FAQs: delayed baggage

Please complete this contact form and place it in your bag. This helps us to allocate your bag more easily.

If you have not received your baggage by the time the baggage reclaim has closed, please report this immediately. At most airports it is best to do this online and also at the baggage tracing office.

Once you have reported your delayed baggage, you will receive a written confirmation by e-mail with a reference number (PIR number, e.g. ZRHLX12345). We recommend that you remain at the airport until your details have been transmitted successfully and you have received a reference number. Please retain this together with your flight documents, in particular your boarding pass and the baggage receipt. Your baggage will be sent on and delivered to you as quickly as possible. You can access the current status of your delayed baggage report at any time on the Baggage status page.

Make sure that you also subscribe to baggage status updates when you create a delayed baggage report so you receive these directly via e-mail. If you do not receive any baggage status updates, you can also activate them later on the Baggage status page.

You can check the progress in tracing your baggage online using your reference number (PIR number, e.g. ZRHLX12345). You can also amend your contact details. It’s especially important that you amend them here if the delivery address is incorrect or has changed. We need this to deliver your baggage to you.

If you are unable to get the information you require using the link provided or you cannot amend your details, you will find a contact telephone number on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report. (You will receive the written confirmation of your delayed baggage report from the baggage tracing office or attached to the confirmation e-mail once you have reported your delayed baggage online.)

At certain times of the year, such as during the peak travel season, there may be delays with delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

In the rare case that your baggage cannot be found within five days of reporting the delay, we will require a detailed description of your baggage and its contents to initiate a detailed search. The information you provide will help us find your baggage among the bags that have not yet been identified and we can forward it to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete the list of contents on our baggage status page to do so. You will be able to access this automatically five days after reporting your delayed baggage.

Please report any delayed baggage immediately, ideally while still at the airport or online if you prefer. If you are unable to do so, report it to the local baggage tracing office.

You can generally report your delayed baggage online up to three days after your arrival. But please note that the burden of proof is reversed if you do not report your delayed baggage immediately. You will then have to prove that the baggage problem occurred during your flight. If you cannot report your delayed baggage online and if there are technical problems, contact our local baggage tracing office in the airport arrivals hall. Find out how to contact them on the website of your arrival airport and go there in person.

The airline with which you arrived at your destination is always responsible for your baggage. If this is not SWISS, report your delayed baggage to the airline that brought your to your destination.

You can report your delayed baggage online on arrival at most airports. You can only use our online self-service if your arrival flight was operated by Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS, was not longer than three days in the past and you have not yet reported your baggage as delayed. Use of our self-service is not permitted at some airports due to local customs regulations. If the online service is not available at your destination airport, please report your delayed baggage directly to the baggage tracing office. You can also report delayed baggage later within the reporting deadline, i.e. within seven days of your arrival. However, the burden of proof is then reversed and you will have to prove that the problems occurred during your flight.

Please retain your flight documents, especially your boarding pass and baggage receipt.

If you cannot report your delayed baggage online and if there are technical problems, please contact the local baggage tracing office in the airport arrivals hall. Find out how to contact them on the website of your arrival airport and go there in person.

Yes. If you are missing more than one bag, add all the missing bags to your report by adding the additional bags together with the bag numbers and descriptions using the online service. You can generally report up to 10 items in a single delayed baggage report.

Once you have reported your baggage as delayed, we will investigate it in the global baggage system. The information you provide will help us allocate your baggage and return it to you as quickly as possible. For this reason, we also ask that you provide us with additional information about your baggage in the contents list, generally if it has not been found within 5 days.

You can check the progress in tracing your baggage online using your reference number (PIR number, e.g. ZRHLX12345). You can also amend your contact details here if the delivery address or your contact details are incorrect or have changed.

If you are unable to get the information you require using the link provided or you cannot amend your details, you will find a contact telephone number on the written confirmation receipt for your delayed baggage report that you received at the baggage tracing counter or in the attachment to your confirmation e-mail to your online report.

