Help with baggage questions
We handle baggage cases on behalf of airlines at Frankfurt and Munich airports.
What do you need help with?
Three cases, three routes. Choose the one that matches your situation, so that your enquiry reaches the right place straight away.
My checked baggage has not arrived
Suitcases, bags, pushchairs, sports equipment – anything you handed over at check-in.
Check the statusI left something on the aircraft
Phone, laptop, jacket, glasses, headphones – anything left at your seat or in the overhead locker.
Report an itemSomething was removed from my baggage
Or you want to know before your flight what may and may not go into your baggage.
Read the guidanceLost in the terminal, in a shop, in the car park or on the train? That is handled by the airport operator's lost property office.
Check the status of your delayed baggage
If your baggage did not arrive at your destination airport and you have filed a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), you can check the status here yourself.
Where do I find my file reference?
It is on the receipt you were given at the desk in baggage reclaim, and in the confirmation email from your airline. It consists of the three-letter airport code, the two-character airline code and five digits – for example FRALH12345.
The file reference is not the number on the baggage tag and not the number on your check-in receipt. That is the most common mix-up.
I have not filed a report yet
Without a report there is no case to check. Report missing baggage at the desk in baggage reclaim before you leave the area. If that is no longer possible, use your airline's online report form. We do not take the initial report.
Who handles your case
In the first few days the baggage service at the arrival airport searches for your bag – that is the role we carry out on behalf of airlines. If the baggage cannot be found, the airline takes over with an extended search and asks you for a list of contents. Your airline will tell you the procedure that applies to your case.
What you can do yourself
- Keep the delivery address and mobile number in the case up to date – an out-of-date hotel address is the most common reason a delivery fails
- Give an address where someone can be reached; we announce the delivery in advance
- Keep your baggage tag and boarding pass
Baggage that is found is delivered on behalf of the airline, as a rule to your front door. Collection at the airport is only possible if your airline has expressly agreed to it.
Item left on board
For items you left in the cabin, we take your description through our Cabin Lost form. The more precise your details, the more likely an item can be matched.
Are you in the right place?
- Left on the aircraft, for example at your seat or in the overhead locker, or in the lounge at the terminal – yes, use the Cabin Lost form
- Checked baggage is missing – go to the Delayed baggage section
- Lost in the terminal, a shop, the car park or on the train – the airport operator's lost property office
These details help us
- Flight number and flight date
- Departure and arrival airport
- Seat number, if you know it
- Type of item, plus make, colour and material
- Serial number or IMEI for electronics, and distinguishing features such as engravings or stickers
- Your contact details so we can reply
What happens next
We check your description against the items that have reached us. A match is only possible once an item has arrived with us. Not everything left on board reaches us, and depending on the airline and the airport a different office is responsible – in that case we will refer you to the right place.
Collection and dispatch
Found items are only handed over on presentation of photographic identification, and, if someone else collects them, with written authorisation as well. Dispatch within the EU is possible.
These cases do not go through our form
- Passport or identity card – Federal Police (Bundespolizei) at the arrival airport
- Dutiable or duty-free goods – Customs
- Perishable goods – these are not kept
- Medication you need – please contact your airline directly
Dangerous items in baggage
Power banks, batteries, aerosols, lighters: many everyday items are dangerous goods. The overview below helps when you pack. The binding rules are those of your airline.
Six rules that always apply
- Power banks and spare batteries belong in carry-on baggage, never in a checked suitcase
- E-cigarettes and vapes belong in carry-on baggage; they must not be charged on board
- Devices with a built-in battery may go in a checked suitcase – but then switched off completely, not just in sleep mode
- A lighter or a box of matches only on your person, neither in carry-on nor in checked baggage; many states and airlines prohibit that too
- Pepper spray and electro-shock devices not at all, in no piece of baggage
- With suitcases that have a battery, a removable battery must come out before check-in and travel with you in the cabin; built-in batteries above 2.7 watt-hours are not permitted
Reading watt-hours correctly. The figure is printed on the outside of the battery and is amp-hours multiplied by volts. If the figure is missing and cannot be shown from the device documents either, carriage may be refused.
