DISCLAIMER — I AM NOT A LAWYER
//This article is a landing page for UnLostBot

Nobody wants to arrive in a distant land, only to find your airline has failed to fly your bags with you. Luckily, if it was a domestic flight, you have legal firepower for recourse. Here is what you will do to be reimbursed in such a predicament:

1. HUMAN CONNECTION
Be it damaged, delayed, or completely lost, immediately locate and file a baggage report to your airline representative in-person. Timely reporting is very important, as is face-to-face interaction, as opposed to online or on the phone, where communications can be convoluted.

2. SHOPPING SPREE
If the lost belongings are valued below $500, most airline reps are authorized to approve the reimbursement without going through corporate. You get a $500 allotment to purchase replacement clothes/shoes/sunglasses/etc. Be sure to save your receipts!

3. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
The federal laws on lost baggage are seldom realized. I have heard of passengers flat-out misled by their airlines (perhaps the employees were misinformed/ill-trained?) when reporting lost or delayed bags.
The government has even caught a number of airlines purporting false information to prevent passengers from knowing they are entitled to full reimbursement (https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Notice_Expense_Reimburse_final.pdf). Don’t be a victim!

As per the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)’s 2009 Carrier Liability Rule, 14 CFR 254.4 (https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/CFR-2009-title14-vol4/CFR-2009-title14-vol4-sec254-4):

“On any flight segment using large aircraft, or on any flight segment that is included on the same ticket as another flight segment that uses large aircraft, an air carrier shall not limit its liability for provable direct or consequential damages resulting from the disappearance of, damage to, or delay in delivery of a passenger’s personal property, including baggage, in its custody to an amount less than $3,300 for each passenger.”

4. COMPLICATIONS
If your airline refuses to comply with 14 CFR 254.4, file a consumer-complaint with the Department of Transportation here:
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint

The DOT exists to protect you, and will contact the airline on your behalf. Once the airline knows you’ve complained with the DOT, they tend to follow the rules, as they know it is in their best interest not to be found guilty of breaking Federal Law.

5. OTHER CASES

• If your luggage is worth more than $500, then you should push through corporate for the full extent of your reimbursement (the DOT’s minimum maximum is currently $3,300).
• If your luggage is worth more than $3,300, then you should purchase travel insurance prior to your flight.
• Even if your airline eventually finds/delivers your bags, the reimbursement is still valid. You are compensated for the time you didn’t have the luggage.
• International flights are outside the scope of the DOT’s jurisdiction. Instead, they are ruled by the Montreal Convention (International Treaty, 1999), which insures a maximum limit of 1,131"Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)”. This amounts to 1577.55 USD as of 03/12/2016, less than half of the DOT’s $3,300.

Thanks for reading. I hope this information will never be of use to you.

Bonus air-tip: Should any issue arise with your flight, any issues at all, stop by the airline office to let them know about said difficulty. They will usually provide free vouchers for extra in-flight services to regain your good-faith.