How to find lost luggage. What to do if you lost your luggage. Why is luggage lost?

There are many cases when passengers lost luggage during the flight. In the event of such a situation, first of all, contact a special registration desk with the inscription Lost & Found and write a statement. After that, the search will begin.

According to statistics, 13 units are lost per 1000 passengers. But 85% of what is lost is found and returned in the first 46 hours.

Where do they get luggage

Not all passengers know where to go after the landing of the liner and where to pick up their things.

IMPORTANT: in order not to get lost, follow the rest of the passengers.

1. We pass passport control.
2. We go to the baggage claim. The number of the tape and the number of the arriving flight are written on the scoreboard (it is indicated on the boarding pass). If you did not find the suitcase, first make sure you are at the right tape.
3. Suitcases and bags that were not taken from the belt are unloaded by airport employees at the final destination. Take a close look there again, in case you missed your stuff.

IMPORTANT: airports and airlines have their own rules. Often, for example, strollers, bulky or fragile goods are issued elsewhere. Check with the staff at the airport of arrival for such nuances.

What to do if you lost your luggage

If you still haven't found your suitcase, take the following steps:

1. Go to the counter labeled Lost & Found. It should be located in the field of view in the hall where the issuing tape is located. Look around carefully. If not found, ask the airport employee. If such a counter is not provided, contact the airline representatives.
2. Write a written request to find lost luggage. Sometimes you need to write a letter in free form, sometimes special forms are issued. If you are abroad, the form must be completed in English.
3. Wait. You will be called from the airport. Often the lost cargo is located and delivered to the owner within 46 hours.

IMPORTANT: the baggage is the responsibility of the airline that checked it in and loaded it on the plane.

How to write an application

The application is made on a ready-made form, where you need to specify personal data and describe the suitcase. The process is not complicated. Pictures and images are provided to help. Therefore, you can fill out the form even in a foreign language. So, provide the following information:

• surname, name and patronymic of the registered owner;
• contact details for communication (address, phone, e-mail);
• route and flight number on which you arrived;
• data from the baggage tag, which is attached to the boarding pass;
• description (variants of drawings are offered, choose the most similar to yours). Color, size, shape, special signs are marked with a tick in the proposed list. Describe in detail the appearance of the suitcase in the additional information line;
• description of the contents of the suitcase. Sometimes you need to describe 2 - 3 things that were in your luggage in order to identify it. Specify unusual items with special features. It is important to leave the address of the place where you will live during the search, so that things can be delivered to you when they find it.

The application is made in two copies. You will be given a special identification number by which you can track the status of the search via the Internet on the airline's website or through the World Tracer world search service. In addition, get a phone number from Lost & Found to call them if necessary for clarification.

Why is luggage lost?

Suitcases are often lost due to a mistake made by airport staff. But sometimes the passengers themselves are to blame.

1. The passenger is not looking there. If you mistakenly stood at the wrong tape, or did not know that the item was issued in the large-size department, it falls into the number of unclaimed items after standing idle at the pick-up point.
2. The suitcases are mixed up. Another passenger took your bag by mistake.
3. Tag loss. A special adhesive tag is attached to each suitcase. If it is not secured securely and is lost, the luggage will be sorted as lost during unloading.
4. Short flight connection time. If you are flying with transfers, and the connection time is 1 hour or less, airport employees may not have time to transfer cargo to another aircraft.
5. The mistake of the loaders, who accidentally threw the suitcase in the wrong place, and therefore instead of France it ended up in Turkey.
6. If your baggage has tags from previous trips, a scan error may occur and the suitcase will then be sent in a different direction.

How to find lost luggage

Major airports work with an international search system. The data from the application is entered into a single database, and the search for compliance with the data on unclaimed baggage begins. If a match is found, Lost & Found employees find out where the suitcase is. Then they notify the passenger and report the estimated time of arrival at the airport of the desired country. Such things are sent by the next flight and delivered in 1 - 3 days. Upon arrival at your destination, the airport staff will contact you to discuss the method of its delivery in two ways: either you come to the airport and pick it up, or you are delivered to the specified address at the expense of the airline.