Overview: 24 items from power banks to dry ice
| Item | Carry-on baggage | Checked baggage | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power banks | permitted | not permitted | The number allowed, as well as use and charging on board, is set by your airline – several now prohibit both. Please check before you fly. |
| Spare and replacement batteries (up to 100 Wh) | permitted | not permitted | Protect each battery individually against short circuit: original packaging, taped terminals or a protective case. |
| Devices with a built-in battery (phone, laptop, camera) | permitted | permitted | In checked baggage the device must be switched off completely, not just in sleep mode. |
| Batteries above 100 and up to 160 Wh | conditions apply only with the approval of the airline | conditions apply only permanently installed in the device and with approval | Above 160 Wh is not permitted as baggage and is only possible as air freight. |
| E-cigarettes, vapes, e-pipes | permitted | not permitted | Secure them against switching on unintentionally. Charging on board is not permitted. |
| Smart luggage (suitcases with a battery) | permitted | conditions apply a removable battery must come out and travel with you in the cabin | Built-in batteries above 2.7 Wh are not permitted. |
| E-scooters, hoverboards, Segways, self-propelled suitcases | not permitted | not permitted | Their batteries are almost always above 160 Wh. Carriage is then only possible as air freight. |
| GPS trackers and electronic baggage tags | permitted | permitted | Not restricted under dangerous goods law, including with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or mobile data. |
| Lighter or matches | not permitted | not permitted | One small lighter or one box of safety matches is permitted on your person. Numerous states and airlines prohibit that too. |
| Lighter fuel and refill cartridges | not permitted | not permitted | This also applies to cigar lighters and strike-anywhere matches. |
| Pepper spray, irritant gas, electro-shock devices | not permitted | not permitted | Not permitted in any piece of baggage and not on your person. |
| Perfume, hairspray, deodorant and other aerosols | permitted | permitted | No more than 0.5 litres or 0.5 kg per item and 2 litres or 2 kg in total. In carry-on baggage the liquids rule at the security check applies as well. |
| Alcoholic drinks up to 24% by volume | permitted | permitted | Not dangerous goods. Baggage allowances and customs limits still apply. |
| Alcoholic drinks above 24% and up to 70% by volume | permitted | permitted | Only in the original packaging, no more than 5 litres per person. Above 70% by volume is not permitted. |
| Gas curling tongs (hair styling with a gas cartridge) | permitted | permitted | One device per person, with the safety cover over the heating element. Spare cartridges are not permitted and use on board is prohibited. |
| Medical oxygen cylinders | conditions apply approval of the airline required | conditions apply approval of the airline required | No more than 5 kg gross weight. Individual airlines exclude oxygen cylinders altogether. |
| Portable oxygen concentrator | permitted | permitted | To use it on board you also need medical clearance from the airline, usually with notice in advance. |
| Mercury clinical thermometer | not permitted | permitted | One thermometer per person, in its protective case. |
| Dry ice | conditions apply approval of the airline required | conditions apply approval of the airline required | No more than 2.5 kg per person. The packaging must allow the gas to escape and the piece of baggage must be labelled. |
| Ammunition for sporting firearms | not permitted | conditions apply approval of the airline required | No more than 5 kg gross per person, securely packed and for your own use only. |
| Camping stoves and fuel containers | not permitted | conditions apply only completely empty and with approval | Gas cartridges, petrol and fuel paste are not permitted in any piece of baggage. |
| Diving cylinders | conditions apply only depressurised | conditions apply only depressurised | The valve must be open or removed so that it can be inspected visually. The requirements differ by airline and airport. |
| Strong magnets, for example neodymium or industrial magnets | not permitted | not permitted | Souvenir and fridge magnets are not a problem. Strong magnets belong in air freight. |
| Security cases and cash boxes with a battery or pyrotechnic material | not permitted | not permitted | Prohibited entirely. |
Why there are three separate sets of rules
Three sets of rules that are often confused
Dangerous goods law. The ICAO Technical Instructions and the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations set out what may go on board an aircraft at all. Here the assumption is prohibition: anything not expressly permitted is not allowed.
Aviation security law. The limit on liquids in carry-on baggage and the ban on knives come from EU aviation security law – a different set of rules with a different logic. A 200 millilitre bottle of perfume is acceptable under dangerous goods law, but may still be challenged at the security check.
Airline rules. Airlines and states may be stricter than the IATA rules, and often are. Medical oxygen cylinders are one example: the IATA rules allow them with approval, while individual airlines exclude them altogether.
Liquids, power banks and where to get binding information
Liquids in carry-on baggage
The permitted quantity depends on your departure airport, and in part even on the individual security checkpoint, and it is changing often at the moment. Check it shortly before you travel on the website of your departure airport. For the return flight, the rules of that airport apply.
The rules on power banks are changing particularly fast. Several airlines have now banned their use and charging on board and limited how many you may carry. Do not rely on general information here, but on what your airline says.
