How soon can I abandon luggage claim and report missing bag
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
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How soon can I abandon luggage claim and report missing bag
Quick question - T5 just announced 90 minutes of delays to bags. Seriously contemplating just filing it as delayed and leaving, as my taxi is waiting and there’s nothing in the bag that I need.
How soon can I declare that the wait time was too long and disappear?
How soon can I declare that the wait time was too long and disappear?
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
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If the bag has arrived with your flight you can’t just unilaterally it hasn’t. If you suspect it hasn’t made it, I’d go speak to the missing bag people asking to confirm the bag will arrive. I’ve done it multiple times when delay is suspicious especially if a short or complex connection made me suspect it probably won’t arrive. Just leaving unilaterally however is not really a solution.
#3
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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If they are announcing 90 minute delays, they will also add in a comment saying that you can leave and wait for the item to be delivered in a few days. So I would go to the desk, and see if they will record your details. If it's a simple booking and you still have your tags numbers clearly visible you can do this at home, the reality is that BA gets a huge pile of bags at the end of the day and they are not going to go through each item and assess whether you have been impatient or not, they'll hand them off to a specialist courier company and get rid of the problem that way.
#5
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When a flight is marked as either not delivering baggage (highly unusual) or when your carousel has decanted for your flight. So the assumption, if no bags from your flight has arrived, is that it's pending not delayed. Lost applies after 21 days, so that's a way to go, until then the system assumes the bags are delayed. You must report delayed or damaged bags within 1 week and claim for lost items at 3 weeks.
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Greater Metropolitan Area
Programs: Yes
Posts: 363
Thanks for the information, I need to file it mentally for future use. Thankfully the bags emerged just when the overall delay was announced as being “only” an hour, at which point it had only been 50 minutes or so. So I didn’t have to put that idea into practice…
#7
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: London
Posts: 61
Once had an announcement that my bag was delayed, due to a baggage container getting 'stuck'! I simply went over and filled-in a form. Then had one of the most relaxed journeys into Central London (sans bags.) Bag was delivered the next day. (If only I could have this done more often! LOL)
#8
Join Date: Mar 2020
Programs: British Airways GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond & Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,561
I hate the BA baggage lost system, so dated and not real time
Last edited by PGberkshire; Mar 10, 23 at 4:14 am