What to do if your luggage is lost during a flight. How to find lost luggage

I fly a lot to Italy and other countries. Moreover, I do not fly direct flights, but almost always with transfers, when my luggage is transferred from one plane to another without me. Because of this, I always have a fear that my suitcase will get lost somewhere at the airport and then all my wonderful fashion items will be irretrievably lost.

Surely each of you who has ever traveled by plane had a fear that your suitcase would be lost during the flight, but not everyone knows exactly what to do in this case and how much money the airline will return.

When you see that your original suitcase is not on the baggage claim line, do not panic. Air carriers prefer to say that your luggage is not “lost”, but “delayed”. And in more than 90 percent of cases this is true. By filing a loss report and providing all the necessary information to airline representatives, you have every chance of regaining your priceless bag. We'll tell you how to do it correctly.

First step

Of course, it’s unpleasant, and it seems that you are the one who is fatally unlucky. Calm down, that's not true. They lose everything, the main thing is that they find it in the end. If your bag is not on the baggage belt, proceed as follows. Without leaving the baggage claim area, look for the Lost&Found counter. IN Russian airports“Baggage search” may be written on the counter. The main task of the employees working there is to help passengers with damaged or lost bags and suitcases. If there is no such counter, look for a representative of your airline or a service agent on duty (this is an airport representative who must be in the baggage claim area at all times). Remember that the air carrier whose flight was the last (if you are flying in transit) is responsible for your baggage.

According to statistics, airlines lose their customers' luggage every 90 seconds.. In most cases this happens during connecting flights

You must submit a written complaint. To do this, you need a baggage tag tear-off coupon (it is glued to your boarding pass) and passport. In the baggage loss report, you describe your suitcase or bag in detail: color, size, shape, material, presence of wheels and handles. If your suitcase has a name tag that you made yourself, be sure to indicate this. By the way, for the future: we advise everyone to make an insert on their suitcase with their data or hang a name tag. Such bags are found much faster. Just in case, try to remember the manufacturer of the suitcase.

The loss report must be drawn up in two copies: one for the airline, the other will remain with you. The act must include the application number, your details, contact numbers, and address. The copy that remains with you must indicate the telephone number of the baggage tracing service or the telephone number of the airline representative. In order not to sit and wait for the weather by the sea, it is better to call these numbers periodically. Then all you have to do is try to calm down and go home or to the hotel.

On the question of whether you should be provided with basic necessities. In principle, airlines are not obliged to do this. Large international air carriers that value their reputation meet their customers halfway and in some cases can issue a “travel package”: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, razor and shaving foam, T-shirt. But, sad as it may be, Russian air carriers have not yet grown up to such an auction of generosity.

Once you arrive at your destination, you basically just have to wait. However, to save money on calls to the airport or airline, you can try to track the status of your luggage online. However, not all Russian air carriers offer such a service. Find out if your airline is connected to World Tracer. On the airline’s website, you can enter the identification number that is assigned to you when filing a loss report, and your last name. With this system, you can find out where your priceless suitcase is traveling. For example, Transaero and S7 cooperate with World Tracer.

Connected to the same system are major airports. “Back in October 2001, Domodedovo Moscow Russia airport was connected to the World Tracer system. For baggage not claimed by passengers, a standard file is filled out in World Tracer, in which the baggage, as well as all the circumstances of its discovery, are described in detail. At the same time, at another airport, a passenger who did not receive this suitcase makes a request for it, indicating the flight, date, color of the baggage, and distinctive features. In automatic mode, the system immediately begins the search: compares the files found and lost luggage. First of all, a match is determined by the luggage tag numbers. If they are missing, the system compares parameters such as information about the owner of the luggage on the name tag, the color of the suitcase and the inscriptions on it, and a message is sent to those airports that created these files. A specialist from the baggage search team processes it and determines whether the suitcase we are looking for is the one we are talking about or just something similar. And so on until the luggage is found,” explains Elena Galanova, press secretary of Moscow Domodedovo Airport.

