You are standing at the baggage belt, the last cases have gone round, and yours is not there. It is one of the most frustrating ways to start a trip, but most delayed bags do turn up, often within a few days. What you do in the next half hour makes the rest much easier.
Step 1: Report It Before You Leave
Each airline (or its handling agent) has a baggage service desk in the reclaim hall. They will record the details on a report, often called a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), and give you a reference number. You will need:
- Your boarding pass and the baggage tag receipt (usually stuck to your boarding pass or passport).
- A description of the bag: colour, brand, size and any distinctive features.
- An address where it can be delivered, plus a UK phone number or email.
Take a photo of the report and keep the reference safe. Most airlines let you track the bag online with it.
Step 2: Tell Your Driver
Reporting a missing bag can take a while if there is a queue. If you have a pre-booked transfer, message your driver or the booking team so they know you are delayed for a reason. With Mason & Green, the waiting time after landing is designed for normal baggage collection; letting us know about a lost-bag report helps us plan.
Step 3: Buy Only What You Need, and Keep Receipts
If your bag is delayed, airlines are generally responsible for reasonable costs of essential items while you wait, such as toiletries, a change of clothes and phone chargers. Keep every receipt. Ask the airline what it considers reasonable before spending heavily, and check whether your travel insurance also covers delayed baggage.
The Claim Deadlines
On most international flights, your rights come from the Montreal Convention, which sets strict time limits for written claims to the airline:
- Damaged bag: within 7 days of receiving it.
- Delayed bag: within 21 days of it being delivered to you, for your expenses. Claim as soon as you can rather than waiting until the deadline.
- Lost bag: if it has not arrived 21 days after it should have, it is treated as lost and you can claim for the bag and its contents.
Make your claim in writing using the airline’s claim form or by email, attach your report, receipts and boarding pass, and keep a copy. Compensation is capped at an international limit, so very valuable items are better carried in hand luggage or covered by insurance.
Damaged Luggage
If your case arrives damaged, for example a broken wheel or handle, report it at the baggage desk before leaving the airport if you can, and photograph the damage. Then follow up in writing within seven days.
Getting the Bag Delivered
When the bag turns up, the airline normally delivers it to the address you gave. If you are moving between hotels, or travelling on to a cruise from Southampton, update the airline straight away. For cruise passengers a lost bag is especially stressful, which is why we recommend allowing a generous gap between landing and embarkation; see our Heathrow to Southampton planning guide.
How to Reduce the Risk
- Put a name and contact details on the outside and inside of each case.
- Photograph your bag and its contents before you travel.
- Carry medicines, valuables, documents, chargers and a change of clothes in hand luggage.
- Consider a small tracking tag in each checked bag.
- Avoid very short connections when you have checked luggage.
Related Guides
See landing at Heathrow, our luggage and vehicle guide and London airport transfers.
Information checked 14 November 2026. Airline procedures differ; always follow your airline’s instructions and check your travel insurance policy.