If you want to know what happens to your checked luggage if you miss connecting flights, then most probably you have missed the flight already and don’t know what to do now.

But fear not; you have come to the right place for your answer.

I had a similar horrible experience, and I did manage to get my luggage back.

And when I missed the flight, I did deep research on what happened to my luggage.

So without any further, let’s dive deep and understand what actually happens to your luggage when you miss the connecting flight, and can your luggage even fly without you?  

What happens to your luggage if you miss the connecting flight?

What happens to checked luggage if i miss connecting flight
What happens to checked luggage if i miss connecting flight

First, let’s see what usually happens when you have a connecting flight. 

In most cases, if you have one or more connecting flights, you will have to take your luggage after the first landing and recheck your luggage for connecting flights. 

In other scenarios, some airlines have a good policy which they call Interlining or thorough policy. 

And this policy reduces your hassle and takes full responsibility for rechecking your luggage until you reach the final destination. 

In the first scenario, you will have to recheck your luggage and get on a connecting flight. 

And if you fail to recheck and get on a connecting flight, then you can take your luggage by contacting the baggage claim office. 

In the second scenario, however, complication starts. 

If the airline has an auto-rechecking option for your luggage and you miss the connecting flight, then two things can happen. 

Either the airport authority will unload your luggage from the flight or take it to your final destination. 

And you can claim the luggage after reaching the destination, or you can have your luggage sent back to you. 

How to get the luggage bag? 

You must be wondering what you should do when your luggage is transferred to your destination, but you missed the flight. 

Well, in such scenarios, it is better to get a ticket for the next flight to your destination and reach there and collect the luggage.  

However, to get your luggage bag after missing the connecting flight, you will need to notify the customer service representative. 

And make sure you have the information on your luggage tag and flight details.  

What happens to my luggage if my flight is delayed? 

We all know how bored and annoyed we feel while waiting for a plane in the airport; yes, sir, that’s the situation for both of us when our connecting flight is delayed. 

And when sitting and feeling bored, your mind may come up with this question what happened to your luggage as the flight was delayed? 

Well, there is nothing you should worry about. 

Your luggage flies with you on the same plane. 

So while you are waiting for your delayed connecting flight, your luggage is waiting too.      

Can Checked Luggage Fly Without Passenger?

Theoretically, your checked luggage cannot fly without you. 

If you fail to show up at the right time, the crew should offload your luggage from the flight.  

It is a safety measure for avoiding terrorism on international flights. 

This is called Positive Passenger Bag Matching. 

But here’s the catch in it, in most cases, only international flights maintain this kind of safety measures. 

Nevertheless, this is not always the case. There are many incidents when flights didn’t offload luggage even after the passenger missed the flight. 

FAQ for what happens to checked luggage if I miss connecting flight?

What happens if you miss your flight because of security? 

You are probably asking this question to know if you will ever get a refund for your ticket and get your luggage back safely if you miss the flight due to a security check. 

Let me give you the straight answer, No, you won’t get any refund for your ticket. 

You bought the ticket from the airline, not the airport authority. 

So if you miss the flight for the airport authority’s security check, then the airline is not liable to refund you. 

You might be stuck in the long security check line and missed the flight. 

The airline is not responsible for that and won’t pay you back or give you another flight for free. 

You may also like the following:

Why Is Luggage So Expensive?How to make it cheap

Brane
Latest posts by Brane (see all)