What to do when an airline loses your luggage

Simon Calder on how to avoid a baggage nightmare – and deal with it when one arises

Bag luck: we’ve all been there, but what exactly are our rights? (Getty/iStock)

Agreed, it’s a problem lots of us would like to have right now: that sinking feeling when all the passengers from your flight have collected their bags from reclaim, and it’s just you staring at a scruffy, unloved hold-all that definitely isn’t yours circling endlessly on the carousel.

But when flying for fun becomes feasible once more, an absolute certainty is that airlines will “mishandle” passengers’ bags.

The term covers a range of mishaps, starting with accepting your suitcase at check-in but leaving it behind at the departure airport (this is known as “short-shipping”, even though it is not shipped).