When you checked your baggage before you leave most of the time it is placed on the same flight that you are taking. Sometimes that does not happen because the cargo section is full with other things that were selected to be carried so your luggage might be delayed. The airline normally puts your luggage on the next available flight. Your luggage arrives about the same time that you do or within an hour afterwards this normally does not present a problem to most passengers.

The problem arises when your luggage is sent to an unknown destination with the intentions of being transferred to a flight that will connect and bring it to you. The luggage may end up staying in the terminal for days and even get lost in the many different pieces of baggage that are already waiting for delivery. You need to make sure that you’re not among the many thousands a year who lose their luggage. You should mark your baggage and make sure that you put something on the luggage that you can recognize as it travels. When you find that your baggage has not arrived go to the lost and found area right away does not wait. Ask the clerk if your luggage was keyed in and on your flight or held back to follow along later. When the clerk tells you that they are sure you will be getting your luggage soon but does not check the computer then you need to insist that they do. Otherwise the clerk is just making up a story to make you feel more comfortable about your baggage being late.

You need to get to the luggage claim counter right away if it is not on the carousel as you need to beat the crowd. Your delayed luggage can be tracked and often found if you start right away pursuing it with the claims department. The worst case scenario is that it truly is lost and you will need to file a claim. That is why when you pack your luggage you should not pack anything of importance or value because you may not be able to recover what you lost. You can find that you spend hours at the airport trying to recover your baggage and still not be able to get it until a few days later as delayed luggage happens often.