For example, the press service of Domodedovo Moscow said that on average this airport processes 14 million pieces of luggage per year. At the same time, the rate of baggage loss is the lowest in the world: 0.6-1.2 per 1000 pieces of luggage in the winter and summer seasons, respectively.

When will they arrive?

Since you indicated your address and telephone number in the loss report, your luggage should be delivered to your home. It's absolutely free. However, airline forwarders only deliver luggage within the city of arrival or to the nearest suburbs. Otherwise, your suitcase will be waiting for you at the airline office or at the airport. Unclaimed baggage is stored for a year. If, after all, the suitcase is delivered to your home, the airline or airport must call you in advance and notify you what time the courier will arrive. But a reasonable question arises: when will they deliver it? An airline representative will assure you that your luggage will be found within 24 hours. More often than not, this is true. However, if your suitcase has not been returned within 5 days, you will need to contact the air carrier and make a list of the things that are in your suitcase. This list will be included in the search parameters. After going through this procedure, the luggage is found in approximately 90 percent of cases (airlines say that in 99 percent, but why then are there so many cases of luggage lost forever?).

The maximum period for searching a suitcase is 21 days. If your luggage is not found during this time, it is automatically considered lost or stolen. The airline is obliged to pay you for the damage.

According to the Warsaw Convention on Air Transport and Article 119 of the Russian Air Code, the airline is obliged to pay compensation at the rate of 600 rubles per kilogram for lost luggage. Nobody cares if you have priceless shoes or 10 cashmere sweaters in your suitcase. They will only calculate by weight. It must be indicated on the baggage pass. If for some reason the suitcase was not weighed, then the weight is automatically estimated at 35 kilograms. And there is no point in protesting. Although if you have receipts for the things that are in your suitcase, you can demand additional compensation. However, even in this case, you will only be reimbursed 50 percent of the cost of the goods.

Excerpts from the current law of the Russian Federation can be seen here - http://www.consultant.ru/popular/air/25_17.html#p1136

Find out if your airline is connected to the World Tracer Internet system. With its help, you can find out where your priceless suitcase is traveling.

To try to increase your compensation amount, you need to submit a written claim to the airline. This must be done within 7 days if you picked up your luggage at the airport. If it was brought to your home or office, the period increases to 21 days. In your claim, you must explain to the carrier that the price of the items in the suitcase was many times higher than the amount of compensation. The air carrier may accommodate you and increase compensation or refuse you in writing. However, remember: 600 rubles per kilogram is a legally prescribed amount, and the air carrier is not obliged to compensate you for damages in excess of this norm.

Costs for lost luggage vary in other countries. Once at the airport in Italy, I read an airline memo that said that if luggage is lost at the airport in Malpensa, they will refund up to 900 euros.

How to avoid repeating mistakes

According to statistics, airlines lose their customers' luggage every 90 seconds. But you can reduce the likelihood of your suitcase going missing by at least twenty percent. We never tire of repeating that before the flight it is necessary to remove all tags remaining from previous flights. According to statistics, the lion's share of all losses occur precisely because tags are mixed up at the airport and luggage is sent to the wrong place. If you are flying in transit, you should be especially careful. In most cases, suitcases are lost during connecting flights. Therefore, make sure that the tag indicates final destination destination, because your luggage will be given to you there. And buy tickets so that there is at least an hour and a half of time between two connecting flights. Otherwise, your luggage will not have time to be reloaded from one plane to another.

For those who do not want to worry in vain, there is a luggage insurance service. However, for example, it does not apply to flights within Russia. The largest Russian insurers, such as Ingosstrakh, Renaissance and Uralsib, do not insure against lost luggage on domestic airlines. You can only reassure yourself that, according to statistics, Russian air carriers lose luggage less often than international ones. This is explained by the fact that there are much fewer connecting flights in Russia, and luggage is lost most often during transit transportation.

