A suitcase went missing at the airport. What to do if your luggage goes missing during a flight? Tips and secrets of Biletyplus specialists. If the load is missing from the conveyor belt

Airlines lost 22 million pieces of their customers' luggage last year, according to Sita (a multinational airline industry media organisation). That is, losing luggage at the airport is, although not a frequent occurrence, quite common.

So, standing at the baggage conveyor and waiting for the continuous flow of bags on the conveyor to slow down to a minimum and stop, you do not find your suitcases, do not panic.

Airlines usually have many ways to track lost luggage, and the vast majority are eventually found.

If your suitcases are on the next flight, you can receive them within a few hours.

If they were sent to another airport, this may take several days. In this case, fill in Lost baggage receipt and leave the employee your hotel or home address, as well as a telephone number where you can be contacted.

Typically, the search for luggage lasts 21 days, but can last up to 45 days to clarify more detailed circumstances.

Lost luggage delivery

Airlines usually deliver your luggage to you when it is located. But in some cases You must return to the airport to pick it up. Additionally, many airlines will refund any unforeseen expenses caused by lost or delayed luggage (keep your receipts!).

But be careful - the airline will try to reduce any compensation for lost luggage.

Before leaving the airport, ask how you can control the status of your luggage. Some airlines have an online system, while others will provide you with a telephone number that you can call and receive information on.

If the airline has lost your bags, fill out a written form. claim for lost luggage. This can be done at the airport or sent by mail.

You may have to provide checks to prove the value of your items that were in your suitcase. If you have them, include copies of the receipts in the documentation that will be sent to the airline.

Keep in mind that you will Only the residual value of your items will be refunded.- since the airline will not give you as much as 10,000 rubles for a suit that you bought two years ago.

Typical baggage incidents that happen while traveling

Stolen Bags

After your arrival, go to the luggage compartment as soon as possible to get your belongings. minimize the potential risk of your bag being stolen. Many airlines scan bags as they are unloaded at baggage claim and keep records, especially at larger airports.

If your luggage goes missing after being unloaded into the baggage claim area, your claims will no longer be against the airline, but against the police.

As soon as you take the suitcases from the conveyor, immediately check them for presence of damage or other signs of abuse. Before leaving the airport, report any damage to your luggage; The airline customer service may wish to inspect the bag. Keep in mind that most airlines will not cover minor damage and you will have to pay for it.

Most likely, you will be asked to provide a receipt for the repair service performed or will be offered to use the services of specialized services at the airport itself. Please check with the baggage handler for details to ensure that you do not end up in a situation where repair costs are not covered.

How to prevent luggage loss

And finally, if it does happen that your luggage is lost, do not panic, go to the department Lost luggage search(abroad it sounds Lost and Founded) and fill out the claim form. Then wait for your luggage to be found. If your luggage is not found within 45 days, demand compensation from the airline for lost luggage.

Unless the value of the suitcase's contents can be proven by receipts, photographs, or a customs declaration filled out upon departure, airlines often charge an average price per kilogram of lost cargo, for example, $20 per kg.

People who fly often are probably familiar with the situation of agonizing waiting at the baggage claim line: did you arrive or didn’t you arrive? According to statistics, once every 90 seconds one of the passengers still does not find their luggage on the belt. What to do if you become such a passenger? Let's figure it out.

Reasons for lost luggage

The most common and common reason for loss is the tag came off the suitcase and airport staff were unable to get him onto the correct flight. In this case, the suitcase is immediately sent to Lost & Found.

Computer system failure. Sometimes it happens that a suitcase ends up on another plane due to a computer error. Most often, such errors occur on transit flights.

Stolen. The most unpleasant option, because here the probability of finding a suitcase is almost zero.

What to do if your luggage “didn’t arrive”

Immediately go to the Lost & Found department and fill out a missing person report. It must indicate the shape, color, material from which the suitcase is made, information about the name tag, the presence or absence of wheels and handles. By the way, about the tag: its presence with the written contact information of the owner will significantly reduce the time of searching for a suitcase - don’t be lazy to attach such a thing to your suitcases.

