanying you, because there is no guarantee that you will not have problems finding your luggage. You can always call the number given to you and find out how the search is progressing and at what stage it is now.

Representatives of the global luggage search system will undertake the search for your suitcase. Most airlines are connected to it. The act you completed is entered into the general register, where it is assigned a number. You will be given a printout with this number. In the meantime, the system begins to search for suitable options among requests for found luggage and compare them with your data. As soon as a match is found, the bureau employee will find out how long it will take to deliver the bag to you. If everything goes well, your luggage will be delivered on the first flight, but sometimes it takes several days. In such situations, the airline is obliged to ensure the transfer of baggage to the address you specified.

If within 5 days after you wrote the report, your luggage was not found, then you will be given the opportunity to make an inventory of all its contents. The more detailed information you provide, the higher the chance that your luggage will be found. The inventory will again be entered into the general search system. A positive result in this case is 90% likely. The maximum search time is 21 days. If even during this considerable period of time the search does not produce any results, then the baggage will be assigned the status “lost”. If this happens, the airline will have to pay you financial damages. Compensation for completely lost luggage is calculated as follows: $20 per 1 kg of weight. If you forgot to weigh your luggage, it will automatically be assessed at 35 kg (on the maximum scale). If you carried more, but this is not recorded anywhere, then this is your problem. You may not agree that the price per kilogram of your luggage is $20 and within 18 months after the loss, file a complaint for a refund of the cost of expensive clothes or shoes.

Note: to minimize the risk of delay if your luggage is lost, take tickets with a connection of at least 1.5 hours.

What to do if your luggage is damaged

If you find your luggage on the belt and it is damaged, then it must be photographed from all sides. You need to record all damage: torn off handles, broken wheels, etc. Then go to the representative office of the airline you arrived with and file a complaint. In such cases, they either give money for repairs or for purchasing a new suitcase.

In a situation where the contents of suitcases are damaged, most of the issues remain at the discretion of the air carrier. A representative of the transport police draws up a report, and the airline will already have to compensate for the damage. It is important to understand here - you are unlikely to be able to convince the police that you had very valuable things in your suitcase. All valuables should be carried in hand luggage.

If your luggage is damaged, it is important not to miss the application deadline. The claim must be submitted no later than 7 days from the date of receipt of the damaged suitcase at the terminal. If the luggage was delivered to your home, the period increases to 21 days (from the day you receive the suitcase in your hands). Upon receipt, you sign and be sure to date it. From this date you will “dance”.

Payments for lost luggage

If your suitcase was lost in a foreign country and you urgently had to buy new clothes and personal hygiene products, then you should be paid additional compensation (up to $250). Save your receipts! Moreover, they must be subsidized on the first day of arrival. By the way: You will be refunded only half of the cost of the purchased clothes.

According to statistics, airlines do their best to accommodate passengers and pay compensation of up to $5,000 in such incidents. If your complaint is not satisfied, then within 2 years from the date of loss you can file a claim in court.

If you're missing hand luggage which you brought on board with you, then regardless of its weight you will be compensated $400.

Let your luggage not get lost and your vacation not be overshadowed by unpleasant red tape. Travel with pleasure! In the following materials, read about how to properly pack a bag for a trip and what an emergency backpack is.

Compensation to air travelers for loss of baggage on domestic flights is provided primarily by the Air Code of the Russian Federation, and on international flights by international agreements. The airline will be responsible for the loss of luggage to any passenger - both to the one who bought the ticket directly from the carrier (airline), and to the one who bought the ticket for a charter flight (for example, from a tour operator).

According to current legislation, the carrier is responsible for baggage from the moment the baggage is accepted for transportation until the moment it is released to the consignee (the passenger himself or another person specified by him). In this case, the carrier is released from liability for loss or damage to baggage only if he proves that he took all measures to prevent harm or such measures were in principle impossible to take. This is very good for the passenger, since he will not have to prove the reasons for the loss of his luggage.

The airline is responsible for the safety of not only those things that are checked in as luggage, but also for the safety of personal luggage - things that are carried by the passenger in the cabin. The carrier is released from liability if he can prove that the baggage was lost or damaged as a result of the intent of the passenger himself, or due to circumstances beyond the carrier’s control that he could not prevent and eliminate.