By the way, your luggage can not only be lost, but also damaged or mixed up. If your suitcase is damaged, you need to find a service agent or airline representative and file a claim. Describe what exactly you ruined. The airline will consult and decide how much compensation you will be paid. Most often, the final price at which the suitcase was appraised cannot be appealed. If you mistakenly grabbed someone else's luggage, you need to return to the airport and hand it over to the airline representative. By the barcode you can find out who owns this suitcase. Most likely, your bag is with this person. In this case, you can wait until he brings the suitcase himself, or, with the help of the carrier, try to find it using the data indicated on the ticket.

P.S. During all my flights (and I had about 80 of them), my luggage was lost only once, when I was on a connecting flight from Moscow to England. Lost in Copenhagen during a transfer. I filled out the document and indicated the hotel address. They searched for my luggage for 6 days. On the 7th day we were brought to the hotel for free. After this incident, I always take hand luggage with me - a handbag on wheels, where I put the most necessary things + outerwear + all chargers in case my luggage is lost.

Information partially used - http://strana.ru/journal/470801

The reasons can be very different: from a scanner-sorter error to human factor(they didn’t have time to load it onto the plane, they loaded it onto the wrong one). Most often, errors occur during connecting flights.

According to statistics from WorldTracer, an international baggage tracking system, 23.1 million suitcases and bags were lost in 2016. The number looks scary. But if you take a closer look, it turns out that only 6.5 suitcases out of every 1,000 did not reach their owners on time.

What to do if there is no luggage on the belt

Don't panic! Didn't you find a suitcase or some large items like a baby stroller or sports equipment? If the latter, then everything is fine. Non-standard luggage is always issued in a separate window so that it is not accidentally damaged during transportation.

If you're missing a suitcase, go to the Lost & Found baggage desk, sometimes called Passenger Service. As a rule, this service is located at the exit from the baggage claim area. If there is no such counter, ask any airport employee where to go.

Do not leave the terminal until you have dealt with your lost luggage!

The Lost & Found staff will ask you to show your baggage voucher and will first try to search your bags with you. If these searches do not lead to anything, you will be asked to fill out a special Property Irregularity Report (PIR) form in two copies: you give one and keep the second for yourself.

In the form you will need to provide information about yourself, flight details and describe your suitcase in detail. Airport staff will enter this information into the international baggage tracking system WorldTracer. And you will receive registration number, by which you can independently check whether your suitcase has been found.

The registration number is a combination of the three-digit airport code, the two-digit airline code and the five-digit code for your baggage. For example, LEDLH15123 means that the bags were lost by Lufthansa at the St. Petersburg airport.

After receiving the registration number, you can leave the terminal. All you have to do is wait for your things to be found. By the way, the tear-off tag for your luggage remains in your hands. Be sure to save it. This will allow you to get a suitcase in the future.

At the Lost & Found counter you may be offered money to buy essentials. This is not the responsibility of the airline, but its good will.

Each carrier sets its own rules and amounts for this situation. You can find out more information at the Lost & Found counter or on the airline’s website.

If suddenly payments are not provided, save all receipts from purchases of essential items. Then on the airline’s website you can apply for compensation for this amount.

When will luggage be returned?

If your suitcases did not have time to transfer with you during the connection, they will be picked up on the next plane operating a similar flight and delivered to your hotel free of charge.

Free delivery of delayed luggage is the responsibility of the airline.

WorldTracer tracks luggage for 100 days. After this, it is considered lost.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated June 28, 2007 No. 82, art. 154, luggage is considered delayed for 21 days. After this, it receives the status of lost. On the 22nd day you need to write a claim to the airline for compensation. The claim is written in free form; it can be submitted either in person at the airline office or through the website. Don’t forget to indicate your full name, contact information, and attach copies of documents: baggage and boarding passes, baggage loss report, WorldTracer registration number.

What to do if your suitcase is damaged

The suitcase still arrived with you, but it was clearly damaged during transportation: there are deep chips, the wheels or handle are broken off. In this case, the Lost & Found service staff will help you again. They must register the fact of luggage damage and draw up a damage report in two copies, one of which will remain at the airport, and the second will be given to you.