Do not rely on search service workers, you may not get a call. Therefore, check the search status through the official World Tracer website. To do this, on the page that opens, enter the search act number and full name.

Or call the airport search service and specify the necessary information. In addition, you can monitor searches through the website of the airline that lost the suitcase (relevant for Russian airlines).

IMPORTANT: according to the rules of some airlines, it is required to write an additional letter with a request to deliver things to you at the specified address. Otherwise, they will wait for you at the airport until you pick it up.

According to international standards, 21 days are allotted to search for luggage. If during this period it was not found, it is considered irretrievably lost. In this case, you should think about getting compensation.

Lost luggage compensation

An application for compensation is submitted to the airline that lost the luggage. The term for filing a claim is 2 years from the date of registration of the loss. The amount of compensation depends on which convention the country of the air carrier is in: Warsaw or Montreal.

• According to the rules of the Warsaw Agreement, compensation for luggage is provided in the amount of $17 per kilogram. If the suitcase is not weighed, the weight is automatically estimated at 35 kg.
• according to the rules of the Montreal Convention, compensation is a maximum of 1000 conventional units for one piece of baggage, which is equal to 1200 - 1300 euros (the exchange rate is calculated within each airline individually).

Russia works under the Warsaw Convention.

IMPORTANT: if you estimate the value of the lost item above the proposed amount of compensation, you will have to go to court with evidence.

If you agree with the proposed amount of compensation, you will need to provide the following documents to receive:

1. Statement.
2. The passport.
3. Boarding pass.
4. Baggage tag.
5. The number of the baggage search report.
6. Requisites for the transfer of reimbursed funds.

In addition, if the suitcase is lost, compensation is due. Money spent to buy essentials (shampoo, soap, toothpaste, brush, comb, etc.). This will require checks.

If you had to buy an expensive item, for example, a business suit for an important meeting, the issue of compensation is resolved individually. If it is proved that you need the purchase and it was made involuntarily, the airline will offer two compensation options: you keep the item for yourself and receive a refund of 50% of the cost, or you hand over the item to the company and receive a 100% refund.

IMPORTANT: in addition to the loss of luggage, airlines provide compensation for damage to things, partial theft, breakage of a suitcase, inconvenience caused (payment for a forcedly rented hotel room, payment for travel to the airport for your luggage, etc.). You need to keep checks, then present them to the airline. If she refuses to reimburse the funds, the issue is resolved through the court.

Where do lost luggage go?

According to statistics, up to 10,000 unclaimed items are found annually at Russian airports. Most often, these are prohibited items that are confiscated from passengers when boarding a plane. You can come back for them later. This includes unclaimed baggage. People often forget bags, things, then do not return.

First, such things fall into a special room for unclaimed baggage. Each airport has two of them: for things forgotten during domestic flights, and for items found at international terminals. Here things are stored for 30 days.

If after this time the owner has not shown up, they are transferred to a special storage room for up to 6 months. Then they are disposed of, or sold in commission stores, if the thing is new and with a label. This approach is due to the fact that storing unclaimed things is too expensive.

Some of the suitcases from international airports end up in the Scottsboro American store in Alabama. This is the only store in the world that buys unclaimed baggage for resale.

To minimize the risk of such a problem affecting you, take a few simple precautions.

1. Keep the receipt for the purchased suitcase and other things that you bought on the trip.
2. After each trip, remove stickers and tags from your suitcase, even the smallest ones. They confuse automated scanning when sorting.
3. Be sure to attach a name tag with contact details to your suitcase (preferably in a foreign language for an international flight). So it will be found faster if it suddenly gets lost. Indicate your full name, phone number, address of permanent residence, hotel, duration of stay in a foreign country and date of return to your homeland.
4. When registering, carefully monitor whether the operator has attached the correct tag to your bag.
5. If you are flying with transfers, check with the operator where the luggage is checked in. Sometimes you have to get a suitcase at the dock, and then return it again.
6. Make your bag stand out. Choose a suitcase with a pattern or a bright color, attach an identification mark to the handle in the form of a ribbon, bow, etc.
7. If you are carrying expensive items, buy an additional service such as luggage insurance.