Having a tag with the owner’s contact information written down will significantly reduce the time it takes to search for a suitcase

The completed report will be immediately entered into the international baggage search system World Tracer, and you will be given a copy of the loss report. Once the system locates your luggage, a Lost & Found employee will contact you and let you know when your luggage will be delivered. You can track your luggage searches yourself by entering your details on the World Tracer website.

What to do if you haven’t found it

Maximum luggage search time – 21 days, after this period the luggage is considered lost or stolen. The passenger has the right to demand compensation from the airline. The amount of compensation is regulated by the Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol. Usually they pay about $20 per 1 kg of weight.

Airlines are not required to compensate for the cost of lost items while searching for a suitcase. But if you are left in another country with virtually no clothes or personal belongings, it makes sense to ask airline employees to compensate for the cost of purchasing essentials. Often carrier representatives agree to pay a small amount, not wanting to spoil their image. In this case, you will need to show receipts for purchases, however, they will only be paid for half.

1. You arrived at the airport at the last minute.Employees no longer have time to load luggage onto the plane, and it may be sent on the next flight.

2. The airline suddenly changed the flight.The essence is the same - the employees did not have enough time to check luggage for the new flight.

3. Are you flying with transfers?, and even different airlines, or there is no direct transfer at the airport between flights of the same airline. In such cases, you need to collect your luggage between flights and check it in again. To avoid this, buy one ticket per route - then your luggage will be transferred automatically.

4. There are too many tags on the suitcase.This is the most common reason for lost luggage, by the way. It's cool that you fly so much. But if you leave all the luggage stickers on your suitcase, then one day it may be sent along the old route. Many staff at the baggage check-in desk reprimand passengers whose suitcases are decorated with old stickers.

5. The front desk employee made a mistake: poorly applied or not applied the tag at all. Airport and airline workers may make a mistake and incorrectly indicate your name or destination. It is impossible to insure against this. of all lost suitcases in 2017 were due to missing tags.

What to do if your luggage is lost

Step 1: Go to the Lost & Found counter at the airport

Typically the stand is located next to the delivery belt. If there is no counter, then you need to look for an airline representative.

Step 2. Fill out an application requesting to return your luggage

If you are abroad, you will have to write in English. You will be given a form or asked to fill out a free form application. You will receive a PIR (Property Irregularity Report) act. Don't lose it - you may need it for compensation.

Don’t worry if you don’t speak English: the form can be filled out by an airport employee.

How to fill out a baggage search application

At the Lost & Found counter you will be given a completed form. Enter your details and describe your suitcase in as much detail as possible. What to write:

Full name of the passenger;
contact details - telephone, email, address (the one where you need to bring your luggage);
flight number and your route;
data from the luggage tag;
color, size, shape of the suitcase;
in the additional line - noticeable distinctive features of the suitcase;
the description of the items is not just “3 T-shirts and 4 skirts”, but several unique items that will help distinguish it from the rest.

The application must be completed in two copies. At the end, you will be given an application identification number, which you can use to track the fate of your suitcase on the airline’s website or through a global search WorldTracer.

Step 3. Wait for a response

Typically, the receiving party (airport) takes two to five days to search for a suitcase. After this, the airline takes over. She sends a request to the baggage destination, and the search is carried out at all airports. Wait for the call. If they find a suitcase similar to yours, they will let you know.

To speed up the airline's actions, you can use several communication channels at once. Write about your problem by email, call the lost baggage hotline, tag the airline in a post on Facebook and contact us personally. The likelihood that the staff will not wait, but will immediately begin searching for your cargo, will increase.

Step 4. Take your things

Only , all others return to their owners. You will have to wait 21 days - during this time the luggage is considered delayed, but not lost. When the suitcase is found, they will call you. It is the airline's responsibility to deliver the luggage to the owner. So wait for the employee, show him your passport and take your things.

