Your luggage has not arrived. This is one of the worst feelings at the airport. However, there is a process in place to deal with lost luggage. If followed in the correct order, this will enable you to retrieve your luggage or obtain compensation for its value.
Report It Before You Leave The Airport
Standing at an empty baggage collection belt while other passengers are leaving the airport with their luggage can be a frustrating experience. However, if your luggage has not arrived, you must report this at the airport’s baggage collection area before you leave for good. You must report the loss of your luggage to the airline’s baggage desk or the handling agent’s desk and obtain a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) from them with a reference number on it. It is also a good idea to take a photo of the PIR with your phone as well as keeping a copy of it.
The 7 Day Deadline For Lost Or Damaged Bags
You have a seven day time frame in which to put a written claim for lost or damaged baggage. This is within the amount of time airlines are required to deal with cases of lost, delayed or damaged baggage under UK regulations. There is no reason why an email claim cannot be submitted even though you may have spoken to a member of staff previously. It’s always best to keep a record of all communication with an airline.
The 21 Day Deadline For Delayed Bags
A delay to your baggage is different from it being lost. Although you have a long time to make a claim for lost baggage, if your baggage does arrive, you only have 21 days from the date that your baggage arrived to make a claim for matters such as the cost of clothes that you needed to purchase while you were delayed. In order to claim against your airline for such matters, you will need to keep all of your receipts for all of the essential items that you had to purchase whilst your baggage was delayed.
When A Bag Counts As Legally Lost
A further critical point to note is how airlines define lost and delayed luggage. The airline and the claimant (you) could have differing opinions on the matter and there is a critical date of 21 days from the date on which your luggage should have arrived. Under the terms of the Montreal Convention this international treaty governing luggage claims around the world considers luggage to be lost after this time and therefore a full loss claim can be made rather than a delayed loss claim and, potentially, a higher amount of compensation paid.
What To Put In Your Written Claim
When you submit a claim, it is helpful to provide as much detail as possible to ensure your claim is processed quickly and to the value that you believe your lost luggage is worth. A written claim should reference your PIR number and include your flight details for the date of loss. A list of items that were in your lost baggage with an estimated retail value per item would also be useful as well as any receipts for goods that you have had to purchase to ensure that you have adequate clothing etc. whilst your baggage is delayed. If you are claiming for damage to your baggage, then photographs of the damage would also be useful. If you have lost luggage, https://travelsnews.co.uk/tips/the-five-travel-tips-that-assume-you-can-hear/ is a good place to start.
How Much Airlines Actually Pay
The maximum that an airline can be made to pay for lost baggage is around £1,000 as set out by the Civil Aviation Authority. Although you may expect an airline to reimburse you for the full cost of any missing items, in reality they will generally offer a sum based upon the age and decreasing value of your missing items. For example, a 2 year old laptop or old suitcase would not receive anything like new retail prices for these types of items.
When Travel Insurance Is The Better Route
When it comes to the value of the items lost, damaged or delayed, the amount you receive from the airline is going to be capped, based on the age and depreciated value of your belongings. For that reason, claims made under the baggage cover of travel insurance may provide a better, more speedy solution, particularly for high value items such as cameras, watches, jewellery and so on. Check the small print of your policy before you travel and see if your baggage is covered and if so, what excess you would need to pay.
If The Airline Rejects Or Ignores Your Claim
A lot of complaints have been known to be rejected by airlines. Airlines are often signed up to an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme. See the Financial Conduct Authority’s consumer help page on resolving a travel insurance claim that has gone wrong and how to complain about a travel claim. Keep a dated record of all correspondence with the airline.
Most travel advice sets out what you should do when your bags go missing. But the announcements made by airports and airlines about gate changes etc are almost always made in a voice which is not audible to everyone.
Checklist: Lost Luggage, What To Do
– Before you leave the airport make sure you report the missing items and obtain a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) which will help when making your claim later. – Lost or damaged: Send a written claim within 7 days – Delayed: make your claim for the delay within 21 days from the date you received your bag and include with your written claim all of your receipts for the essentials that you had to purchase whilst you were without your bag. – A bag is counted as lost after 21 days from the date when it should have arrived (Article 17 of the Montreal Convention). – The amount that will be paid for lost luggage is based upon the current value of the older items in your case. This is not the cost to replace new items, but the current value of your property. The maximum that airlines are allowed to pay is approximately £1,000 (again as stated by the CAA) although this is rarely paid in full.
Keep that PIR safe and adhering to the specified time frame and listing everything in writing will all yield far greater results than hoping your missing cases magically reappear.
