Is your baggage delayed or lost?

You are not alone. Thousands of air passengers experience this every year. The good thing is that there are laws protecting your rights, and in some situations, you can even get baggage compensation from the airline — lost baggage compensation. All thanks to the Montreal Convention, a law that most of the airlines around the world have agreed to follow.

Let’s go into more details about passenger rights.

1. What Happens With Baggage on Connecting Flights?

There are two most common scenarios.

1. If it’s a protected connecting flight, baggage transfer is done by the airline. All you have to do is check in baggage once, and then collect it at the end of the trip. In by far most situations, you don’t have to collect baggage between flights. That includes connecting flights with different airlines.
2. If it’s a self-transfer flight, you do the baggage transfer. In short, it’s exactly the opposite of what you experience on protected connecting flights. You collect baggage after every single flight, and you also have to check it in for every single flight on your itinerary. It’s less convenient, and you are less protected on self-transfer flights. 

Flying with different airlines? Baggage rules are the same.

We have a separate step-by-step guide on connecting flight baggage transfer. There we talk more about checked baggage rules on different types of connecting flights.

2. Delayed Baggage on Connecting Flights

You are flying with checked-in baggage, and the bag is delayed.

It hasn’t arrived, and you don’t know why. It’s also possible that you have lost baggage at the airport. The Montreal Convention has a clear definition of lost baggage and what is the airline’s (which lost baggage) liability.

2.1 Lost or Delayed Baggage?

Is your baggage delayed or lost?

At first, your baggage will be considered delayed. And then, if the bag isn’t found within 21 days, then it will be considered lost. An airline has 21 calendar days to locate missing baggage. It may take some more days, sometimes weeks, to execute the actual delivery of baggage. But the bag has to be found within 21 days — or, it’s considered lost.

If the carrier admits the loss of the checked baggage, or if the checked baggage has not arrived at the expiration of twenty-one days after the date on which it ought to have arrived, the passenger is entitled to enforce against the carrier the rights which flow from the contract of carriage.

The Montreal Convention

Has it been 21 days already? If yes — your bag is lost. And you may be entitled to lost baggage compensation from your airline.

2.2 What To Do If Your Baggage Is Delayed at the Airport?

What to do if your baggage hasn’t arrived with you?

First, don’t leave the baggage hall and report the loss.

It’s best to do it right away. If you know and you see on your boarding pass (and baggage tag attached to it) that this is where your bag must be, then make a report. Don’t forget that on airline-protected connecting flights, you have to collect checked baggage only at the final destination, not between flights.

1. Report baggage loss at the airport. To do so, go to the Baggage Office at the baggage hall. Mostly, you will find it somewhere near the baggage carousels. Show them your passport, boarding pass, and report the loss. Having a photo of your lost bag may turn out to be useful.
2. Keep tracking your lost bag online. More and more airlines now have special lost baggage tracking apps or websites. You will have to use a special tracking code there — they’ll give you one when you report the loss of your checked baggage.
3. Lost or delayed luggage? In many situations, delayed baggage is found within a day or two. If, however, you aren’t as lucky, and your baggage isn’t found even after 21 days, then… your baggage is lost. It will be considered lost, and most likely you won’t get it back anymore. At the same time, according to the Montreal Convention, you will have a right to lost baggage compensation. Contact the airline to make a baggage compensation claim.

A good travel insurance may be helpful too. Simply because it’s often easier to claim compensation for baggage from a travel insurance company than from an airline. Insurance may also cover some other related expenses (including all the inconvenience caused by delayed baggage, not only for lost baggage).

Many credit cards come with lost baggage insurance.

One example. You have a connecting flight with KLM. And your baggage is missing. You can use this KLM lost baggage tracking tool to keep track of your baggage. I found it here – www.klm.us/information/baggage/lost-baggage. But, of course, you have to register the loss of KLM baggage first.

2.3 Lost Baggage Compensation

After 21 days you have a right to baggage compensation.

You can get up to around €1,300 per passenger.

Learn more about it here, in our lost baggage guide.

3. Will the Airline Deliver the Delayed Baggage to You?

On connecting flights, yes.

The bag must be delivered directly to you.

If the airline has lost your baggage, and it hasn’t arrived on time, this is their obligation. They have to take it to the destination it was checked in for (your final destination), and where you are now. If you have already moved on to somewhere else, they still have an obligation to make the delivery.

It must be done at no extra cost for you.

What about self-transfer flights? See below.

4. Reimbursement of Expenses (Baggage Delay)

You can get reimbursement for expenses.

This applies to essentials that you are missing as a result of baggage delay. Things like a pair of flip-flops, a swimsuit, or a dress, if it’s a summer trip. Things that you had in your checked baggage, and need right now. If it’s a business trip, this could also include something more than basics, but be prepared to prove the reason of your trip and the contents of your bag. And, of course, save all your receipts — this applies to all situations and all baggage claims.

Getting reimbursement for expenses:

• You can submit all receipts to your airline. And wait.
• Or, you can contact your travel insurance company instead. This often is a much easier option, and less stressful option. It’s also yet another reason to purchase travel insurance.

Have you ever done it? Asked for reimbursement of expenses?

5. Delayed / Missing Baggage on Self-Transfer Flights

On self-transfer flights, you do the “baggage transfer”.

You collect baggage, and you recheck it for every flight.

Here are some of the most likely scenarios.

5.1 You Forgot About Baggage

You made a mistake at the airport.

You forgot to collect and recheck baggage.

As a result, your baggage got lost. That means that most likely you’ll have to take care of the baggage delivery and pay for it when it’s found. Contact the airport where you think you left your baggage, and arrange the delivery.

Right to reimbursement of expenses? No.

5.2 Your Bag Was Lost Between Flights (Airline’s Fault)

You had two flights, and after the first one, your bag was lost.

Or maybe you had a total of 3 flights. It doesn’t change anything.

You may do as you wish in a situation like this. You may decide to wait until baggage is found and delivered, at the same time skipping the next flight or flights. Take into account that it may take anything from a few hours up to several weeks until your baggage is found and delivered. You may also fly as planned and work on a solution remotely.

This is the airline’s fault – they lost baggage. They are responsible for this problem. But only for this one flight, their flight. It’s very likely that they won’t deliver it for free to some other, third city or country (only to the point of departure or the destination of this particular flight).

Right to reimbursement of expenses? Yes (if it takes more than a few hours to find and deliver baggage to the destination of this flight).

5.3 Your Bag Was Lost on the Last Flight (Airline’s Fault)

Still inconvenient, but likely a smaller one.

Especially if you are going to be there, in this city or country, for some time. It’s the airline’s fault, and they have to deliver the baggage. They have to handle this. Most likely, you will receive your bag in a day or two. Or in a few days. Most baggage delays are short. The more frequently the airline flies on this route, the greater the chance of a quick and easy resolution.

Right to reimbursement of expenses? Yes.

What is your experience with baggage on connecting flights? Baggage on self-transfer flights? Has your bag ever gone missing for a while or forever? How did the airline solve this? Did you receive baggage compensation?

Photo by Mikhail Nilov from Pexels