What to do in the event that your luggage is lost?

Ask for the Property Irregularity Report and let them check the World Tracer. Directly go to a representative of the airline, make a declaration by filling out this Property Irregularity report. You have to fill out this form within five days in paper form and online within two days.

Airlines are responsible for your luggage, so do not let them discharge your claim for the reason that you have to declare this on your travel insurance.

Did you already fill in the form? Ask them to check the ‘World Tracer’. This system is used by all airlines worldwide, and sllows them to search for your luggage.

If your baggage is traced, the airline has to take care of the transportation and delivery to your accommodation or home address.

Is your luggage still lost after three days? Fill in the Baggage Inventory Form (BIF). You have to fill in the BIF within 21 days of arrival. The airlines have to pay you a maximum of about GBP 900 / EUR 1,000 This is calculated per day in SDR; a currency that is based on several international currencies. This usually does not meet up with costs you have for buying new clothes and other articles. Dependant on which travel insurance you are insured with, the insurance will cover the lost luggage up to a few thousand euros.

But beware: the airline is not responsible for the loss of money, jewellery, silverwork, business documents, samples, electronic equipment or other highly valuable products.

Every day, 90,000 pieces of baggage are misplaced on airports worldwide, 10,000 of which in Europe. 50% of these incidents are a result of transfers, amounting to 30 to 40 million pieces. One out of 3,000 will never be found again. For this reason, more and more people only travel with hand luggage. These figures on lost luggage are published by the European Commission. They researched the matter in 2009, after alarming reports of these massive losses of luggage every year.

Fortunately the European Commission is continuously looking after the rights of air passengers. They argue for stronger passenger rights like informing air passengers about their rights when flights are delayed.

Also check the Regulation of Montreal and the Regulation of Warsaw.