What to do if your luggage is lost at the airport?

Didn't find your suitcase on the carousel after landing? Let's answer right away: this is no reason to panic. Usually, there are two reasons for the delay: it is brought out long after the plane's arrival, or your luggage falls into the oversized category. This includes strollers, overweight suitcases, and fragile items. In such cases, you need to look for it not on the carousel, but in the oversized baggage claim department. 

If your suitcase is not found or is found damaged, do the following: 

• go to the Lost & Found office. Ask about its location at any airport check-in counter, if you can't find it yourself. If your arrival airport is regional, there might not be a Lost & Found office. In that case, you should contact representatives of the airline you flew with;
• contact an employee to file a report of loss or damage;
• after filing the report, ask for a copy to give to the airline staff. This is very important: without a copy of the report, you can easily be denied compensation. 

All that remains is to wait for a response from the airline and the return of your luggage

What compensation can a passenger receive

Some passengers are far-sighted: before departure, they use the paid service "Declaration of cargo value". It is important that the declared value of the luggage is not greater than its actual cost. 

I lost my suitcase in Russia 

If you did not declare the value before departure, the airline will rely on the cost of the lost luggage. It amounts to no more than 600 rubles per 1 kg of weight. 

I lost my luggage abroad

Russia usually relies on the Montreal Convention (Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air). It also specifies compensation for cases when a flight is canceled or there is a flight delay.

To calculate compensation, an artificial payment instrument issued by the International Monetary Fund is used — Special Drawing Rights or SDRs. Their exchange rate changes daily, so you need to track it on a specific day on the Central Bank of Russia's website. According to the Montreal Convention, you can expect compensation of 1,000 SDRs. 

If you flew with an airline registered abroad, compensation will be calculated according to the rules of the Warsaw Convention: 17 SDRs per 1 kg of weight. 

How long does luggage search last

The search continues for 21 days after the flight. When this period ends, the luggage is considered lost. That's when you can file a claim with the airline: the application must be handwritten and sent by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt. 

A claim can be filed within six months if you flew on a domestic flight. The period for international flights increases threefold and is up to 18 months. 

How to properly fill out the application

• surname, first name, and patronymic;
• mobile phone number;
• residential address;
• flight number and route;
• description of the lost suitcase: dimensions, color, weight, other important details that will help find your luggage faster; 
• refund amount with justifications (receipts for the purchase of expensive items that were inside the suitcase);
• bank details for transfer.

The following documents will also be required to submit a claim: 

• passport copy;
• ticket payment receipt;
• copy of the Property Irregularity Report (PIR);
• original baggage claim tag, label, and ticket stub;
• receipts for the purchase of expensive items that were in the suitcase. If you do not have such paper/electronic receipts, unfortunately, your money will not be refunded. 

The claim will be reviewed within 30 calendar days. If you do not receive a response after this period, you can file a lawsuit in court. 

What to do if your luggage is damaged

If you receive your belongings and notice damage, we recommend documenting everything with photos immediately. After that, also contact the Lost & Found office or the Baggage Claim counter. Then do the following:

• obtain a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) form from an employee; 
• describe all damages in detail on the form; 
• fill out the PIR report in duplicate. One copy will be needed by airport services, and the second will remain with you as additional proof (besides photos) of dents and damage;

A claim for damage is filed in the same way as a loss report. Also attach the baggage claim tag, labels, and ticket stub to the PIR report. 

If you want to thoroughly inspect all "injuries" and calculate the loss, you can do so at home. However, we advise against delaying the time of appeal. Upon arrival from abroad, a claim must be filed within seven days; for Russian airlines, it's within six months. 

What if I forget my suitcase or bag at the airport

"Unaccompanied" luggage is immediately sent to the Lost & Found office. So, upon returning home, don't panic, but go back to the airport for your treasure. Sometimes airport staff find the suitcase right away and can call you if it has a tag. 

If the owner of the suitcase does not come forward within ten days, airport staff open the luggage, make a detailed inventory of its contents, and draw up a special statement. It is posted on the official international search service website World Tracer. This platform is used by about 2,000 airports worldwide. 

To find your suitcase, you need to enter your surname and identification number in the format AAABBNNNNN, where AAA is the airport code, BB is the airline code, and NNNNN is a five-digit tracking number, for example, ATLXS13166. You will receive this number after filling out the report at the Lost & Found service.

Keep one important detail: if your item ends up in the Lost & Found office, you will have to pay for its storage. The price usually starts from 60 rubles per day for one item. Lost suitcases are stored for three to six months. 

What to do if you forgot something on the plane

Spoiler: after exiting the plane, no one will let you back in. Flight attendants usually check the cabin themselves and hand over items to the Lost & Found office. 

If you discover at the airport that you've forgotten items, you can try your luck and contact representatives of the airline you flew with. However, the probability of such luck is quite low, so you will definitely have to search at the Lost & Found office. 

To retrieve your items, the following evidence is required:

• passport;
• airline ticket;
• description of the circumstances of loss and the items themselves;
• proof that the items are indeed yours;

So, we've covered lost and found items at the airport. We wish you to be among the first to receive your luggage, safe and sound!