What happens if I leave the claim hall without collecting my checked baggage?

What happens if I leave the claim hall without collecting my checked baggage? - Crop male friends going upstairs in underground passage

On a recent international flight that landed in the late evening, the baggage took about 90 minutes to arrive at the claim and I was starting to worry I would miss the last train home.

What would have happened if I'd just left without collecting it and returned the next day for it? I can imagine this also happening by accident if I was being forgetful.

I can imagine the airline/airport wouldn't be very happy about it as it'd be a nightmare if lots of people did this, but what would the practical consequenecs be?

I've seen this answer which talks about there being an unclaimed bags area, but I'd like to know how collecting things from it works in practice.



Best Answer

If your bag is handed over by the airport to the lost property office, you will probably be asked to pay an admin fee (£20 or more) to retrieve it - this is certainly the case at most if not all UK airports.




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Do you have to go through baggage claim?

If you're just touching down in an airport for a stop before your connecting flight, it's not necessary to pick up your checked luggage in the baggage claim.

What happens to unclaimed suitcases?

Every airline is responsible for their passengers' lost belongings and will make every attempt to reunite the luggage with its owner. But some bags can end up sitting for months with nobody claiming them, and they're eventually sold to the public instead of sitting in a storage facility forever.

What happens to your checked bag if you miss your connection?

What happens to your luggage if you miss your flight? In the event that you missed a connection, or got held up in security and your checked luggage has gone ahead without you, immediately find an airline representative. The airline may be able to track your bags and hold them for you until your arrival.



Lost luggage: What happens to your baggage after check-in




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