1. What a passenger should think about before departure.

• do not put passports, other important documents, money, payment cards, or things that could be damaged during the flight (cameras, laptops, etc.) in your luggage;
• Study the baggage rules on the airline and airport websites. Figure out what you can take with you into the cabin and what you will have to check in as luggage. Pay special attention to the list of things that cannot be carried on the plane;
• If you are carrying particularly valuable items in your luggage, you should think about insured transportation. An additional fee is charged for such transportation. But in case of loss of luggage, you will be reimbursed for the entire declared value;
• When checking in for a flight and checking in your luggage, be sure to take and save your luggage receipts, tags, and boarding passes.

2. The first actions of a passenger upon detection of missing luggage.

Contact the special airport service that deals with lost luggage. You will need your passport, airline ticket, boarding passes, luggage tags and receipts. Fill in special application for luggage search. Based on this statement, the carrier will be obliged to begin an immediate search for your luggage. The search includes sending requests to the airport of departure and other airports where the baggage may have been mistakenly found, as well as a request to resend the baggage if it can be found. The airline must find your luggage within 21 days. Delivery of baggage to your address is carried out at the expense of the airline.

So at this stage you need to get:

• report of non-arrival of baggage / statement of search for baggage;
• certificate of flight delay (in case the plane is late);
• also keep documents confirming your losses associated with resolving this situation.

3. If your luggage has not been found within 21 days, write a formal complaint to the air carrier.

The claim must be made in writing and sent to the airline by registered mail or a valuable letter with a list of the contents and acknowledgment of receipt. A claim can be filed within 6 months - for loss of luggage on domestic flight, within 18 months - for luggage lost on international flight. The period for consideration of a claim is 30 days. Please attach copies of supporting documents to your claim, including:

• air ticket;
• baggage receipt;
• luggage tags;
• details for transferring compensation for lost luggage;
• confirmation of the value of lost items (receipts, contracts, purchase invoices or certificates of average value);
• documents confirming the delay in delivery of baggage or a passenger (airport certificate, invoice of the courier service that delivered the baggage, etc.).

What you can ask the airline if your luggage is lost or damaged:

1) Compensation for lost luggage.

A) If baggage was carried for an additional fee with a declared value, compensation is paid in the amount of the declared value (both on domestic and international flights).

b) If baggage without a declared value is lost on a domestic flight, compensation is paid in the amount of the cost of lost, damaged, missing items, up to a maximum of 600 rubles per kilogram of baggage. If you can’t prove in any way what specific things were damaged, then ask for 600 rubles for each kilogram lost.

The cost of lost luggage or item is determined on the basis of the seller's invoice or agreement for the purchase of the item. If there are no such documents, you need to get a certificate about the average cost of the item on the day when the luggage was supposed to be issued.

V) If you lose your personal luggage on a domestic flight, you have the right to receive compensation in the amount of the cost of lost, damaged items, or up to 11 thousand rubles if the cost cannot be determined;

G) Compensation for loss or damage to special mobility aids for disabled people (including wheelchairs) is paid in the amount of their value.

e) Compensation for loss of baggage without declared value on international flights.

Flights on which the destination and departure points are located on the territory of different states are considered international. Or flights where the destination and departure points are located on the territory of the Russian Federation, but there was at least one landing point on the territory of another state.

According to statistics, 70 thousand suitcases are lost every day at airports around the world, 97 percent of which are found in the first week of searches. For those who are planning to fly to other cities and countries, Inde journalist Dinara Valeeva has compiled a small manual in case you are left on a trip without luggage.

What do the statistics say?

It's not the airlines that lose luggage, it's the airports. However, it is the carriers who are responsible to passengers. The tourists' hate list includes Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Heathrow in London and La Guardia in New York. Oddly enough, the safest in this regard is Moscow Domodedovo Airport: it has the lowest rate of baggage loss in the world - 0.6 pieces per 1000 pieces of luggage.