If you do receive your suitcase, but it is damaged, you have the right to compensation for repairing the bag or purchasing a new one. Send the airline a request, receipts and your bank card number - the carrier is obliged to reimburse the costs.

How to get money for small expenses if you are left without things abroad

What if you arrived on vacation, but your suitcase is not there yet? Good news: you won't be left without a toothbrush and a clean T-shirt. You have the right to compensate for the costs of essentials.

The airline is responsible for lost luggage. She also sets the rules - what to compensate and in what volume. Therefore, check this question with an airline representative (for example, on the websites of Air France, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai, etc.)

Depending on the rules of a particular airline, you may require:

a set of toiletries;
reimbursement of costs for underwear, swimsuit (if you arrived on vacation at sea);
funds for medicines;
warm clothes, raincoats;
payment for transfer from the airport (to the hotel, another station).

Most often, airlines reimburse costs in exchange for checks ranging from 70-100 € within 21 days after baggage delivery. At the airport you can also be given a set of toiletries, linen, and a clean T-shirt. The longer you wait for luggage, the wider the list of necessary things and the higher the compensation.

How to find missing suitcases

When an ownerless suitcase is found on the baggage belt, it is taken to the airport warehouse. There, luggage detectives get down to business. If there is a tag on the suitcase, then detectives find the owner's contact information and inform him about the find. If there is no tag, then detectives create an electronic statement about the find and post it on the website of the international search service World Tracer . If after 10 days the owner does not show up, the suitcase is opened and the statement is supplemented with a description of the items.

The suitcase has been waiting for its owner in the warehouse for three months. If the owner does not appear after this, the luggage is sold at auction.

Sometimes the suitcase is found after you have been paid compensation. In this case, there is no need to return it to the airline - consider it compensation for moral damages.

How to apply for compensation if your luggage was not found

1. Make a claim about payment of compensation and submit it to the air carrier in writing.

You are required to draw up a document in free form. You will need two copies in English. Some companies have an online form on their website for filling out a claim. For example, in Air France and UIA.

If you have receipts for items left in your suitcase (new or purchased specifically for the trip), attach them to your claim. Always indicate the maximum amount of compensation in the document - companies usually pay less.

You can submit a document in case of loss of luggage on domestic flights within 6 months after the end of the delivery period (Art. 126 Air Code of the Russian Federation ). For international flights - within 18 months after arrival (Art. 127 Air Code of the Russian Federation ).

2. Attach documents: luggage receipt, air tickets, baggage search report (PIR), receipts for items from the suitcase, bank details, copy of the passport.

3. Submit your complaint to the airline office in person, by registered mail or send a scanned copy by email. If you go to the office, pick up your copy with the signature of the AK representative.

The claim must be reviewed within 30 days. If the airline refuses to accept it, go to court. This can be done at your place of residence in a court of general jurisdiction. Draw up a statement of claim, attach all the documents you have: PIR act, travel tickets, a copy of the claim, receipts for the things in the suitcase. You can demand full compensation for lost luggage under the convention, moral damages and legal costs.

How much compensation can you expect?

The amount of compensation depends on the country in which the airline is registered.

All countries are guided by the rules of one of two conventions - the Warsaw (1929) or Montreal (1999) conventions, which regulate issues of lost luggage. The second convention provides for higher payments. In 2017, Russia joined the Montreal Convention.

It is very difficult to get more than the established amount for luggage. Even if there are receipts for more expensive items in the suitcase. Expensive luggage must be checked in separately, then a special tag is affixed to it.

1. Always peel off old tags so that airport staff do not look for up-to-date information.

2. If you are flying with connections, remind the check-in desk about this. Check to what point your luggage is checked in. Sometimes you have to pick up your suitcase and check it back in the middle of the route. Do not forget about it.

3. Check in for your flight on time and check in your luggage.

4. Attach a tag with your contacts to your suitcase. Indicate your name, phone number, hotel address, email.

5. Decorate your suitcase with a bright element - it will become an identification mark if you suddenly have to fill out documents to search your luggage.

