Statistics shows that a small percentage of luggage are lost by airlines every year. Lost or damaged luggage is a problem which most frequent traveller face at some point of time. If your are traveling alone to unknown city and airline delay or lose you baggage it could be a major annoyance. Many do not know how to properly deal with it.

With advance tracking systems the lost luggage is not as common as people think however, it does get lost for a number of reasons. Understanding those reasons will give us insight into what we can do to prevent this from happening in the first place. Here are the main reasons identified by SITA

• Failed to make connections between flights
• Loading or off loading errors that prevents loading baggages in correct flight
• Ticketing, tagging error, security issue or some issue at departure
• Mishandling at the arrival airport
• Customs or security restrictions during transit

SITA’s report shows that baggage mishandling still costs airlines $5 billion annually. However, things are steadily improving.

If your baggage does not show up on the belt than contact airline’s baggage office and give them the number of your baggage check tags. Normally they can track this online and inform you the location of your luggage if it is delayed. In case of delay or presumed loss you need to fill out a report which is known as a property irregularity report or PIR. You will be required to give accurate details of your luggage, its contents and other information needed by the airline. At this point keep a copy of the report along with tickets and luggage tag for future reference.

Airlines are liable to compensate for lost or delayed luggage however they may give you a hard time in providing you claim. The amount of the claim may vary. The maximum amount of compensation for domestic flight within the USA is $3300 and for international flight $635 per lost bag. Please check the airline’s website for information about it. Most airlines are required by law to provide compensation for lost, delayed or damaged luggage but to get that you need to be persistent in follow up.

In case of delayed luggage all airlines provide reimbursement for emergency purchase of clothes and toiletries for a reasonable amount. Ask about the limits of compensation and keep receipts of all things that you buy.

In case of damaged bag report to airline. In most cases they will replace with bag of same size and quality. If the damage has something to do with TSA (Transportation Security Administration) file a report with airline service desk or call 866-289-9673

Although baggage go missing sometimes, only 2% of them are permanently lost. Most bags will be found within a few hours and delivered free to your forwarding address. In case of lost baggage airline must compensate according to terms of the carriage. You may be required to produce receipts of all valuables that are lost along with replacement cloths and toiletries bought by you while it was presumed delayed.

Once you have filed report for loss of baggage do follow up your claims with persistence. Keep record of interaction made with airline by call or email.

The US Department of Transportation mentions that airlines can set limits on compensation for bags that are lost, damaged, or delayed on domestic routes, with a current cap of about $4,700 per passenger. On international flights, ICAO guidelines push the baggage compensation limit to roughly $2,000.

It is better to check guidelines of airline you are flying. Their official website will have correct and updated information. While full service airline offer reasonable compensation, budget airline may not offer any compensation at all unless you have purchased insurance separately at the time of booking.

“Prevention is better than cure” Loss or delayed luggage can’t always be prevented but one may reduce the chance of happening it first. Here are some of the things you can do.

• Write contact information inside as well out side of bags so that in case luggage is found it can be sent to your address.
• Remove old luggage tags from bag. Old luggage tags or information may cause bags to be misrouted to its previous destination.
• Use an easy to identify colorful luggage straps along with name tags to identify your luggage on belt so that other people do not pick up your luggage by accident. Thieves are less likely to steal a luggage that stands out.
• Check in early if you can. It will give ample of time for luggage to reach airplane. Most common cause of delayed baggage is late check in or limited time during connecting flight.
• If you are going away for a couple of days try not to check in you bags all together. It will save you time that you spend while checking in or claiming luggage. Please check with airline about maximum weight that is allowed as cabin luggage. Also ensure that you do not carry any sharp object or liquid over 100 ml in bottle that may be stopped by airport security.

Apple AirTag is smart way to track your luggage. You can order on amazon. If you purchase through them, it helps support this site at no additional cost to you.

• If you are traveling with partner swap some of cloths so that if one of the luggage is lost then you still have some cloths for the rest of the trip.
• Most of overseas travel insurance or Platinum credit cards come with some kind of baggage insurance so check with your issuer. It is much easier to get compensation from insurance company than airline.
• If you plan to check in luggage than keep your valuables, a spare set of cloths, valuables, travel documents and prescription medicine in cabin luggage.

This article is Written by Kamal Mohta. Originally published on HubPages (MAY 24, 2016), updated and owned by the author. Copyright belongs to author, published with permission.