At certain times of the year, such as during the peak travel season, there may be delays with delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

You will always find the current status of your delayed baggage report on the Baggage status page. You will also receive notifications from us as soon as the status of your report changes or if we require further information from you. We require your consent to send your these baggage status updates. You can provide this when first making your delayed baggage report (online or at the local baggage tracing office). You can also give us permission later via the Baggage status page.

In the rare case that your baggage cannot be found within five days of reporting the delay, we will require a detailed description of your baggage and its contents to initiate a detailed search. The information you provide will help us find your baggage among the bags that have not yet been identified and we can forward it to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete the list of contents on our baggage status page to do so. You will be able to access this automatically five days after reporting your delayed baggage.

You will be notified by e-mail if carriage of your bag is planned for a specific flight. Your baggage may be carried on a flight other than the one originally expected due to time constraints, aircraft weight restrictions and restrictions on the permitted quantity of delayed baggage carried to some destinations. If this is the case, carriage of your baggage will be postponed to another flight and you will be informed by e-mail. You will always find the latest flight information on the Baggage status page.

When your delayed baggage arrives at the destination airport, it will take some time for further internal procedures and customs clearance before we can either appoint a courier to deliver your delayed baggage or inform you by e-mail when it is ready for collection. If you have already been informed that your baggage has been handed over to a courier, they will contact you to arrange a delivery date. This may take some time due to the number of bags to be delivered or the time of day. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly.

If you cannot find the information you wish or cannot make any changes on the ​Baggage status page, you will find contact information on the written confirmation to your delayed baggage report that you received at the baggage tracing desk. You can also find this in the attachment to the confirmation e-mail to your online report.

Please note however that the Service Centre & Social Media Management are unable to help you with answering questions about the status of your baggage because they have the same information as is displayed on the Baggage status page. We will contact you as soon as we have any news about your delayed baggage.

Your Bluetooth tracker (e.g. AirTag or SmartTag) can display the location of your baggage but is not linked with the airline systems. If your delayed baggage contains a Bluetooth tracker (e.g. Apple AirTag or Galaxy SmartTag), please activate “Lost mode” for the tracker on your smartphone and enter an e-mail address. This will help us allocate your baggage if we find your Bluetooth tracker.

When your delayed baggage arrives at the destination airport, it will take some time for further internal procedures and customs clearance before it can be delivered to you or is ready for collection, depending on the option you have chosen. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly. Your baggage may be in an area that is not open to the public and therefore cannot be handed over to you.

When your delayed baggage arrives at the destination airport, it will take some time for further internal procedures and customs clearance before it can be delivered to you or is ready for collection. Depending on which option you have chosen, you will receive an e-mail from us when your baggage is ready for collection or has been handed over to a courier for delivery. The courier will contact you as soon as possible to arrange a delivery date and deliver your baggage to the address you provided. If you need to change the delivery address after you have made your delayed baggage report, you can do so on the Baggage status page. Please note that you can only change the address up to the time we have appointed a courier to deliver your baggage.

Most delayed bags are found within the first 24 hours. When your delayed baggage arrives at the destination airport, please allow some extra time because your baggage may not be ready for delivery or collection immediately due to internal procedures and customs clearance. You will receive an e-mail when a courier has been appointed or you can collect your baggage if you have chosen this option. There may be delays with delivery at certain times, such as the peak travel season. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

Please note that in many cases an airport may no longer be able to offer collection of your baggage in person at short notice. We will notify you accordingly if this is the case.

You can change your contact details including the delivery address on the Baggage status page. Please note that you can only change the address up to the time we have appointed a courier. If you are unable to change your details, you will find contact information on the written confirmation to your delayed baggage report that your received at the baggage tracing desk or in the attachment to the confirmation e-mail if you reported your delayed baggage online. We will notify you by e-mail as soon as we have assigned a courier. The courier will contact you as soon as possible to arrange a delivery date.

