New figures obtained under freedom of information rules show which airlines are generating the most escalated baggage disputes, and the data lands just as UK business travellers hit the busiest weeks of the flying calendar.
British Airways recorded 896 accepted Alternative Dispute Resolution baggage complaints in 2025, more than any other carrier.
Ryanair was second with 693 accepted cases, while Wizz Air logged 208. These are not routine grumbles at the baggage desk. Every one of these figures represents a passenger who exhausted the airline’s own complaints process and needed an independent body to step in, a route that typically opens only after eight weeks without resolution. For anyone travelling on business with a laptop, samples or a suit they need the next morning, that timeline is the problem.
Act within minutes, not hours
Chris Harrington, managing director at transfer booking firm hoppa, said losing luggage is “always stressful”, but noted that the speed and accuracy of a traveller’s response dramatically increases the chances of recovering a bag or receiving timely updates.
Report the bag missing at the airline’s baggage service desk beside the carousel before leaving the terminal. Staff need the luggage tag and flight details to start tracing. Describe the case in detail: brand, colour, size, shell type and any distinguishing marks. Photographs taken before departure speed the search considerably.
The single most important item to walk away with is a Property Irregularity Report reference. That code is what the airline tracks the bag against, and it is what any insurer will ask for first. Without it, a claim becomes far harder to evidence, as our guide to what business travellers need to know when bags go astray sets out in more detail.
What you can claim while you wait
Under the Montreal Convention, airlines are liable for up to £1,300 for luggage that is lost, damaged or delayed. That ceiling only applies if the correct process has been followed.
Some carriers offer an immediate allowance for toiletries and clothing, particularly for passengers away from home. Many do not. Keep every receipt regardless, because reimbursement claims stand or fall on documentation. If the bag is formally declared lost, contact your travel insurer promptly. Policies frequently cover the shortfall where airline liability does not stretch to the full value of the contents, which matters when a case holds work equipment rather than holiday clothes.
Retain the PIR, all correspondence and receipts together in one place. Should the claim stall, the CAA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme provides a free, independent decision, usually within three months. Two providers are approved, AviationADR and CEDR, and most UK airlines are signed up to one of them.
Why the numbers keep climbing
The FOI data points to a pattern familiar to frequent flyers. Carriers moving the highest volumes of bags face the greatest operational strain, but the ADR figures suggest something beyond simple mishandling rates. Communication gaps and slow internal resolution are pushing passengers towards formal escalation, and the CAA’s own complaints data reflects the same pressure across the sector.
Practical defences are unglamorous but effective. Photograph the case before you travel. Hold on to tags and boarding passes until the trip is finished. Fit a tracker, whether that is an AirTag or a rival smart tag, since several airlines now accept shared location links as part of a delayed baggage report. Report problems on the spot rather than from the hotel that evening. Keep receipts for anything bought out of necessity.
Speed, documentation and clarity remain the three things that separate a bag recovered in 48 hours from a claim still unresolved eight weeks later.