6. If you are carrying expensive items, use insurance or register your suitcase as valuable cargo. For this you will have to pay extra at airline rates, but your luggage will be monitored more diligently.

Just in case, take everything you need in your hand luggage: phone charger, money, documents, medicines. This will help if your luggage is delayed or lost. And try to keep receipts for items purchased for the trip (suitcase, expensive shoes and clothes, equipment) - with their help you can prove the value of the lost cargo and receive maximum compensation.

Checklist: what to do if your luggage is lost

1. Go to the Lost&Found counter and fill out an application there. Receive a PIR report. Expect someone to call you within 21 days.

2. Left without a suitcase in a foreign city - demand compensation for priority expenses. Keep receipts for purchases and provide them to the airline office. You can be reimbursed from 70 to 100 euros.

3. Apply for compensation for lost luggage if your items are not found within three weeks. Fill out the form at the airline office, attach receipts and PIR. Please indicate the maximum possible amount of compensation.

4. Go to court if the airline refuses to accept the application. You can demand compensation for the cost of luggage, legal costs and moral damages.

5. When damaged luggage is returned to you, you have the right to reimburse the costs of repairs or the purchase of a new suitcase. The airline received checks and a free form application.

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 and found baggage service (Lost & Found), which is available at every international airport, or the airline representative office.

You will need to fill out a report on irregularities during the transportation of baggage, the international name of which is P.I.R from the English 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 in which 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 you have credit card statements 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 following 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.

The reasons can be very different: from a scanner-sorter error to a human factor (they didn’t have time to load it onto the plane, they loaded it onto the wrong one). Most often, errors occur during connecting flights.

According to statistics from WorldTracer, an international baggage tracking system, 23.1 million suitcases and bags were lost in 2016. The number looks scary. But if you take a closer look, it turns out that only 6.5 suitcases out of every 1,000 did not reach their owners on time.

What to do if there is no luggage on the belt

Don't panic! Didn't you find a suitcase or some large items like a baby stroller or sports equipment? If the latter, then everything is fine. Non-standard luggage is always issued in a separate window so that it is not accidentally damaged during transportation.

If you're missing a suitcase, go to the Lost & Found baggage counter, sometimes called Passenger Service. As a rule, this service is located at the exit from the baggage claim area. If there is no such counter, ask any airport employee where to go.

Do not leave the terminal until you have dealt with your lost luggage!

The Lost & Found staff will ask you for your baggage voucher and will first try to search through your bags with you. If these searches do not lead to anything, you will be asked to fill out a special Property Irregularity Report (PIR) form in two copies: you give one and keep the second for yourself.

In the form you will need to provide information about yourself, flight details and describe your suitcase in detail. Airport staff will enter this information into the international baggage tracking system WorldTracer. And you will receive a registration number by which you can independently check whether your suitcase has been found.

The registration number is a combination of the three-digit airport code, the two-digit airline code and the five-digit code for your baggage. For example, LEDLH15123 means that the bags were lost by Lufthansa at the St. Petersburg airport.

After receiving the registration number, you can leave the terminal. All you have to do is wait for your things to be found. By the way, the tear-off tag for your luggage remains in your hands. Be sure to save it. This will allow you to get a suitcase in the future.

At the Lost & Found counter you may be offered money to buy essentials. This is not the responsibility of the airline, but its good will.

Each carrier sets its own rules and amounts for this situation. You can find out more information at the Lost & Found counter or on the airline’s website.

If suddenly payments are not provided, save all receipts from purchases of essential items. Then on the airline’s website you can apply for compensation for this amount.

When will luggage be returned?

If your suitcases did not have time to transfer with you during the connection, they will be picked up on the next plane operating a similar flight and delivered to your hotel free of charge.

Free delivery of delayed luggage is the responsibility of the airline.

