We’ve all heard the horror stories. You’re the last person standing at the baggage carousel when suddenly it beeps and drags to a halt. But your bag is nowhere to be found. What happens if an airline loses your luggage?

Your gut reaction may be to panic, but if you know what to do in these situations you can eliminate as much stress as possible.

Let’s take a look at what you should do when you find yourself with lost luggage.

How often do checked bags get lost?

According to the Department of Transportation's September 2022 Air Travel Consumer Report, there were 269,083 mishandled bags in July 2022. This is up 7% from July 2021.

While Southwest had the largest number of mishandled baggage in July, it represented a smaller percentage of the total number of bags that it had put on board an aircraft. Meanwhile, American Airlines mishandled fewer bags, but they represented a larger percentage of the number of bags it enplaned.

What to do when your luggage is lost or delayed

As a passenger, you don’t have much control over whether or not your bag makes it to your destination. Sure, there are ways to help ensure that the luggage ends up on the baggage claim carousel, but on the whole, it’s the airline’s responsibility to make sure you get your bag.

So what happens when it doesn't fulfill its end of the bargain? There are several steps you need to take.

File a report with the airline

Before you leave the airport, file a missing bag report with your airline. This means that if you’re flying with American Airlines, you’ll want to head to American’s airport desk. Be aware that this is true even when flying on a codeshare flight; if you’ve booked with Delta Air Lines but you’re flying on Air France, you’ll want to visit the desk operated by Air France.

You’ll usually find airline desks inside the baggage claim terminal. Once there, you’ll be asked to provide identifying information about your bag, such as its color, its size and the type of wheels it has. The airline will give you a lost luggage claim number, which you’ll want to keep with you. Once that’s done, it’s time to leave the airport.