So, you arrive safely at your destination, passport control is painless and you even find a luggage trolly. All that's left is to stand by the luggage carrousel and wait for your bag to show.

As the mass of bodies around the carrousel begins to dissipate you wonder why your bag is always the last off the plane. Soon you are the only one left standing, the carrousel is empty andpanic begins set in as it dawns on you: your bag is not going to show.

At that moment you probably will not care that most lost baggage is reunited with its owner within 24 hours or that less than 0.005% of checked-in luggage is ever permanently lost. You need to know what to do next.

Get the paperwork done
BEFORE you leave the baggage reclamation area it is imperative to find a member of the airline staff or the customer services desk to report the loss. Insist on filing the complaint even if you are told that your bag will be arriving on the next flight. Waiting as little as three days can sometimes invalidate your claim. You will be given a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) to fill in. Do this on the spot and ask for a copy. This form, together with the baggage receipts you were given at check-in, are essential if you want to make a compensation claim from the airline or from your travel insurance.

Your PIR is not a claim in itself, so you must still make a claim in writing within seven days. If you are on your outward journey, be sure to ask for some cash for immediate supplies. The airline may suggest you buy the supplies and they will refund on receipt. Agree to the spending limit in advance.

On your homebound journey, the airline will not be so forthcoming since they will assume you have everything you need at home. At best, when the bag does finally turn up the airline will deliver the bag to you at their own expense.

At worst, it will take up to two months before the airline admits that your bag is lost. In this case, you are eligible for compensation.

Compensation
You won't have much of a fight on your hands to get compensation thanks to the Warsaw Convention.

The Convention outlines the airline's liabilities for passengers and their luggage. Domestic air travel in most countries benefits from similar legislation. The Convention limits the maximum compensation payout to £14 per kilo so the airline's maximum liability will be £14 times the kilo weight of your baggage. What's more if you were given cash for immediate supplies, the airline may choose to deduct this from your final compensation figure. In allevents, when choosing travel insurance ask if the policy covers luggage loss.

How to minimize luggage loss

1. Don't pack valuables or money in your suitcase, and carry a change of clothes and wash kit in your hand kuggage
2. Tag your bag ensuring your address and telephone number are both legible.
3. Add a colourful sticker or ribbon to identify your baggage.
4. Check in early.
5. Ensure the baggage receipt given to you at the check-in desk corresponds with the correct airport code of your destination.
6. Keep your baggage receipt given to you at the check-in desk. You will need this in case of loss.
7. If the weight of your bag exceeds the maximum amount the airlines are willing to reimburse, you could buy "excess valuation" when you check in. This is not an insurance policy but does increase the amount of money owed to you by the airline if your bags go AWOL.
8. Get adequate insurance.