Baggage claims are the kind of claim where the first hour matters most – and where most claims fail on small oversights. This checklist is the condensed version of the airport baggage claim article, in tickable form: take it with you, and if something goes wrong, work through it from top to bottom.
- The first and most important tick: a PIR at the airport, before you leave the customs area.
- The claim runs through two channels: the airline (passenger rights, carrier liability) and the insurer (baggage cover) – start both.
- Deadlines are counted in days: file every report immediately, don't sit and count down the time you have left.
At the airport (the first hour)
☐ At the carousel: check the baggage tag – are you sure it's yours that's missing or damaged? ☐ Baggage service desk (Lost & Found): file a PIR – for delay, damage or pilferage alike. ☐ Keep a copy or the number of the PIR – a photo of it too. ☐ For damage: photograph the suitcase while still at the airport. Keep your boarding pass and baggage tag – these are the strongest evidence; without them, filing a claim is harder, but it can typically still be started on the basis of the PIR and your booking details. ☐ Ask where and how the recovered baggage will be delivered.
Over the following days
☐ For a delay: essential purchases only – just the necessary items, keeping every receipt (what can be claimed). ☐ When your baggage arrives: keep the delivery confirmation (it's what the length of the delay is calculated from). ☐ For pilferage: an itemised list of what's missing + photos + a police report if needed. ☐ For a total loss: the airline's written confirmation of the loss – this is what starts the larger claim. ☐ File the airline report through the carrier's portal – immediately (deadlines are counted in days!).
Back home: the claims
☐ Airline claim: PIR + tickets + list + invoices, submitted to the carrier. ☐ Insurer claim: the same package through the insurer's claims portal (the process) – noting what the airline has already reimbursed (the same item doesn't get paid twice). ☐ Proof of the items' value: purchase receipts, photos, whatever you have (bearing the sub-limits in mind). ☐ Respond quickly to any request for additional documents.
The lesson in two sentences
With a baggage claim, paperwork is money: no PIR, no case; no receipt, no reimbursement. And prevention costs next to nothing: valuable, essential items (medication, electronics, documents, a change of clothes) should travel in your hand luggage – never let your checked suitcase carry anything irreplaceable.
Frequently asked questions on this topic
Can I skip the PIR if the queue at the airport desk is too long?
Don't skip it – the PIR is the one point you can't make up for later. With many airlines you can also file the report online within a short deadline; if the queue really is impossible, check that option while you're still at the airport.
Is there reimbursement for hand luggage claims too?
Hand luggage stays in your own custody – airline liability is narrower here, and insurance cover applies according to the duty-of-care rules. The lesson runs the other way: whatever is irreplaceable belongs in your hand luggage – there, you're the best safeguard there is.
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