The best time for the worst thing to happen to our bags
Standing at the luggage carousel after the final flight of our holiday, we realised that one of our two bags was missing. It made me realise that we’ve experienced all sorts of unique situations on our travels, but never our luggage going missing. Here’s a write-up of what happens, how BA handled it, and what you’re entitled to when your bags go awry.
When will it become obvious that your baggage is missing?
This seems like a question with an obvious answer. You might be able to see that your luggage is “delayed” without having to spend 30 minutes by the baggage carousel.
On a recent trip (which started with a great flight in Club World to Seattle), we landed in Manchester, and one of our cases was on the carousel within ten minutes. We stood around waiting for our second case, but it was nowhere to be seen. It was at this point that we checked the BA app and used the My Baggage Updates function. You can access this in the My Bookings section, and then select the most recent leg you flew.
Sadly, it told us that our second case was “delayed”.
What was strange was while we stood awaiting our luggage a number of names were read out over the tannoy, but not ours.
The app advised us to speak to a customer service agent to file a missing baggage report.
Filing a lost bag report
At Manchester T3, this meant visiting the luggage information desk, located near the exit. There were two members of staff and four touchscreens to enter our details.
We entered the ID on the receipt we were given when we checked into our flight. That ID is on the small white stickers that check-in staff put into, or on, your passport when you hand over your cases.
We then had to enter identifying features of the case, like the shape and colour. Finally, it wanted a name, address and mobile number.
Our missing case was one of many that had gone awry that day. It turned out that BA had trouble loading a container of cases on the plane. That container was left in London to avoid delaying the flight any further.
Lost luggage at MAN T3 is handled by a third party and not BA. Once you have a lost luggage reference, you can log in to mybag.aero. This third-party website allows you to check on the status of the case. In the end, the text messages we got were more than enough to keep us updated; we did not need to keep logging in to the portal.
When did our luggage get returned to us?
We got our cases back less than twenty-four hours later, delivered straight to our home. The swift return was helped by there being multiple flights a day from our previous destination (London Heathrow) and Manchester. The case was delivered by a cheery man in a van.
How often does luggage go missing with British Airways?
Forbes estimates that there are 83,000 “mishandled” bags every year with the airline. BA does not release figures on how many cases they lose, and the Forbes data is based on the volume of searches on Google related to lost luggage and British Airways.
This was the first time our case didn’t end up on the carousel when flying with BA or any airline. We were lucky that it was the final leg of our holiday,
Will BA pay you compensation when they lose your luggage?
Yes, and not through choice. All airlines have to pay compensation if they lose or damage your luggage, but the amounts can differ.
British Airways caps its liability at £1,600 per passenger. This means that if you’re travelling in a party, and you check in the cases under a single person’s name, you will not get £1,600 per person, or per case. That means it’s really important that
The claim cap does not change based on your travel class, so someone travelling in First Class has the same £1.6k cap as someone travelling in economy.
There are some rules you need to follow with BA. Firstly, you have to inform them of the baggage loss or damage. If your luggage is missing, you have 21 days to report it, or if the case or the contents have been damaged, then you have 7 days.
You can also claim on your travel insurance. Airlines, of course, would prefer that you take this path as it means they do not have to pay you compensation. This might not be the best route as your insurance could have an excess, meaning you won’t get paid the full amount. However, if your claim is more than the £1,600 maximum from BA, then it’s advisable to bring your insurers into the claim.
Will you get all your money back on truly lost items, or items you have to replace temporarily?
You might think that if you had clothes and valuables where their value came under the cap (In BA’s case, £1,600), then you would get the exact amount back. However, airlines will typically only pay out 60-80% of the claim. If an airline doesn’t offer you the full amount, it is absolutely worth pushing back on it and asking them to increase it.
If I have to buy replacement clothes or items, what should I do?
When your luggage is delayed, and you need to buy clothing or products that were in the case, what’s the best way of doing it?
Be sure to keep receipts for all purchases. It’s also worth considering how the airline will react based on the items you purchase. Spending £200 on a pair of Gucci socks might not go down well with them. Being sensible with your purchases will help you get the claim over the line. Equally, the items you buy have to be things you need until your case arrives. Common sense is the motto.
Do British Airways support Apple AirTag tracking?
Yes – since December 2024. You can opt to share your AirTag with the airline so that they can track your case down more easily. To do this, just visit the Find My app on an iOS device that you’re logged in to. Select the “Share item location” option for the AirTag you want to share and then follow the instructions.
I find AirTag is incredibly useful when it comes to luggage. We only have one, and of course, it was in the case that did make it to Manchester. I like to use the AirTag when we’re standing at the carousel to see how close my luggage is. In this instance, it had zero value, and we’re planning to invest in a second AirTag so we can cover both cases.