Where to get binding information
- Your airline – binding information, approvals and quantities
- IATA, passenger information on dangerous goods – the full tables, in several languages
- IATA, lithium battery guidance – batteries, power banks and conduct on board
- The website of your departure airport – current rules at the security check
Something was removed from your baggage
Something was removed from your baggage
If dangerous goods are found in checked baggage during screening, they have to be removed. As a rule you will then find a notice slip in your suitcase.
Low-value items are disposed of. Higher-value items are stored and can be claimed back. Depending on the airport, the office holding them is the one named on the notice slip. Storage periods, the evidence required and any costs are explained there.
What you should have to hand
- The notice slip from your baggage
- Flight number and flight date
- Baggage tag and boarding pass
- A description of the item, with a purchase receipt or serial number if possible
Why some items cannot be sent on
Dangerous goods law applies to onward shipment as well. Power banks, spare batteries or lighters cannot simply be sent to your door by air freight or parcel service. So it can happen that your suitcase is delivered while a single item from it is not.
Responsibility, time limits and claims
We search and we deliver, on behalf of your airline. Compensation and reimbursement are decided by the airline alone. The information below is for guidance only and is not legal advice.
Who helps with what
- Status of your reported baggage, delivery, items left in the cabin or lounge – the baggage service at the airport, that is us on behalf of the airline
- Filing the initial report for missing baggage – the desk in baggage reclaim or your airline's online report form
- Compensation, replacement purchases, settlement of damage, baggage repair, air passenger rights – the airline
- Items lost in the terminal, shops, the car park or on the train – the airport operator's lost property office
- Lost passport or identity card – Federal Police (Bundespolizei)
- Dutiable or duty-free goods – Customs
Time limits for reporting under the Montreal Convention
- Damaged baggage – written notice without delay, and at the latest seven days after you receive it
- Delayed baggage – at the latest 21 days after the baggage is made available
- Time limit for court action – two years from the day of arrival, or the day on which the aircraft should have arrived
These are absolute time limits – once they expire, claims can be lost. Many airlines set much shorter deadlines for their own online reports. So report damage as early as possible, directly to your airline.
Replacement purchases
Whether, and to what extent, necessary replacement purchases are reimbursed is decided by your airline. Keep your receipts and submit them there. There is no statutory flat rate.
How to reach us
The quickest way to see the status of your reported baggage is to check it yourself in the Bagtracker. For everything else, please use the routes below.
- Status of your delayed baggage – through the Bagtracker, at any time
- Item left on board or in the lounge – through our Cabin Lost form
- Questions about an open case – by phone or email, always with your file reference
Without a file reference we cannot give information about a case by phone.
A note on attempted fraud
The only official contact routes are the ones named on this website. We do not charge for searching for your baggage.
Fake accounts are run on social networks, claiming to offer lost baggage or promising a priority search in return for advance payment. Do not respond to them.
Common questions
Where is my suitcase?
You can see the current status in the Bagtracker. You need your file reference and your surname for this.
What is a file reference and where do I find it?
It is the reference of your Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and consists of the airport code, the airline code and five digits, for example FRALH12345. It is on the receipt from the desk in baggage reclaim and in the confirmation email from your airline. It is not the number on the baggage tag.
I do not have a file reference. What now?
You will be given one at the desk in baggage reclaim at the arrival airport, or through your airline's online report form. Without a report there is no case.
When will my baggage be delivered?
That depends on when and where your baggage is found. You can see the status in the Bagtracker. We announce the delivery in advance – please keep the address and mobile number in the case up to date.
Can I collect my baggage at the airport?
Only if your airline has expressly agreed to it. Without that agreement, baggage is not handed over.
May I buy replacement clothing, and who pays?
Your airline decides that. Keep all receipts and submit them there.
By when do I have to report damage?
For damage, at the latest seven days after you receive the baggage; for delay, at the latest 21 days after the baggage is made available. The report goes to your airline, which often sets shorter deadlines for its own online report form.
When is my baggage considered lost?
Your airline determines that. If your baggage cannot be found beyond the usual search period, the airline will contact you about the next steps.
I left something on the aircraft. What happens to it?
Items left behind are collected and registered after the flight. Describe your item through our Cabin Lost form, so that we can match it to an item found.
Something was removed from my suitcase. Will I get it back?
With dangerous goods there is usually a notice slip in the suitcase. Higher-value items are stored and can be claimed back from the office named there; low-value items are disposed of. There is more on this under Removed items.