Then find your airline representatives at the airport building. If you can’t find it yourself, contact the airport staff: they will help you.

You will need to fill out a claim form with the airline representative. In addition to the standard full name, mail address and telephone and flight numbers, there should be a detailed description of the damage to the luggage and the amount for which you are claiming.

A receipt for the purchase of the suitcase will help confirm this amount. A copy of this can be sent to the airline later.

The airline representative will make copies of your claim, boarding documents and the baggage damage report that the airport employee previously gave you. Now you have to be patient and wait for a solution.

In the future, the airline may ask you to provide a receipt for payment for the repair of the suitcase or a certificate of impossibility of repair. The act is written in free form; any workshop can issue it.

How much will they pay for lost or damaged luggage?

The law doesn't care whether your suitcase was lost or simply damaged. The maximum amounts are the same.

Payments for international flights

More than 120 countries (the Russian Federation is among them) have joined the Montreal Convention on the Unification of Rules air transportConvention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, which determines the amount of compensation.

The amount of compensation is calculated in artificial means of payment - special drawing rights (SDR). Their rate is based on a basket of five currencies: dollar, euro, yen, Chinese yuan and pound sterling - and changes daily. The cost of 1 SDR can be viewed on the International Monetary Fund website or use an online calculator.

In case of loss, delay or damage to baggage, the airline is obliged to pay up to 1,000 SDR.

The maximum you can get is about 83,000 rubles. You need to understand that the airline will try to reduce this amount as much as possible. The clause in the convention “up to 1,000 SDRs” gives it this right.

Payments for domestic flights

If a suitcase is lost or damaged during a flight within the Russian Federation, then the amount of compensation is determined by the Air Code Air Code of the Russian Federation, art. 119. The amounts are much more modest and depend on the weight of the lost suitcase. You will receive 600 rubles for each kilogram of luggage and up to 11,000 rubles for damage or loss hand luggage.

Baggage with declared value

These rules do not apply to baggage with declared value. You can declare value as follows: international flights, and on internal ones. You will have to pay for this (each carrier determines the amount of the fee independently). But if your bags are lost or damaged, you will receive the amount you indicated during registration.

No airline will refund money for expensive equipment, jewelry or securities checked in as baggage. According to transportation rules, these items must travel in hand luggage.

Suitcases hung with old tags look extremely romantic. But if you want to see the luggage on the belt, help the scanners and peel off the old barcodes.
Buy a luggage tag if your suitcase does not have a built-in one, and take the time to fill it out. This will significantly reduce the time it takes to find your luggage.
If you are flying to a business event, put a decent jacket and trousers in your hand luggage (how to do this without things getting wrinkled, Lifehacker). Even if your suitcase is late, you will have spare clothes and you won’t have to blush in front of your partners for looking like pajamas.
Take photos of the things you put in your suitcase. This will speed up the preparation of an inventory of missing property.
Make the suitcase more visible so that it is not taken from the belt by mistake. A bright belt or a special case will help you here.
Arrive at the airport early. This will save your effort and nerves during check-in, and will give the baggage handlers extra time if it suddenly turns out that your luggage was sent to the wrong plane.
When checking in for your flight, place the baggage tag on the back of your ticket if an airport employee has not done so before you.

Have you ever lost your luggage? How much did you manage to get? Or do you prefer to travel light and make do with hand luggage? Tell us about it in the comments!

Lost luggage at the airport is never a good idea. In front of you is the most simple instructions, which will tell you how to act in such a situation.

If you have lost your luggage at the airport, then you should stop panicking. There is little pleasant, but in most cases such situations are resolved quite quickly. Nobody wants additional problems with customers: neither the airline nor the airport. Proceed according to the instructions below:

Point 1: Calm, only calm!

Luggage gets lost regularly. Given the scale of air travel, this is not surprising. So, if you find yourself in an unpleasant situation, then let's think logically. Since the time machine has not yet been invented, you will have to deal with this problem. On this path you will need a cold mind and sober calculation. Therefore, follow Carlson’s commandment in the title and try to calm down your emotions. You need to establish a constructive dialogue with airport representatives as quickly as possible. Screams, screams and scandals are unlikely to help matters.