WorldTracer tracks luggage for 100 days. After this, it is considered lost.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated June 28, 2007 No. 82, art. 154, luggage is considered delayed for 21 days. After this, it receives the status of lost. On the 22nd day you need to write a claim to the airline for compensation. The claim is written in free form; it can be submitted either in person at the airline office or through the website. Don’t forget to indicate your full name, contact information, and attach copies of documents: baggage and boarding passes, baggage loss report, WorldTracer registration number.

What to do if your suitcase is damaged

The suitcase still arrived with you, but it was clearly damaged during transportation: there are deep chips, the wheels or handle are broken off. In this case, the Lost & Found service staff will help you again. They must register the fact of luggage damage and draw up a damage report in two copies, one of which will remain at the airport, and the second will be given to you.

Then find your airline representatives at the airport building. If you can’t find it yourself, contact the airport staff: they will help you.

You will need to fill out a claim form with the airline representative. In addition to the standard full name, mail address, telephone and flight numbers, there should be a detailed description of the damage to the luggage and the amount for which you are claiming.

A receipt for the purchase of the suitcase will help confirm this amount. A copy of this can be sent to the airline later.

The airline representative will make copies of your claim, boarding documents and the baggage damage report that the airport employee previously gave you. Now you have to be patient and wait for a solution.

In the future, the airline may ask you to provide a receipt for payment for the repair of the suitcase or a certificate of impossibility of repair. The act is written in free form; any workshop can issue it.

How much will they pay for lost or damaged luggage?

The law doesn't care whether your suitcase was lost or simply damaged. The maximum amounts are the same.

Payments for international flights

More than 120 countries (the Russian Federation is among them) have joined the Montreal Convention for the Unification of Rules for Air Transport Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, which determines the amount of compensation.

The amount of compensation is calculated in artificial means of payment - special drawing rights (SDR). Their rate is based on a basket of five currencies: dollar, euro, yen, Chinese yuan and pound sterling - and changes daily. The cost of 1 SDR can be viewed on the International Monetary Fund website or use an online calculator.

In case of loss, delay or damage to baggage, the airline is obliged to pay up to 1,000 SDR.

The maximum you can get is about 83,000 rubles. You need to understand that the airline will try to reduce this amount as much as possible. The clause in the convention “up to 1,000 SDRs” gives it this right.

Payments for domestic flights

If a suitcase is lost or damaged during a flight within the Russian Federation, then the amount of compensation is determined by the Air Code Air Code of the Russian Federation, art. 119. The amounts are much more modest and depend on the weight of the lost suitcase. You will receive 600 rubles for each kilogram of luggage and up to 11,000 rubles for damage or loss of hand luggage.

Baggage with declared value

These rules do not apply to baggage with declared value. You can declare value on both international and domestic flights. You will have to pay for this (each carrier determines the amount of the fee independently). But if your bags are lost or damaged, you will receive the amount you indicated during registration.

No airline will refund money for expensive equipment, jewelry or securities checked in as baggage. According to transportation rules, these items must travel in hand luggage.

Suitcases hung with old tags look extremely romantic. But if you want to see the luggage on the belt, help the scanners and peel off the old barcodes.
Buy a luggage tag if your suitcase does not have a built-in one, and take the time to fill it out. This will significantly reduce the time it takes to find your luggage.
If you are flying to a business event, put a decent jacket and trousers in your hand luggage (how to do this without things getting wrinkled, Lifehacker). Even if your suitcase is late, you will have spare clothes and you won’t have to blush in front of your partners for looking like pajamas.
Take photos of the things you put in your suitcase. This will speed up the preparation of an inventory of missing property.
Make the suitcase more visible so that it is not taken from the belt by mistake. A bright belt or a special case will help you here.
Arrive at the airport early. This will save your effort and nerves during check-in, and will give the baggage handlers extra time if it suddenly turns out that your luggage was sent to the wrong plane.
When checking in for your flight, place the baggage tag on the back of your ticket if an airport employee has not done so before you.

Have you ever lost your luggage? How much did you manage to get? Or do you prefer to travel light and make do with hand luggage? Tell us about it in the comments!