Every hour, 3,000 pieces of luggage are lost at airports around the world, and these numbers reach 25 million a year. 61 percent of this is luggage from passengers on connecting flights. By the way, in 97 percent of cases it would be more accurate to talk about a delay rather than a loss of a suitcase: according to statistics, airlines find luggage within one to five days. And only three percent of luggage ends up missing forever.

Why is this happening?

• Insufficient time to load suitcases between transit flights. The minimum connecting time should be at least 1–1.5 hours.
• Overbooking. Some airlines allow you to purchase more tickets for a flight than the plane can accommodate. If you are left without a seat on the flight, you may be transferred to another plane, and your luggage may be delivered on the originally intended flight.
• Overload In addition to free luggage spaces, there are additionally paid spaces. If the plane is overloaded, the transportation of such baggage may become a higher priority for the airline for commercial reasons.
• Error in the baggage sorting system. Before entering the cargo compartment of the aircraft, suitcases pass along belts through scanners. The system's task is to determine where to send your suitcase using the barcode on the luggage tag (it is stuck at the check-in counter). If, in addition to the new sticker, there are stickers left over from previous flights, there is a high probability that the suitcase will fly to another city.
• Human factor. For example, the negligence of baggage handlers who may forget to load your luggage onto the plane during connecting flights or lose your suitcase on the way to loading. If the luggage trolleys of passengers on a flight are overcrowded, there is a chance that a suitcase will fall out and end up on the runway.

What to do to avoid losing your luggage?

Follow a few simple rules:

• Be sure to tear off all tags left on the suitcase from previous trips. They can confuse automatic baggage sorting systems and send your suitcase to another airport.
• Use details that could distinguish your luggage on the endless delivery belt from other nondescript suitcases - for example, tie a bright ribbon or a toy keychain to the handle. This will help reduce the risk that your suitcase will be carried away by mistake by other passengers on the flight who have the same or very similar suitcases.
• if you have connecting flights, be sure to check the route of your luggage. You may have to pick up your suitcase at some airport and return it to the check-in counter.
• Attach a tag with personal information - address, email and phone numbers.
• Pay attention to the tag that is placed on your luggage at the check-in counter: it should indicate the code of the city you are flying to. Heading to Moscow? SVO, DME or VKO. Saint Petersburg? LED. Fly home to Kazan - KZN.
• Insure your luggage in advance if it contains valuables.

15 city airports - popular destinations among Russian residents in 2015:

Sochi – AER
Kaliningrad – KGD
Vladivostok – VVO
Riga – RIX
Helsinki – HEL/HEM
Prague – PRG
Budapest – BUD
Paris – CDG (Charles de Gaulle) / ORY (Orly)
Berlin – TXL (Tegel) / SXF (Schönefeld)
Vienna – VIE
Rome – FCO
Barcelona – BCN
Tel Aviv – TLV
Dubai – DXB
Phuket – HKT

I've arrived. My suitcase is not on the delivery belt. What to do?

• Look around. Someone on the same flight as you could mistake your suitcase for their own and take it off the belt.
• If you are waiting for oversized luggage (musical instrument, baby stroller, porcelain statue, animal cage), go to a special counter - Bulky Baggage.
• Go to the airline representatives (in the case of a transit flight - to the last carrier), to the Lost & Found counter, and write a statement. Keep your passport and luggage tag with you - it is glued to the document or boarding pass. Indicate in the application all known information: route, appearance, the contents of your luggage (even down to the brands and colors of clothing), leave permanent and temporary contact information. The more detailed you do this, the greater the chances of finding your luggage. After submitting your application, you will receive a code with which you can track the status of your searches on the Internet, on the WorldTracer website lost luggage.

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Losing your favorite things at the airport will undoubtedly ruin the most memorable experience of any trip. Unfortunately, from lost luggage no one is immune. Both a novice and an experienced air passenger can encounter such a nuisance.

At the same time, many begin to panic, not knowing what to do and who to contact. And will it be possible to find the things and receive compensation from the carrier for the inconvenience caused? Every airline passenger has certain rights that they should be aware of. First of all, you need to go to the bulky baggage counter, where your suitcase could have mistakenly ended up. If there is nothing there, then most likely the airline has lost it. In this case, you should contact the Lost & Found service, which is available in every international airport, or to the airline representative office.