Point 2: Contact the Lost & Found counter

Other people's bags are passing by circle after circle, but yours is still missing? Looks like a good time to visit the Lost & Found counter. It is often located near the baggage claim lanes. If there is nothing similar around you, follow the signs or ask the staff.

At the counter you will need to draw up a document - a claim for missing luggage. Sometimes it can be written in free form, in some cases you will be asked to fill out a standard form. The main thing you should reflect in this document:

What was missing and in what quantity;
Signs: color, bag or suitcase, is it wrapped in film, are there any characteristic scratches, etc.;
What was inside and in what quantity (try to remember everything);
What flight did you take and with what transfers;
Whether there were old tags on the bag (this may help you find the suitcase);
Your last name, first name, passport and contact information;
A place within the city where a found suitcase can be delivered;
Time and date of document preparation;
World Tracer tracking number.

This document must be drawn up in two copies. You take one with you, and the second one is handed over to your airline by airport staff. To complete this claim you will need your passport and . Be careful - this the ticket cannot be thrown away. Formally, this is the main proof that you were on this flight! And if suddenly the case comes to court, this will be your most powerful argument.

Point 3: Hope dies last

Then you just have to wait and hope for the best. You can try getting a small amount from the airline office to buy essentials (rarely works). In the future, you shouldn’t really hope for a call from the company - it’s better to periodically dial the baggage search department yourself. You will find the number on the completed document. Plus, you can track the process through the World Tracer website. Information about the status of your luggage should be indicated on it, unless you were flying on “collective farm” airlines.

Point 4: Demand compensation for lost luggage

According to the law, the search for lost luggage takes only three weeks. If after 21 days it is not found (which happens rarely, but it does happen), then you can safely demand compensation. The only problem is which country's airline lost it.

The point is that there is Montreal Convention 1999, which regulates this issue in international law. But Russia has not yet joined it. It follows from this that if your luggage is lost by an airline from our country, then you will receive 20 dollars for each kilogram of luggage. And if a country party to the convention is at fault, then you can count on compensation of more than $1,300.

Point 5: Everyone stand up, the trial is underway

If the airline refuses to compensate you for the suffering from lost luggage, then you can safely sue.

Important Tips:

Most often, luggage is lost during connections. The more of them, the greater the likelihood of arriving at your destination without an additional change of linen;
In most cases, not only your luggage is lost, but also that of several other people. Try to join forces;
If the tag on the suitcase is not attached by a specialist at the reception desk, but by you yourself, then be extremely careful;
Try not to be late for registration, this creates unnecessary rush;
Place valuables in your hand luggage;
Don’t be lazy and make your own tag, indicate your full name, phone number, email address and destination on it;
If the airline managed to lose your hand luggage, then you are entitled to $400;
You can also try to get money from air carriers for a broken suitcase. To do this, you need a receipt that reflects the cost of the suitcase and, preferably, a photo of it before the flight.
You can insure luggage for a specific flight (it doesn’t seem to work in Russia), but, as a rule, it is very expensive. The game is not worth the candle, because less than 2% of the bags are lost;
If you are flying with transfers, check with the check-in counter whether you need to pick up your luggage during the transfer;
One of the safety factors for luggage is wrapping it with film before departure. This will protect airport staff from the temptation to whistle something and will make the suitcase more visible. But you have to be careful; in some countries, customs requires that the suitcase be accompanied by Free access(for example, in the USA).

According to statistics, 70 thousand suitcases are lost every day at airports around the world, 97 percent of which are found in the first week of searches. For those who are planning to fly to other cities and countries, Inde journalist Dinara Valeeva has compiled a small manual in case you are left on a trip without luggage.

What do the statistics say?

