Lost luggage claim: steps to take at the airport

A lost luggage claim starts at the airport, before you leave the building. Go to the baggage services desk of the airline that flew your last leg and ask for a Property Irregularity Report. Then keep your bag tag, track the case, and watch two deadlines: 7 days for damage and 21 days for delay.

This guide sets out the steps in order, so you know what to do if the carousel stops and your bag is not on it.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Baggage services (page as at 5 July 2022).

At the airport desk

Do not leave the baggage hall while your bag is missing. Qantas says that if your checked bag is not available on arrival, you need to lodge a Property Irregularity Report, known as a PIR. You can do it at the airport baggage services desk, or through the airline's online delayed baggage portal, as soon as possible.

Follow these steps at the desk.

1. Find the right airline. Qantas says that if the airline that operated your final flight is not Qantas, you need to lodge the report directly with that airline.
2. Keep your bag tags. Qantas says baggage tags should not be removed, because they are needed for a damaged bag claim.
3. Describe the bag. Give its colour, brand, size and any marks, and say where you will be staying so it can be delivered.
4. Ask for your case reference. Write it down. You will need it every time you check on your bag.

Bags have been going astray more often than usual this winter. On 11 July 2022, TravelMole reported that an outsourced baggage handler told the Guardian about one in ten bags on Qantas flights was being misplaced or not loaded in time. The report said Qantas domestic flights at Sydney were hit by a shortage of baggage handlers. So allow for delays, and pack a small bag of must-haves in your carry-on.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Baggage services (page as at 5 July 2022); TravelMole, Ten percent of bags not being loaded on Qantas' Sydney flights, 11 July 2022.

Track the bag and keep proof

Once you hold a case reference, use it. Qantas lets you create and manage a delayed baggage report online, and check the status of a report you have already lodged. Other airlines run similar tools, so ask the desk staff which one to use and write down the web address.

Keep a small folder of proof. It makes any later lost luggage claim much easier to back up. Put these in it:

• Your boarding pass and the ticket or booking number.
• The bag tag stubs.
• A copy of the report and the case reference.
• Receipts for items you had to buy while your bag was missing.
• Photos of a damaged bag, if that is the problem. Qantas says it will ask for photos of damaged items.

Check in with the airline every few days. If a bag turns up, ask the airline to confirm the delivery address in writing.

Sources for this section: Qantas, Baggage services (page as at 5 July 2022).

Deadlines that can end a claim

Time limits matter more than most travellers expect. They come from the Montreal Convention, the treaty that covers most international flights, and Australia is one of its member countries. Article 31 sets them.

The treaty says a complaint must be in writing and sent within these times. If no complaint is made in time, no action can be taken against the airline, except where the airline committed fraud. A PIR filed at the airport is a good start, but follow it with a written complaint so there is no doubt.

Qantas lists 7 days for damage on a trip that includes an international sector, and 3 days for a trip with no international sector. For a bag still not found after 21 days, it asks you to complete a lost baggage claim form by replying to the original email, so your details stay with your case reference. Check your own airline's page for its exact steps.

Sources for this section: Montreal Convention, Articles 17 and 31, as published by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Select Documents on International Affairs No. 47 (1999); Qantas, Baggage services (page as at 5 July 2022).

How much a lost luggage claim can pay

For international flights, the airline's liability for lost, damaged or delayed baggage is capped. The Convention first set the cap at 1,000 Special Drawing Rights for each passenger. The International Civil Aviation Organization reviewed the limits, and from 28 December 2019 the baggage figure is 1,288 SDRs for each passenger. SDRs are a unit of account used by the International Monetary Fund, so the value in dollars moves with exchange rates.

The cap is per passenger, not per bag. You can ask for more cover by making a special declaration of value when you check in and paying an extra fee. Without one, the cap applies.

The treaty covers international trips. For a flight inside Australia, the rules depend on national law and the airline's conditions of carriage. Qantas says its liability is limited in line with the relevant laws and its conditions. Read your airline's terms before you fly, and check what your travel insurance covers for baggage, as insurers set their own limits.

Airlines can refuse to pay for damage that comes from the nature of the bag itself, such as wear and tear. Qantas also says fragile and valuable items must not go in checked baggage, and it will use all available defences against claims for items packed against its conditions. Pack those in your carry-on. If your trip goes wrong in other ways, our guide to a cancelled flight overseas and our travel insurance guide cover the next steps.

Sources for this section: Montreal Convention, Articles 17 and 22 (DFAT, 1999); ICAO, Montreal Convention status list, limits effective 28 December 2019; Qantas, Baggage services (page as at 5 July 2022).

Sources

1. Qantas, Baggage services: qantas.com
2. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 28 May 1999): aph.gov.au
3. ICAO, Montreal Convention list of parties, with revised limits of liability: icao.int
4. TravelMole, Ten percent of bags not being loaded on Qantas' Sydney flights: travelmole.com