When your delayed baggage arrives at the destination airport, it will take some time for further internal procedures and customs clearance before we can appoint a courier to deliver your delayed baggage. If you have already been informed that your baggage has been handed over to a courier, they will contact you to arrange a delivery date. This may also take some time due to the number of bags to be delivered or the time of day. If your baggage could not be delivered, the courier will contact you again to arrange a new delivery date. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly.

If your baggage arrives late at your destination, you can purchase essential items such as toiletries and clothes, and submit the receipts for a refund. Please keep all the receipts to support your claim later.

Important:

• We recommend that you carry valuables such as jewellery, money or medicines in your hand baggage.
• You are obliged to minimise any expenses for the purchase of replacement items in the event of a baggage delay (“duty to mitigate damages”). SWISS will contribute to the costs subject to proportionality.
• Expenses for replacement purchases after your arrival back home will also be considered for a refund. Please note that you as the passenger are especially obliged to minimise any claims here. Expenses for replacement purchases that can be assumed to be available at your home will not be refunded.
• Items that you can continue to use (e.g. clothes) will be refunded at a rate of 50%, while toiletries or single-use items will be refunded at a rate of 100%*.

* Exceptions apply to the USA and Canada due to local legislation (US DOT and CTA).

SWISS will contribute to reasonable expenses for toiletries and clothing. Liability is regulated by the Montreal Convention. Please note that under the Montreal Convention you are obliged to minimise the costs incurred due to a delay to your baggage.

After you have reported your delayed baggage (at the airport or online), please apply for a refund of proven costs by using this refund application form. Please keep all the receipts to support your claim later.

You can apply for a refund of the expenses for replacement items within 2 years after your flight, providing you have reported your baggage as delayed.

You are entitled to compensation for the loss of your bag providing you have reported your baggage as delayed (at the airport or online), completed the contents list on the Baggage status page and your baggage has been delayed for more than 21 days. If this is the case, you must submit your claim for compensation for the loss of your baggage within two years.

The maximum amount of compensation given for the total loss of your baggage is determined by the Montreal Convention.

Important:

• We recommend that you carry valuables such as jewellery, money or medicines with you in your hand baggage.
• You are responsible for your hand baggage.

The liability of airlines for travel baggage is regulated by law. Entitlement to compensation is granted according to the Montreal Convention. The compensation itself is specified in so-called Special Drawing Rights (SDR). Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) are an artificial accounting unit created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The maximum liability is 1,288 SDRs at present, which is currently equivalent to approx. EUR 1,500. This amount is subject to exchange rate fluctuations and therefore may change.

The Montreal Convention only applies if the following conditions are met:

The law applies both to domestic and international carriage between treaty states. For checked bags, the airline is liable for the delayed baggage, irrespective of fault. This right only applies if the delayed baggage report and the claim for compensation are submitted within the deadlines specified in the treaty.

You are entitled to compensation for the loss of your bag providing you have reported your baggage as delayed (at the airport or online), completed the contents list on the baggage status page and your baggage has been delayed for more than 21 days. After you have completed the contents list for your delayed baggage, a targeted search will be carried out in the baggage system for bags with the same or similar details. You will be informed immediately if a positive match is found. If you are not contacted, this unfortunately means that we do not have any positive news about the whereabouts of your bag. In this very rare case your bag is deemed legally lost and SWISS will contact you for compensation 21 to 30 days after you have reported your delayed baggage.

Your delay report will remain active in the system. Your bag will of course be delivered to you if it is subsequently found.

If you notice that your delayed baggage is damaged, you must inform SWISS immediately in writing or in text form. If you have accepted your checked baggage without reservation, it is assumed it was delivered in good condition and in accordance with the carriage contract until proved to the contrary.

You can contact SWISS customer services to apply for a refund of proven costs using the Application form for the refund of costs.

Please note that any claim is excluded by law if the beneficiary does not report the damage immediately on noticing it or within seven days of accepting the baggage in the case of checked baggage.

SWISS is also not liable for damage caused by items in your baggage (including fragile, unsuitably packed and perishable items), unless we caused this damage through gross negligence or wilful misconduct.