It's not the airlines that lose luggage, it's the airports. However, it is the carriers who are responsible to passengers. The tourists' hate list includes Charles de Gaulle in Paris, Heathrow in London and La Guardia in New York. Oddly enough, the safest in this regard is Moscow Domodedovo Airport: it has the most low rate baggage loss in the world is 0.6 items per 1000 pieces of luggage.

Every hour, 3,000 pieces of luggage are lost at airports around the world, and these numbers reach 25 million a year. 61 percent of this is luggage from passengers on connecting flights. By the way, in 97 percent of cases it would be more accurate to talk about a delay rather than a loss of a suitcase: according to statistics, airlines find luggage within one to five days. And only three percent of luggage ends up missing forever.

Why is this happening?

Insufficient time to load suitcases between transit flights. Minimum time The connection should be at least 1–1.5 hours.
Overbooking. Some airlines allow the purchase more flight tickets than the plane can accommodate. If you are left without a seat on the flight, you may be transferred to another plane, and your luggage may be delivered on the originally intended flight.
Overload In addition to free luggage spaces, there are additionally paid spaces. If the plane is overloaded, the transportation of such baggage may become a higher priority for the airline for commercial reasons.
Error in the baggage sorting system. Before entering the cargo compartment of the aircraft, suitcases pass along belts through scanners. The system's task is to determine where to send your suitcase using the barcode on the luggage tag (it is stuck at the check-in counter). If, in addition to the new sticker, there are stickers left over from previous flights, there is a high probability that the suitcase will fly to another city.
Human factor. For example, the negligence of baggage handlers who may forget to load your luggage onto the plane during connecting flights or lose your suitcase on the way to loading. If the luggage trolleys of passengers on a flight are overcrowded, there is a chance that a suitcase will fall out and end up on the runway.

What to do to avoid losing your luggage?

Follow a few simple rules:

Be sure to tear off all tags left on the suitcase from previous trips. They can confuse automatic baggage sorting systems and send your suitcase to another airport.
Use details that could distinguish your luggage on the endless delivery belt from other nondescript suitcases - for example, tie a bright ribbon or a toy keychain to the handle. This will help reduce the risk that your suitcase will be carried away by mistake by other passengers on the flight who have the same or very similar suitcases.
if you have connecting flights, be sure to check the route of your luggage. You may have to pick up your suitcase at some airport and return it to the check-in counter.
Attach a tag with personal information - address, email and phone numbers.
Pay attention to the tag that is placed on your luggage at the check-in counter: it should indicate the code of the city you are flying to. Heading to Moscow? SVO, DME or VKO. Saint Petersburg? LED. Fly home to Kazan - KZN.
Insure your luggage in advance if it contains valuables.

15 city airports - popular destinations among Russian residents in 2015:

Sochi – AER
Kaliningrad – KGD
Vladivostok – VVO
Riga – RIX
Helsinki – HEL/HEM
Prague – PRG
Budapest – BUD
Paris – CDG (Charles de Gaulle) / ORY (Orly)
Berlin – TXL (Tegel) / SXF (Schönefeld)
Vienna – VIE
Rome – FCO
Barcelona – BCN
Tel Aviv – TLV
Dubai – DXB
Phuket – HKT

I've arrived. My suitcase is not on the delivery belt. What to do?

Look around. Someone on the same flight as you could mistake your suitcase for their own and take it off the belt.
If you're waiting oversized luggage (musical instrument, baby stroller, porcelain statue, animal cage), go to the special counter - Bulky Baggage.
Go to the airline representatives (in the case of a transit flight - to the last carrier), to the Lost & Found counter, and write a statement. Keep your passport and luggage tag with you - it is glued to your document or boarding pass. Indicate in the application all known information: route, appearance, contents of luggage (including brands and colors of clothing), leave permanent and temporary contact information. The more detailed you do this, the greater the chances of finding your luggage. After submitting the application, you will receive a code with which you can track the status of your search for lost luggage on the Internet, on the WorldTracer website.

Sooner or later this happens to everyone who travels frequently. Being unprepared for this, many do not know what to do if their luggage is lost at the airport.

