When Vueling loses your luggage: What to expect and how to secure a reimbursement.

You read the many bad reviews online, but the price for this flight was just too good to fly premium. After getting out of your cramped seat, you head to the baggage claim to collect your luggage, only to find out that yours is nowhere to be found. You head to the counter, and see that you are not the only one experiencing this issue. Vueling lost your luggage…

Join the club! A quick google search that you are not the only one. Losing your luggage at Vueling means embarking on a rollercoaster of emotions during their search and claiming your rightful compensation.

In 2022, reports surfaced indicating that Vueling ranked among the top 5 airlines for lost luggage complaints filed with the UK Civil Aviation Authority. These complaints pertain to situations where the airline fails to offer a solution to their customers. Public Freedom of Information data from the CAA

Vueling lost our luggage too, and we encountered a frustrating lack of information and non existent customer service throughout the entire process. Heads up: we did not retrieve our belongings back and didn’t receive the compensation that we were rightfully owed.

With this article, we hope to provide some guidance on what to expect if Vueling loses your luggage, and what you can do to claim your rightful compensation. We hope that this article encourages Vueling to change their ways and reimburse their customers what they are entitled to.

So what to do when Vueling loses your luggage?

1. Take pictures of your boarding pass and bag tags and keep the originals: If you have a physical or digital boarding pass, make sure not to throw them away! The same goes for the physical bag tags that have been handed to you when checking in your luggage. Normally they are stuck to your passport or boarding pass. Make a picture or copy of both of them and keep the originals. Vueling requires photocopies of your original boarding pass and bag tags when filing for compensation.
2. File a ‘Property Irregularity Report’ ‘P.I.R.’ and make a picture of the original: If you’re unlucky this may take hours of waiting, but there is now also the option to file the PIR online through the following link. We still recommend you to file your report in person, as they may already have found your luggage at the airport. The P.I.R. includes a personal reference number that is required to search for your luggage and includes all information relating to size, brand, contents etc. Make sure to keep the original document issued as Vueling will require this exact document when you file a case.
3. Go home and hope they find your luggage: Vueling notes on its website that they go great lengths to return your luggage within 24 hours. They also claim that most luggage is returned within 72 hours and that 92% of luggage is eventually returned to their customers. Hopefully you belong to this lucky group!

Can you claim necessary expenses from Vueling?

You need to brush your teeth right? Vueling states on its website that if your luggage hasn’t been returned after 24 hours and you’re away from home, you can reclaim necessary items by submitting receipts. Examples include clothing and basic hygiene products.

Based on information from Vueling itself, there is no exact amount that they reimburse to passengers in case of delayed luggage. It all depends on the ‘circumstances’. Other Vueling travellers reported a reimbursement of 50 euros per day per P.I.R. with a maximum of 7 days — but please don’t take our word for it!

We recommend purchasing only the strictly required essentials, unless you are covered by another insurance that covers expenses because of luggage delays. If you rely solely on Vueling’s reimbursement policies, you may not receive any compensation at all. Also remember to take pictures of all the receipts and retain the originals for your claim.

Before going on a shopping spree:

• The amount Vueling reimburses is ‘per P.I.R.’ and NOT per passenger.
  We have heard accounts of families traveling with children that had to share the whole amount leaving them with 10 euros for five people, because they brought everything in a single suitcase. This is not an uncommon situation for families traveling with children;
• Vueling ONLY reimburses necessities after they have returned your luggage.
  If Vueling permanently loses your luggage without returning it at all, they will NOT compensate you for any of your essential expenses. Your luggage is considered lost for compensation purposes after 21 days. So after 21 days, you can cover your own expenses.

Does contacting Vueling speed things up?

Sadly, even if you ever make it all the way through their automated call system or online bot, it doesn’t make any sense contacting them.

We tried during our holiday, but it was a waste of time and telephone costs with no helpful answers in the end. None of their employees were able to tell us anything and we were referred to the ‘world tracer website’ to track the ongoing search. We just recommend to regularly check the ‘world tracer website’ and report any changes in your location through their online portal for lost luggage.

But what if you still want to try your luck…

Vueling’s phone details can be found through this link under phone numbers. We have received mixed responses from other customers on how to get a hold to a customer service representative. In any case we recommend to choose a different option than the ‘lost luggage’ options. If you choose still do this, you will only be given the option to check the status of the search, or change the delivery address of your luggage. Then the connection will be automatically cut before you can talk to someone.

We heard accounts of customers choosing the ‘purchase additional services’ option that were connected to a customer service representative. Another option we heard is to remain silent when they ask you to make a selection and indicate that your query has not been addressed. After a while the system puts you through to talk to someone.

Vueling can be reached per email via particularcustomervy@vueling.com We have received reports from travellers that this mailbox is currently full and that they refuse to assist or respond if there is no case number assigned to you. Another option would be to use their general email via contactus@vueling.com

What if Vueling finds your luggage before 21 days.

In this case, happy you! Vueling has found your luggage and will return it to you free of charge. In this case you will also have the option to get reimbursed for your necessary expenses.

Hopefully you kept a hold of all your receipts and the documents included above, as you will need them. You can file your claim through their website here.

If you purchased your flights not directly from vueling, your email address may not be found in the system as they use the booking agency’s email address. You get the following error:

“Sorry, we can’t seem to find your booking. Could you check the details, please?”

In that case you should use option for booking code, airport and date to make it work.

Vueling travellers reported a reimbursement of 50 euros per day per P.I.R. with a maximum of 7 days. This would bring the total compensation to 350 euros. Vueling itself notes that they don’t have a fixed amount and decide on a case-by-case basis.

If you have any other information on the amount that you received, please share this with us so we can update the article.

