Lost, damaged or delayed luggage?

What should I do if my luggage doesn’t arrive?

• Complete a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the relevant baggage claims desk, typically located in the baggage reclaim area. Provide details of your bag and keep a copy for yourself
• Keep your boarding card and the baggage tags.
• Enquire about the air carrier’s daily allowance policy, if applicable.
• Request the contact details of the baggage department and ask if there is any online tracer system available to check the status of your bag.
• Keep receipts for all necessary expenses resulting from the delay of your bag.

Unless the airline admits the loss of the checked baggage at an earlier stage, checked baggage is considered ‘lost’ if it has not arrived at the end of 21 days from the date it was supposed to have arrived.

You can then write to the airline to claim compensation. You have to prove the extent of the loss. In order to avoid unnecessary delays, we recommend you to enclose with your letter copies of your booking confirmation, boarding card, baggage tags, the PIR, a list of contents and supportive receipts for the items lost.

You can claim compensation if your checked baggage is damaged or destroyed. However, the compensation is not awarded automatically and you may be required to prove the extent of the loss, e.g. receipts for damaged items.

We recommend the following steps:

• Inspect your checked baggage on collection and, if damaged, complete a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the relevant baggage claims desk, typically located in the baggage reclaim area. The PIR must indicate the damages observed.
• Keep your boarding card, the baggage tags and a copy of the PIR. Gather evidence of damage – e.g. take photographs, confirmation from an independent source stating that the baggage is damaged beyond repair or an estimate for repairs. Receipts for any items damaged or destroyed are also useful.

You only have 7 days from the date of the receipt of the damaged luggage to submit a written claim for compensation.