The £1,000 claimback: What to do if your holiday luggage goes missing

Sky News

20 hours ago

Holidays are supposed to be a time to relax and unwind, but sometimes things don't go to plan and you're left without your luggage.
It can be a nightmare that threatens to ruin any trip.
If the worst does happen, here's what you can do about it:
Before flying
There are steps you can proactively take to help yourself if your luggage is lost before you even get to the airport.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) advises travellers to label their luggage with their name, email and address to help with identifying and returning it.
It can help if these are also inside your luggage, in case of damage.
Step one: Report it
Once you realise your luggage is missing, report it to your airline straight away.
If you're in the airport, find the baggage or customer service desk.
If not, you can usually report lost luggage through an airline's website.
You'll also need to fill out a property irregularity report (PIR), a document filed when baggage is lost, delayed or damaged.
It's important that this is done as soon as possible to get your baggage back quickly and because there are often various deadlines for getting money back that could come into play.
These include:
Damaged luggage - you need to claim within seven days after receiving your bag;
Missing or damaged contents - you need to claim within seven days after receiving your bag;
Delayed or missing luggage - 21 days after the flight;
Lost luggage (which is officially declared lost after 21 days) - as soon as possible after the 21-day period.
Keep any copies of your PIR and communication about the lost luggage.
To complete the PIR, you'll need:
Information about your flight (flight number and itinerary);
A detailed description of your luggage;
Contact details;
A delivery address.
You will then be given a PIR reference number.
Step two: Get help with holiday essentials
If you're heading out on holiday, lost luggage means you're suddenly without almost all of your accessible possessions.
Airlines will reimburse you for the bare essentials while your bag is lost or delayed in the short term.
The bare essentials can include toiletries, basic clothing, medication and baby items.
This initial help obviously comes before any eventual claims over lost luggage, should your bags not turn up at all.
But if you're heading home, the CAA warns an airline may consider your losses to be worth less because you have other essentials available to you - in short, you'll get less money.
Some airlines have a daily rate they pay you when a bag is delayed or lost.
Step three: Claim compensation
Hopefully, in the meantime, the airline has been using the PIR reference number to track down your lost baggage.
But if this isn't possible, you'll want to claim compensation.
It's best to do this as soon as possible after 21 days are up - after which, your missing luggage is officially declared lost.
Once again, the onus will be on you to provide all the information and proof of your (now lost) baggage and its value.
The exact details required may differ between airlines, but generally they'll ask for the following:
Your flight details;
Proof you reported it (good thing you kept a hold of a copy of that PIR and other communication with the airline);
Receipts for things you had to buy because of the lost luggage;
Proof of purchase for lost or damaged things that were in the baggage (this can be receipts, card statements etc);
Photos of any damaged luggage (if you're lucky enough to have gotten any of it back).
How much can you claim back?
The Montreal Convention is a treaty responsible for governing international air travel adopted in 1999 - it will be your best friend if your luggage is lost.
Under it, airlines are liable for lost, damaged and delayed baggage.
You should write to your airline, according to Citizens Advice, referencing the convention.
"In your letter, say you're 'claiming compensation under the Montreal Convention' - this will show the airline that you know your rights," the advice says.
You'll likely only be able to claim a maximum of £1,000, Citizens Advice adds (though this can fluctuate depending on currency values).
What if the airline isn't playing ball?
The first step is to complain to the Civil Aviation Authority - use the form on the CAA website.
here to see if an airline is or not.