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Luggage did not arrive: checklist

What to do at the airport and afterwards: file before leaving the baggage hall, get the reference, describe the bag, keep receipts, tell the insurer, watch the deadlines.

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File the report before leaving the baggage hall
The baggage service desk is right there. Leaving and returning tomorrow is the slowest and costliest route.

A report filed on the spot starts the search immediately; one filed the next day starts it at a disadvantage.
Get the reference number and check the details
Delivery address, phone, description. An error in the address means the found bag goes somewhere else.
Describe the bag in detail
Colour, type, brand, stickers, straps, distinctive contents. That description is what they search by.
Photograph the report, the tag and your boarding pass
Paper gets lost on a trip; a photo does not. Capture the tag number close up too.
Ask about immediate expense cover
There is often an entitlement for essentials. Ask about the limit and what counts, rather than guessing.
Buy only essentials and keep the receipts
Toiletries, a change of clothes, the unavoidable. Reimbursement covers reasonable costs, not a new wardrobe.
Track the status by the reference number
And keep the correspondence. If the status does not change for days, follow up in writing, not only by phone.
Notify your insurer
The policy has its own deadlines and document list. It supplements the carrier's obligations rather than replacing them.
Report damage at the airport immediately The bag is damaged
Photograph the case before you take it away. A claim raised two days later is almost always rejected.

Damage not recorded at the airport cannot later be attributed to the journey — and that is the decisive point.
Arrange delivery to your address
Found luggage is usually delivered. Give the address where you will actually be and a phone that works locally.
Find out when the bag is officially considered lost
After that a different procedure starts with different documents. Claim deadlines are usually short.
For next time: keep essentials in the cabin
Medication, documents, chargers, a change of clothes, valuables. It turns lost luggage into an inconvenience.
For next time: label the bag inside and out
An outside tag tears off; a note inside stays. Remove old stickers: they confuse the sorting systems.
For next time: photograph the bag and its contents
One photo before the trip replaces half an hour of explaining at the desk and helps with the claim.

Most “lost” luggage is not lost but delayed

The majority of missing suitcases turn up within a few days: they went on the next flight, stayed at the connection or travelled the wrong route. But for that to happen quickly and at nobody’s cost but the airline’s, the report has to be filed at the airport — before you leave the baggage hall.

That is the step people skip: they head to the hotel planning to sort it out in the morning, and lose the simplest route.

At the airport, before leaving the baggage hall

Step	Why
Find the baggage service desk	The report is filed there and now
File a report and get the reference number	Nothing works later without it
Check the details in the report	Delivery address, phone, description of the bag
Photograph the report and the tag	Paper gets lost; a photo does not
Ask about immediate expenses	There is often an entitlement for essentials

Describe the bag in detail: colour, type, brand, stickers, straps, contents. That description is what they search by.

What comes next

Track the status by the reference number and keep all correspondence. Buy only what you need — toiletries, a change of clothes, the essentials — and keep the receipts. Reimbursement covers reasonable expenses rather than a new wardrobe.

If the bag is not found within the set period it is treated as lost, which is a different procedure with different documents and deadlines.

Damaged luggage

Damage is reported the same way: at the airport, immediately. Photograph the case before taking it home; a damage claim raised two days later is almost always rejected.

Reducing the risk in advance

Move into your cabin bag anything you cannot go two days without: medication, documents, chargers, a change of clothes, valuables. Label the bag inside and out, photograph it and its contents before the trip, remove old tags and add a tracker if you use one.

When it is all handled correctly

The report was filed at the airport, the reference number and a photo of it are saved, the status is tracked, essential purchases have receipts, the insurer is informed, and if the bag is not found, the compensation claim is filed on time.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if my luggage does not arrive?

File a report at the baggage desk before leaving the baggage hall, get the reference number, check the delivery address and describe the bag in detail. Then track the status, buy only essentials and keep the receipts: reimbursement covers reasonable, documented expenses.

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