If your checked bag doesn’t appear on the carousel at JFK, LaGuardia or Newark, don’t leave the airport before filing a report at your airline’s baggage service office in the baggage claim area. Get a file reference number, give the address where the bag should be delivered, and keep receipts for essentials you buy while you wait. Most delayed bags are found and delivered within a day or two. Let your chauffeur know you’re at the baggage office — it’s part of the arrival process, and it’s better than rushing out without a report.

Step by step

  1. Check the carousel and oversized-baggage area.
  2. Go to the airline’s baggage service office before exiting.
  3. File a report with your baggage tag numbers and a description of the bag and contents.
  4. Get a reference number and the airline’s contact information.
  5. Provide a delivery address — home or hotel.
  6. Keep receipts for reasonable interim purchases (toiletries, clothing).
  7. Track the bag online or in the airline’s app.

Your rights

Airlines are responsible for delayed, damaged and lost baggage, subject to limits. On international trips, the Montreal Convention sets liability limits; U.S. rules also require refunds of bag fees in certain delay situations. Keep all documentation.

Prevention tips

  • Put a tracking tag in your bag.
  • Photograph your bag and contents before travel.
  • Carry essentials — medication, a change of clothes, chargers and valuables — in your carry-on.
  • Remove old tags so bags aren’t misrouted.

Tell your chauffeur

If you’re delayed at the baggage office, text your chauffeur. Complimentary waiting time applies after landing, and reasonable delays are part of airport pickups. Read wait time policies explained and where to meet your driver.