You will need to fill out a report of malfunctions when transporting luggage, international name whose P.I.R stands for property irregularity report. In the appropriate fields you will indicate:

• contact information: phone number, email, residential address;
• flight number along with the route you took;
• air ticket number;
• description of the missing suitcase. You just need to select the appropriate picture from the proposed options;
• description of its contents. Be sure to include items that will make your luggage easy to identify. Agree that light green shoes or a Chinese dictionary are unlikely to be found in every second suitcase.

Please be aware that the airline may refuse to process claims if you do not complete a P.I.R. at baggage claim. The act is completed in two copies: for the passenger and the airline. Then you are given an individual application number, with which you can independently track its status on the airline’s website or using the World Tracer system. luggage search). You just have to wait for the results.

Air carrier assistance and baggage search

If your suitcase is lost abroad in another country where you do not live, the airline is obliged to provide money for the purchase of essential items or provide a ready-made package. The rules of different carriers may vary. However, you have the right:

• get a set of hygiene items
• demand reimbursement of expenses for their purchase within the amount of 70-100 €. You just need to provide receipts.
• demand a daily fixed payment for a specified period.

In most cases, a suitcase lost within the airport is found within 2-3 days, which the airline representatives will inform the passenger about. Found luggage may be delivered to the specified address, or you will have to go to the airport to pick it up. In this case, the air carrier is obliged to reimburse all transportation costs; you just need to provide the appropriate receipts.

Luggage is searched for 21 days from the moment of loss. If the suitcase is not found within this time, it is considered irretrievably lost or stolen. In such a situation, you have the right to demand compensation for material damage from the air carrier. The amount of compensation for damage to baggage, delay or loss is governed by the Warsaw and Montreal Conventions and the private rules of the air carrier. Each situation is considered individually. The approximate amount you can count on is $20 per kilogram of items, but not more than $1,500. You won’t be able to get more, even if there were diamonds or wads of money in your luggage. That’s why it’s so important to carry valuables in hand luggage.

How to get compensation

You need to make a written claim for damage (delay, loss) of luggage, to which a copy of the defect report is attached. Then describe the contents of the suitcase, indicating its approximate cost. If there are extracts from credit card or store receipts, it is advisable to provide them. The following must also be attached to the claim:

• copy of passport;
• baggage receipt;
• boarding pass;
• Bank details;
• checks for the forced purchase of necessary things;
• receipts confirming the costs of repairing the suitcase or a specialist’s conclusion that the luggage cannot be repaired.

To ensure that the air carrier does not refuse to consider the claim, it is important to comply with the deadlines for filing it. If the damaged suitcase was released at the airport building, the claim must be submitted no later than seven days from the date of its receipt. In the event that damaged luggage is delivered directly to your home, the application must be submitted no later than 21 days from the delivery period. If the suitcase is lost, you have the right to file a claim within 18 months. It happens that the airline refuses to pay compensation. Then feel free to go to court. In most cases, passengers win their lawsuits.

How to prevent luggage loss

Suitcases get lost for various reasons. For example, the check-in counter at the airport mixed up the stickers, and your luggage flew to Thailand instead of Turkey. The tag was poorly glued to the suitcase or it was torn off during loading, so your items did not end up on the plane, but rather at the Lost & Found service. The suitcase may get lost at the connecting airport when flying on a transit flight. Another passenger may take your luggage and confuse it with theirs. To prevent luggage loss, you need to:

• buy a suitcase in a non-standard color, even purple with yellow polka dots. It's hard to confuse this one. You can add a distinctive detail: a large sticker, a bright ribbon;
• remove tags from previous trips from your suitcase. Otherwise, the scanner may read the information incorrectly and send the luggage to the wrong place;
• attach a tag with your name and phone number;
• arrive early for registration so as not to lose your things in a hurry;
• during check-in, make sure that the tag with your flight number is properly attached to the suitcase;
• when flying with transfers, check whether you need to pick up your luggage at the connecting airport and check it in again;
• It is advisable to wrap the suitcase with polyethylene, this will help protect it from some damage.

By observing these simple rules, you will reduce the risk of losing your luggage and will be able to enjoy the vivid impressions of your trip, rather than spoil your nerves looking for your suitcase.