What if Vueling doesn’t find your luggage after 21 days

This is a situation where you don’t want to find yourself in as it means that you will not be automatically reimbursed for your necessary expenses and will only get a fixed reimbursement for your lost luggage.

After 21 days of searching, your luggage is considered ‘lost’ for compensation purposes. Precisely 21 days following the loss of your luggage, the automated system enables you to submit a claim regarding your missing items. Prior to this period, the system will only display a message indicating the inability to trace your luggage.

The automated system will now present you with the below options to furnish additional details for the processing of your claim. It’s essential to have all the required information and original photocopies of your documentation ready for this process. If you fail to provide them, Vueling will not consider your claim.

What to expect when making a claim?

After precisely 21 days we were able to file our claim on their automated website and were provided a so called ‘case number’ when we completed all the information.

A week later, we were contacted by a vueling customer service representative asking for more information in relation to our claim. We had to again provide a summary of the expenses we made, including the receipts, boarding passes and luggage tags, but also the original photocopy of the P.I.R. issued at the airport. We found it strange that we were not required to inform Vueling on the contents of our bags.

Another week passed and we received a ‘link’ to provide our payment details. NO information was provided on the amount that would be reimbursed and NO information was provided on when we would receive our reimbursement. It was a complete surprise what we would receive.

Another week later, we were transferred an amount of roughly 400 euros to our bank account. We had over 2500 euros worth of belongings in our luggage — and we had to buy new clothing and toiletries for our 3 week holiday. This brought our total damage to over 3000 euros!

We had accepted to pay for some of the damages, but our reimbursement was nowhere near the amount of ‘1288 Special Drawing Rights (approximately 1600 euros) per passenger’ that they include in their own terms and conditions and to which we are entitled to under international law.

In our experience, Vueling only awards this amount per lost item of luggage, which does seem fair to us as there is no way to proof there were items of a whole family inside the luggage.

Is Vueling playing it dirty? Are they purposefully tagging their customers’ luggage as ‘Cargo’

The amount of 19 to 22 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram did look awfully familiar to us.

In Article 22 paragraph 3 of the Montreal Convention, revised in 2019 it is included that airlines are liable for the loss of ‘CARGO’ up to an amount of 22 Special Drawing Rights per kilogram.

This would also explain why we received only 400 euros and why we didn’t receive any additional compensation for the necessary expenses we made.

When we asked Vueling to explain how they calculated our compensation, we received an email in which they basically said to suck it up. After this email, they refused to further respond to our messages.

“Dear customer,

Regarding your last message in which you stated that you do not agree with the compensation you received for your luggage incidence with PIR […], we would like to inform you that it is the stipulated amount for a case like yours.

This amount is based on the company’s internal compensation policy, established in accordance with the provisions set out in the Montreal Convention and in the Regulation (EC) 889/2002 of the European Parliament and Council, of 13 May 2002.

We would like to remind you that Vueling’s Conditions of Carriage include a summary of these provisions which are explicitly accepted when you book.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.

Kind regards,

Customer Service Department
VUELING AIRLINES S.A.”

What can you do if Vueling denies your rightful claim?

We didn’t reach a positive outcome with Vueling and are actually still awaiting a response to our claim. We heard accounts of other travellers experiencing the same, but we didn’t want to give up so easily. As Vueling decided not to respond anymore, we took this matter further.

The matter is currently with the ECC — European Consumer Center and we hope that we receive a solution soon.

Update: The ECC took approximately 2 months to get back to us. The ECC representatives in Spain contacted Vueling relating to our case. After their intervention, Vueling awarded us an additional EUR 1150 for our lost luggage. This was approximately the amount of EUR 1600 under the Montreal Convention.

We were very happy with the help and support we received from the ECC. If you find yourself in a similar situation, more information on what steps to take can be found on this EU-website. The ECC is for EU claims and they can help you file a case with Vueling free of charge.

How do I prevent all this from happening?

The saying ‘you get what you pay for’ is certainly applicable here. A budget airline is budget for a reason, but Vueling should adhere to the applicable regulations to create a level playing field for all airlines. Our first advice would be to reconsider traveling with Vueling, but sometimes this is just the only option you have — and it's often cheaper.

Airport staff have shared with us that a significant portion of ‘long lost luggage’ is because of missing ‘bagage tags’. If you ever checked-in your luggage and see it speeding away from you, you may see that there is some room for error during the journey to your destination. Luggage handles could break, come loose, the tags could become entangled in the conveyor belts, or your suitcase may open because it was not properly locked. To expedite the recovery of your luggage:

• Invest in an Apple AirTag or a similar tracking device and place it INSIDE your luggage. This makes it simpler to keep track of your luggage, and allows you to inform airport personnel of its location and retrieve it;
• Many people rely solely on the ‘bagage tags’ from airlines, but you should consider placing an additional luggage tag on the outside of your bag that is sturdy and does not come off easily.
• Secure your bag with an additional suitcase belt that provides an additional layer of protection against opening. It also makes it easier to distinct it from others at the baggage claim.
• Include your personal details INSIDE your luggage. When your bag is found and there is no baggage tag anymore, airport personnel will open your bag to look for perishable items. If they find your personal information it is easier to contact you.
• Make a photograph of the contents of your bag, before your flight. This not only serves as evidence for claims, but also enables you to include your lost items in the P.I.R. so they can more easily trace it back to you.
• Finally, consider purchasing travel insurance or use a credit card with insurance when booking your travels. This not only broadens compensation for basic necessities, when your luggage is delayed, but also provides coverage if your luggage remains lost for more than 21 days.

This article may include affiliate links, allowing us to earn a commission when you click or purchase through these links. This comes at no additional cost to you, but allows us to keep writing helpful content.