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Once a traveller has confirmed that their luggage is not on the conveyor belt or nearby, they can file a formal complaint called a Parte de Irregularidad de Equipaje, or P.I.R. in Spanish, usually in the luggage pickup hall or the customer service desk. The complaint should specify the flight number, destination, a description of the luggage and an address where it can be sent once it does appear.�

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Deadline for filing the complaint
People who are in a hurry and don't want to file the complaint right away have 10 days to do so if they were on a domestic flight and 21 days for international ones. They have six months to seek payment of damages.

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When traveling by air, check-in time is crucial for the fate of luggage if it ends up getting
lost. The carrier who sells the plane tickets always gives the customer a stub for checked luggage along with their boarding pass. From the instant the luggage is checked, the traveller is not concerned with those suitcases. Once they arrive at the destination, the traveller has a right to recover the belongings they entrusted to the carrier, in perfect condition. If there is a delay, damage or loss, the airline is responsible. It may have to pay damages, with the amount determined by the weight of the luggage.�

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Damages
On domestic flights, indemnisation for a delay in delivering luggage can be as much�as the air fare. The Spanish national airport authority Aena says damage to or loss of checked or carry-on luggage is compensated with payment of up to 736.74 euros per piece of luggage. On international flights, the limit for loss, destruction, damage or delay in delivery of checked luggage is 25.05 euros per kilo. For carry-on luggage, responsibility is limited to 489.20 euros per passenger.

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In Spain, people who are not satisfied with the amount of damages, short of filing a lawsuit (which they have two years to do), can complain to the customer service department of the civil aviation branch of the Development Ministry.�

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A delay in delivery of personal possessions is a nuisance to a passenger, whether they
are travelling for business, personal or other reasons. So airlines have an international compensation system whereby they pay the traveller the cost of certain garments -so long as bills with prices are presented- such as shoes, shirts and suits. They will also supply a small kit with personal hygiene items.�

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People who lose their luggage should not worry. In the vast majority of cases, they'll have
it back in 48 hours or less. The legislation governing this kind of incident is as diverse as the public transport industry itself: the Air Navigation Law, the Warsaw Convention, the Insurance Contract Law and even the Railway Police Law, which goes back to 1827. In general, Spanish legislation says the carrier is obliged to protect the objects entrusted to it for transport and take responsibility if, because of the trip, they are lost, misplaced or there is a delay in handing them back to the owner.

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