When the empty luggage belt stops, killing the last hope that your favorite suitcase is just “a little delayed,” do not rush to get upset. First of all, look around carefully. Most likely, somewhere nearby you will see a department for receiving large items ( Bulky baggage). Even if you weren't carrying anything like a bicycle or a dear piano, ordinary-looking luggage could end up there by mistake.

If there is nothing there, then there is no longer any doubt that the suitcase has really been lost, and the next thing to do is contact the baggage tracing service ( Lost & Found).

How to find lost luggage

The tracing service will give you a form that is easy to fill out, even if you don’t speak the language. In the appropriate fields you must indicate:

First and last name.
Contact details (email, phone, address).
Route and flight number you arrived on.
Number of ticket.
Description of the lost suitcase. Don't be scared, na back side The same form will contain numbered pictures, you just have to choose the most similar one.
Brief description of the contents. Even if this item is not on the form, it is worth indicating in the note a few things that can identify your luggage. A T-shirt with Michael Jackson, ostrich leather shoes, a book about tasty and healthy food... Anything that is unlikely to be found among the things that other passengers have lost will do.

After this, you will be given a search application identification number, by which you can track its status yourself. Lost baggage can be tracked on the airline's website or using the service World Tracer.

Do not miss:

In fact, this is all you can do if your luggage is lost at the airport. It’s useless to tease the employees, they won’t help you in any way, all you can do is wait.

Unless you can try to contact the airline representative. If you can convince them that you have lost the things you need and there is no way to buy them, then it is likely that they will provide you with an essential kit with toiletries or give you some money to buy them.

Compensation for lost luggage

Usually, if luggage is lost at the airport, then either it is found within 1-3 days, or, alas, never. If they find it, they will contact you to discuss delivery options. There are two outcomes: they will bring it to your home (or to the place you specify), or you will have to pick it up yourself from the nearest airport. In this case, you are required to compensate for transportation costs, so keep receipts from the gas station.

After 21 days from the date of loss of luggage, it is considered lost forever, and you can safely contact the airline for compensation. Its size is regulated by the Montreal and Warsaw Conventions, as well as internal company rules, so each case must be considered individually.

It can be useful:

To summarize, you can count on $20 per kilo, but not more than $1,500. Even if a suitcase filled to the brim with gold bars has disappeared, you will not receive more than this amount. Therefore, it is better to transport valuables in hand luggage, since airlines bear virtually no liability for the loss of cash, jewelry, equipment, information on digital media, and much more.

Another such moment. If the airline provides evidence that the luggage was not lost during the flight, but was stolen from the transporter (or someone mistakenly took it), then there is no way to do without the police.

Why luggage goes missing and how to avoid it

There can be many reasons for lost luggage. For example:

the girl sitting at the register was thinking about an upcoming date and mixed up the stickers, as a result of which your things ended up in New Zealand, while you are waiting for them in Brazil;
airport baggage handlers are funny guys who do a lot of interesting things with suitcases;

the same thoughtful girl at check-in might not have attached the tag securely enough to the suitcase, or it might have been torn off by the cheerful movers. One way or another, instead of Brazil, your things will end up in the unclaimed baggage department.
if you are flying with a transfer, your luggage could easily be lost at the connecting airport.

How to reduce the chances of losing your luggage

Read more about this in the article. Here we will limit ourselves to just a few tips.

Choose a suitcase with bright or unusual colors, it will be more difficult to lose and easier to find. At worst, you can add some eye-catching detail, such as a ribbon or sticker.
Before you travel, remove any remaining old tags, otherwise the scanner may go crazy and send your luggage back to where you just returned from.
Attach a name tag to your suitcase with your contact information.
Don’t be late for check-in, because in a hurry you can lose not only your things, but also your flight.
During check-in, ensure that the tag with the correct flight number is securely attached to your suitcase and that you are given a copy of it.
If you are flying with transfers, be especially careful when checking out. Check to see if you will need to pick it up along the way and return it again; this happens quite often.
When transporting items that are especially valuable to you, take out insurance.

It might be useful to read: