Lost or Delayed Baggage at UK Airports: What to Do Before Leaving Arrivals

Check the baggage reclaim screens against your flight number, not just your departure airport: flights from the same place may use different belts. Look for a carousel change and ask staff whether unloading has finished.

Pushchairs, sports equipment and other unusually shaped items may arrive at an oversized baggage collection point. Bags can also be taken off the belt and placed nearby, so ask staff before assuming yours has not arrived.

Keep your boarding pass and baggage tag receipt handy. The tag receipt is usually the small barcode sticker given to you at bag drop. If you use a bag tracker, save a screenshot of its latest location, but do not attempt to enter restricted areas to retrieve the bag yourself.

Find the baggage services desk for the airline that operated your arriving flight. It may be staffed by a ground handling company rather than airline employees. Ask airport staff where to go if the correct desk is not obvious.

Missing checked baggage is normally handled through the airline and its baggage handler, not the airport’s general lost property service. Lost property is usually the route for belongings left in the terminal; items left on an aircraft may have a separate process.

Ask for a Property Irregularity Report, usually called a PIR, or the airline’s equivalent missing-baggage report. You may need your flight details, baggage tag number, contact details and a description of the bag. Describe its colour, brand, size and distinguishing features, and provide a photograph if you have one.

If the desk is closed or unstaffed, follow the airline’s reporting instructions on its website or app. Use any contact details displayed at the desk and keep screenshots or confirmation emails showing when you reported the problem. Ask airport staff for help if you cannot access the reporting system. Do not assume you can return to baggage reclaim after passing through the exit.

Before leaving, check that you have:

- A copy of the missing-baggage report and its tracking reference. - The airline’s tracking website or app details and a contact route for updates. - Confirmation that your telephone number, email address and delivery address are correct. - Instructions for updating your address if you will move between hotels or return home soon. - An explanation of how delivery or collection will be arranged once the bag is located.

Ask whether you need to complete a customs declaration or other paperwork before the bag can be delivered. Do not assume that finding the bag means it can be delivered immediately, or that you must return to the airport yourself.

If your journey involved connecting flights, give the handler the full itinerary and all relevant baggage receipts. If more than one bag is missing, check that each one appears on the report. Keep the report reference separate from your booking reference: they serve different purposes.

Tell the handler immediately if the missing bag contains medication, mobility equipment or essential items for a child. Ask what practical help is available, but do not rely on the bag arriving by a particular time.

If you need medication urgently, seek advice from a pharmacist or an appropriate medical service rather than waiting for baggage tracking to change. Do not alter or skip prescribed treatment without clinical advice. For future journeys, our guide to [taking medication through airport security](/guides/taking-medication-through-airport-security) explains how to prepare medicines for hand luggage.

If a checked pushchair or child car seat is missing, ask whether any temporary assistance is available and make a safe onward travel plan. Do not assume a replacement will be provided.

For delayed mobility equipment, ask the airline’s baggage team and airport assistance staff what temporary support can be arranged before you leave.

A PIR helps the airline trace your bag; it is not normally a substitute for a written claim for expenses or compensation. Check the airline’s claim process and submit the required evidence separately.

Ask the airline what reasonable essential purchases it will consider reimbursing. Keep itemised receipts and buy only what you genuinely need while waiting. Reimbursement is not automatic, and the airline may assess your needs differently if you have returned home and have access to clothing and toiletries.

Save your boarding pass, baggage receipts, report reference, correspondence and proof of purchases. If the bag remains missing, prepare a contents list and gather any photographs or proof of ownership you already have.

For journeys covered by the Montreal Convention, a written claim for expenses caused by baggage delay must generally be made within 21 days after the bag is made available to you. A bag can generally be treated as lost if it has not arrived within 21 days of when it should have arrived, or if the airline admits it is lost sooner. Do not wait for that point to report it missing. Check the rules applying to your route and notify your travel insurer promptly if you may claim under your policy.

Once the report is complete and you have confirmed how to receive updates, ask the handler whether anything else is needed before you leave. Waiting in arrivals does not itself speed up tracing, and you should not need to remain there simply because your bag is missing.

Tell anyone collecting you that you have been delayed. If you booked Meet & Greet parking, contact the operator using the number on your booking confirmation and explain that you are still dealing with missing baggage. Follow its return instructions rather than requesting your car before you are ready to collect it. Our guide to [how Meet & Greet collection works](/guides/how-does-meet-and-greet-parking-work) explains the usual process.

When the bag reaches you, check its condition and contents promptly. Photograph any damage, note anything missing and contact the airline without delay. Keep delivery confirmation because the date may matter for your claim.