Even with caution, unforeseen situations arise suddenly. If you lost your baggage during the flight, do not panic, contact the Lost & Found search service and draw up an act. Remember, 90% of things are found in the first two or three days and returned to the owner.

09.08.2018, 08:02 31496

Nightmare: upon arrival at the airport, you are horrified to find that your luggage is not there. We assure you, there is no need to panic in this case. We wrote in detail about that, so we will not dwell on this moment. But we will tell you about the new online baggage tracking service. Fortunately, such a service has appeared, which has added convenience and peace of mind to passengers. International search system World Tracer

World Tracer is the world's only dedicated baggage tracking and tracing system developed by SITA IT company.

How the search engine works

If you have not received your baggage upon arrival at the airport, you will need to fill out a special Property Irregularity Report (PIR) form. Here you will need to specify:

• passenger data
• flight data
• describe the baggage in detail (appearance: color, shape, size, distinctive features, etc.).

Responsible airline employees enter this data into the World Tracer search system, and they enter a single database. At airports using this system (there are about 3 thousand of them), information about unclaimed baggage is compared. If the data of the lost and found luggage match, it is sent to the owner at the specified temporary address of his location or at the address of his permanent residence.

Where to apply to fill in the act of delay / loss of baggage

To fill out a lost baggage report you need to go to the Lost & Found counter. It is available at almost every airport and is located in the baggage claim hall or right next to the exit from it.

If this is a small, regional airport, then there may not be such a counter, in this case about contact an airline representative which you flew or to the airport authority.

Attention! This must be done before you leave the terminal or airport.

You can track your baggage on the airline's website. Find a special form there and enter into it:

1. Surname,
2. A ten-digit identification number in the format AABBXXXXX, where AAA is the airport code, BB is the airline code, and XXXXX is the 5-digit tracking number. For example: ATLXS12155.

After entering the data, the current location of your things and the estimated time of their arrival will be displayed.

The system tracks baggage for 100 days, after this period it can be considered irretrievably lost.

For reference

Baggage is considered lost if it is not delivered within 21 days after arrival. Until that time, he is considered detained. .

Those agonizing moments of waiting. Everyone has already dispersed, and you are standing and peering into the blackness. Into the blackness of the rubber bands from which your luggage should appear. The thought flashes through my head: “Loss of luggage at the airport. How to live with it? But half an hour has already passed and it seems that even if you are just here for ages, nothing will change. What to do if luggage is lost and where to run if you are the owner of that very lost luggage?

How to check in luggage correctly

You have arrived at the airport and the first thing you need to do is find out where your check-in counter is. This can be seen on a large electronic scoreboard at the airport. When you get to the counter, you can check in your luggage. On any flights, the weight of baggage is governed by general rules. There are exceptions, so it is best to check with the airline for baggage allowance.

Overload is charged separately. If you are bringing fragile items, you can ask for a “Fragile” tag at the front desk. Regarding sports equipment and musical instruments, baby carriages: you can take them into the cabin or check them in baggage in excess of the established norm.

Also, initially try to buy a suitcase of an unusual color in order to immediately recognize it on the issuance belt and so that there is no loss of luggage at the airport. Or you can attach a ribbon or some recognizable detail to the suitcase. It is possible to provide a suitcase with a card with your personal data. If your luggage is lost at the airport, it will be easier to find it. After registering at the counter, the suitcase will float far away, and you will meet it only upon receipt.