You waited for the final unloading of your luggage at the destination airport, but still did not find your luggage on the transport belt - sad, but don’t be upset. You need to look through all the transport belts located at the airport and make sure that your items, due to a loader error or a computer glitch during loading, did not end up in the baggage of another flight or on the oversized baggage belt.

You can wait a little longer - sometimes it happens that tired passengers mistakenly take someone else’s suitcase and, after a few minutes, run to return it back with an apology. If this does not happen, then it is necessary, without leaving the airport (arrival area), to immediately contact the special search service, which is located on the territory of the airport and operates around the clock, without days off or breaks.

If you lost luggage at the airport then you can contact the information desk, ask a representative of the transporting airline, or independently find a service office or counter with the inscription “Lost and Found” or “Lost and Found” or “Lost baggage”. This is the service that will search for your lost luggage. You need to submit an application addressed to the management of the air carrier company (in business language this means filing a claim) and fill out a baggage search report, present your passport and baggage receipt (Baggage Tag). In the document you must indicate the flight number, the airline ticket reservation code, and attach your boarding pass.

The baggage receipt indicating the checked baggage upon check-in for the plane must be kept and protected. This is the only proof that you have luggage when you board the plane. The application must describe the lost luggage in the most detailed way (a list of contents inside is added after five days if the luggage was not found)

Advice for the future - for especially valuable luggage, install a microchip or GPS navigator before departure. Sometimes it happens, although rarely, that your luggage is simply forgotten to be loaded at the airport of departure or transit.

Antalya Lost and Found Bureau

Lost luggage tracing bureau in Nizhny Novgorod

Baggage tracing office at the airport in Hawaii (Lost and Found)

Particular attention should be paid to special features: shape, overall dimensions, weight, color, the presence of stickers, colored belts, handles, the number of wheels, snakes, trademarks, name tags, and the like. You can attach a photo of your luggage before departure. This is necessary to identify the owner of the luggage in the event that the luggage tag with your number comes off or is lost during loading, transit transshipment from flight to flight, or simply during transportation of luggage.

In the act, you must indicate your contacts for reporting information; the exact address, to which the found luggage will be delivered; and phone number if you have any questions. You need to write down for yourself: – telephone number of the airline representative; agent of the Lost Baggage Tracing Service who accepted the application and take a copy of the Lost Baggage Report.

Now you can forget that you lost your luggage at the airport and can go about your business while waiting for the results of the luggage search. Searching for luggage during the first five days is carried out by special services at the arrival airport. Almost all international airlines are united and connected to the Word Tracer system. This is an international baggage tracking system. The data from the act is entered into the system and the search begins. You can follow the progress of the search via the Internet using your own unique registration number, as well as eliminate errors when describing luggage or your data. For this you will need the number recorded when drawing up the act.

As soon as the baggage is found, the search service employees clarify how quickly the baggage can be delivered, and inform the passenger who submitted the request that the baggage has been found, on what flight, when and where it will be delivered. This usually takes several days and everything goes well.

The airline delivers the found luggage to the address specified in the application. Many airlines provide essential items or small monetary compensation when luggage is lost. You will need to keep receipts from the money spent for reporting when you receive your luggage. As moral compensation for the inconvenience, they may be provided with a discount coupon for frequent flyers when purchasing their next airline ticket.

If after five days there is no result, then the luggage will be searched for by representatives of the airline that lost the luggage, and the passenger has the right to contact the culprit for a certain amount to purchase clothes.

To claim your baggage, you will need to present your passport, baggage receipt (tear-off coupon of the baggage tag with a UPC bar code) and a report drawn up at the airport on the day of arrival.

If the luggage is not found quickly, the passenger has the right to submit a written complaint to the claims department within three weeks. Lost and found luggage, paid according to the tariff, is returned at no additional charge. If within twenty-one days the luggage is not found and not returned to the passenger, then the luggage is assigned the status of stolen or irretrievably lost.

Material damage is compensated at the rate of 20 dollars per kilogram of weight of lost luggage. If you are not satisfied with the compensation, you can file a lawsuit to review the amount received.

For reference: 90% of passengers who lose luggage at the airport find it within the first two days.