Airlines around the world have been struggling with the problem of lost luggage for many years. It causes a lot of inconvenience to passengers and significantly reduces the popularity rating of the respective air carriers, which brings them colossal financial losses.
But no matter how modern the methods of servicing, registering, packing and transporting luggage are, its loss is still quite common. This does not mean that every flight must necessarily be accompanied by lost luggage.
The constant flow of passengers and the human factor are doing their job. After all, people work with luggage, and they tend to make mistakes. In most cases, luggage is still found, but passengers receive it later than they would like, and air carriers have to pay dearly for their mistakes.
General rules and actions in case of lost luggage
Almost every international airport has a special baggage search counter, the so-called Lost & Found. This is where a passenger who has not been able to wait for his luggage should turn first.
The next step is to fill out a luggage search report, in which you should indicate all the external features of the travel bag or suitcase: color, size, shape, type of suitcase, handles, wheels, material and, of course, information about the name tag.
The airline representative will require the passenger to present a tear-off baggage tag slip - it is usually glued to the cover of the ticket. The search report must be filled out in duplicate. One will remain with the filling passenger, and the second will be sent to the airline management for consideration. It is better to get a contact number from one of the employees to be aware of the search process.
The most common reason for lost luggage is that the small tag that is attached to the bag during check-in has come off. Usually the passenger himself is responsible for the quality of its sticking, so you should take this seriously. The better you attach this tag to your luggage, the fewer problems you will have.
The label contains all the necessary information about the owner of the baggage and the flight to which it belongs. One can only imagine how confused airport workers are if they receive a travel bag without any markings. Such cargo is transferred to the Lost & Found service, where it patiently waits for its owner. It’s good if the tag came off at the point of departure or landing, and not during one of the stages of transfer. Then it will be much more difficult to find him.
Many international airlines connect to the global baggage search system - World Tracer. It works by searching for matches between the passenger's request and notifications about found luggage. A printout containing the request number is given to the passenger, and when the system finds the lost baggage, airline employees contact him and make an appointment. He can pick up his things by presenting a printout.
The airline has 3 weeks to find the loss. If during this time the employees are unable to find the luggage, the fact of theft or loss is recognized, and the company is forced to compensate the owner for losses. As a rule, luggage is found within five days from the date of filing the application.. If not, the passenger is asked to make a detailed list of the items contained in it. This technique is successful in 99% of cases.
Compensation for lost luggage
So, first of all, every passenger must understand that the airline is not obliged to compensate the cost of baggage in full. According to the law, for every kilogram of weight there is compensation in the amount of 20 dollars, regardless of how much and what kind of things you had there. A baggage pass is attached to it, upon presentation of which the passenger has the right to receive compensation for the weight of baggage indicated there. If it happens that his bag was not weighed, the average value is taken - 35 kg.
Passengers can express all their dissatisfaction with disagreement with the amount of payments at the main office of the airline. In rare cases, people have been able to achieve financial compensation of $5,000. In general, you should always remember that in cases of lost luggage, air carriers are not responsible for the safety of jewelry and expensive equipment, so they advise transporting such things in the cabin as hand luggage. If it is the hand luggage that is lost, then the airline is obliged to pay the passenger about $400.
Well, we’ve sorted that out, but who should you turn to for help and financial support if your lost luggage is not found right away?
If you happen to find yourself in a similar situation in an unfamiliar country, then feel free to go to the main office of the airline that provided your transportation. You shouldn't expect a significant refund, but you'll definitely get around $50 to buy essentials. In cases of unsuccessful search for luggage, you should contact the same place for payment.
All the above details regarding compensation for lost luggage apply to all international airlines. If you flew on an Aeroflot flight, then you should contact the baggage tracing service with all your claims, and the details of possible compensation will be accepted in accordance with the aviation legislation of the Russian Federation. Most likely, when your luggage is found, you will have to come to the appropriate airport service to pick it up in person.
If the carrier was Transaero airline, then you should contact its relevant services for help. The main thing is to have luggage receipts with you, without which there can be no talk of compensation. The passenger can receive a refund in the amount of the declared value of their belongings if the total cost does not exceed 600 rubles per kilogram. The maximum amount of compensation for hand luggage is 11 thousand rubles. For international transportation - 20 dollars per kilogram of weight and 400 for hand luggage, as stated above.
As for huge international airlines such as Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways, they are among the top ten airlines in the world that most often lose luggage. The amounts of compensation for such a loss are different from those paid by Transaero on international flights. The Warsaw Convention and the regulations that were adopted there are responsible for this similarity.
However, there are also other airlines that take their passengers' luggage very seriously. Consequently, the size of their compensation payments is much larger. For example, the American company Northwest/Southwest pays its passengers $50 on the first day, and if the luggage cannot be found within a week, they pay another $150. Continental Airlines pays its passengers at least $250 if their luggage is not found on the first day.
One of the most successful airlines in the world in terms of baggage problems is the Israeli company “El Al”, which has only 9 problematic situations with baggage per thousand passengers.
Airport compensation
If your luggage is lost at the airport, the passenger's procedure completely coincides with his actions in cases of lost luggage on a flight. You need to contact the baggage search service, and if there is none, then draw up a corresponding search report with the administration. The carrier airline whose services you used will be responsible for searching your luggage. The airport itself is not responsible for your luggage and its safety, but each of them is basic for some airline.
For example, Vnukovo airport is served by RusJet airlines, Pulkovo airport is considered the base airport for companies such as Ural Airlines and Transaero, and Domodedovo is served by airlines such as Transaero, S7, Moskovia ”, “RusLine” and others. However, this does not mean that other airlines cannot take off and land at these airports. In any case, responsibility for safety and timely delivery will always rest with the air carrier you choose.
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 representatives of your airline 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 and 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 decision.
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!
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 of the 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.