Flights with transfers

Proper check-in of baggage is very important when flying with transfers. If connecting flights is not an independent matter, but simply tickets were bought for a route with transfers, then there is nothing to worry about. At the check-in desk, simply remind the airport staff that your flight has multiple connections and that you are worried about the loss of your luggage by the airline. Baggage in this case is transferred automatically.

There may be exceptions. The likelihood of losing luggage at the airport increases if:

1. The airport does not provide direct transfers between flights of the same airline. Baggage will have to be collected and checked in at the transfer baggage site.
2. There is no agreement between partner airlines. You will be warned about this at the check-in desk and at the docking point you will have to check in and receive your luggage again.
3. If there is an agreement between the countries of travel on the declaration of prohibited items. Baggage is received at the transit point, and checked in at the transfer baggage counter. If this is not done, then the loss of luggage at the airport will be your fault.

Loss of luggage at the airport can happen if you have two different tickets for different flights. You will collect your luggage at the airport of arrival and will recheck it in and check it in for your next flight. Please do not forget to do this, otherwise you yourself will become the cause of the loss of baggage by the airline.

Baggage collection at the airport

You will pick up your luggage at the baggage carousel. The tape number lights up on a special board, just like your flight number before the flight. Go to her and calmly wait until he leaves to meet you with open arms.

The worst thing: the airline lost luggage - what to do

What to do? And how to find lost luggage? For starters, don't panic. Airline baggage loss is not the end of the world. Calmly go to the counter with the inscription “Lost & Found” and draw up a report on the loss of luggage. The application will need to indicate passport data, which airline lost the luggage, data from the luggage tag (it is attached to your ticket) and describe the suitcase. How to find lost luggage if you don’t see such a rack around? Contact the representative of the airport or the employees of the air carrier and write a claim that the airline has lost luggage. Based on your application, a luggage search will be organized.

How to find lost luggage will be prompted by the data of the international World Tracer system. Your belongings will be searched by tag numbers and among luggage that has not been picked up at other airports.

If they can't find it that way, they will look for it according to your description. Search will be 21 days. When it is found, it will be sent to the nearest airport to you. Some air carriers are ready to deliver luggage to your address, but for this you need to write a letter with a request. Until then, the baggage will be with the carrier.

Lost luggage compensation

All the tears have been shed, and yet the airline has lost luggage. And 21 days have passed, and the letter with the request to the airline has gone. It's time to claim compensation for lost luggage.

Usually the loss of baggage by the airline is the fault of the sorters at the airport. Each kilogram of baggage is paid in the amount of 600 rubles in the territory of the Russian Federation. In the west, in case of lost baggage, the airline pays about $20 per kilogram of lost cargo. The amount of compensation for lost luggage can be fixed. If you are carrying valuable equipment, jewelry, or just expensive things, then it is better to declare them and pay a fee. In this case, if the baggage is lost, then at least with the help of compensation for the lost baggage you will return all the money to yourself.

By the way, some airlines offer compensation for lost baggage and compensation for waiting for cargo. What should I do if my luggage is lost and there are no things at all? Check with the airline if they don't give out small sets of luggageless passengers: socks, toothbrushes, toothpaste, razor, soap.

Sometimes, if the airline has lost luggage, the purchase of essentials is paid. But not more than $250. You can file a complaint against the airline for lost baggage within 18 months from the date of loss. If the airline does not respond in any way and does not want to pay compensation for the lost baggage, then you have the right to go to court. A claim that baggage is lost at the airport can be submitted to the airline within two years. The claim must be accompanied by all original documents that confirm that the baggage was lost at the airport and you are entitled to a refund, an itinerary receipt, a baggage receipt, a tag and other documents that can expedite the consideration of your claim.

• To prevent your baggage from being lost, do not leave tags from previous flights on it.
• The chance that your luggage will be lost increases if you make several flights on the same day.
• If you are a transfer passenger, please remind us of this when checking in for your second flight and show the baggage tags issued to you.

Finally: 90% of passengers who lost their luggage find it in just two days.