Your bag didn't come out. Whatever you do, don't walk out of this airport yet. Go to your airline's baggage desk, report the missing bag right there, and keep a copy. Without that report, most airlines won't even consider your claim. And if the bag turns up late, you may be owed money you never thought to ask for. Step 1. Stay put. Your airline's baggage desk is right there in the baggage hall. Step 2.

File with the airline that actually flew you, and keep a copy of the report. Two airlines on one trip? Report it to whichever one flew your last leg. Step 3. Buy only what you really need: toiletries, underwear, a change of clothes. Keep every single receipt. Airlines pay back reasonable essentials, and they will ask to see them. Step 4. Watch the clock, because a late bag can mean your checked-bag fee comes back.

Step 5. Put your claim in writing, and send expenses within 21 days of getting the bag back. Step 6. Still missing after 21 days? File a lost-bag claim and list everything that was inside. Here's the part nobody tells you. The bag finally showed up, so they owe you nothing? Wrong. Over 12 hours late on a US domestic trip, and your bag fee gets refunded anyway. And no, a late bag doesn't mean the airline buys you a whole new wardrobe.

Replace a 15 euro shirt with a 100 euro one, and they won't pay for it. The airport report is the trigger. Most airlines won't even consider a claim that isn't backed by one. The clock runs from the moment you can step off the plane until the bag reaches you. Domestic, it's 12 hours. International, 15 hours, or 30 if the nonstop leg is over 12 hours. On US domestic flights on large aircraft, the limit can't be set below 4,700 dollars per passenger.

Internationally, the most you can claim is 1,519 SDRs, about 1,868 euros, adjusted every 5 years. But what if it arrives damaged? On international trips you've got 7 days to claim, in writing. Skipped your last leg on a hidden-city ticket? Then you caused the delay, and there's no bag-fee refund. Missed the check-in cutoff or flying standby? The airline can ask you to agree a new delivery date. But it can't make you give up your refund, your compensation, or your expenses.

And if the bag shows up after 21 days, European consumer centres say it still counts as lost. Carousel stops, you don't leave. Desk, report, copy, receipts, and a clock you're watching. The airline knows every one of these rules by heart. Now so do you. Your bag can take the scenic route. Your paperwork can't.