How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines?

In a nutshell: If your checked bag is lost while flying with Southwest Airlines, act quickly to file a lost baggage claim. First, gather your flight details and pre-flight photos of your luggage. Visit the Southwest Airlines website and navigate to the "Help Center." From there,

Introduction

Travelers flying to a destination always hope that their checked bag doesn't get lost along the way. If you flew with Southwest Airlines and arrived at your destination but your bag didn't, it's important to notify the company as soon as possible. Here are the steps you can take to file a lost baggage claim with Southwest Airlines.

What You'll Need

Flight information

Pre-flight photos of the luggage

Go to the Southwest Airlines Website

Visit the Southwest Airlines website.

Find the "Help Center" Link

Scroll down the Southwest Airlines homepage until you find the "Help Center" link. It's almost all the way at the bottom of the page.

How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines? (Step 2)

Go to the Southwest Airlines Support Page

Click on the "Help Center" link, which will take you to the Southwest Airlines support page. It says "What do you need help with?" at the top of the page.

How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines? (Step 3)

Find the "Additional Topics" Section

Scroll down the support page until you find the "Additional Topics" section.

How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines? (Step 4)

Look for the "Baggage" Box

Find the baggage box within the "Additional topics" section. It has a luggage icon, a "Baggage" header, and a descriptive line that says "Learn more about our checked and carryon baggage policies."

Go to the Southwest Airlines "Baggage" Page

Click on the "Baggage" box. This will take you to a page of the same name.

How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines? (Step 6)

Find the Relevant Topic on the "Baggage" Page

Since your bag is lost, look for the topic that says "My baggage is missing, delayed, or damaged." It should be the fourth option down on the list.

Go to the "My Baggage Is Missing, Delayed, or Damaged" Page

Click on "My baggage is missing, delayed, or damaged," which will take you to a page of the same name.

Find the Relevant Section

Since your luggage was lost, look for the "Lost Baggage" section on the page.

How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines? (Step 9)

Read the "Lost Baggage" Section

Read through the Southwest Airlines "Lost Baggage" section. It offers information about how to report the lost luggage while you're still at the airport and online if you've already left.

Take Action

Act quickly if your bag got lost while you were flying with Southwest Airlines. If you took photos of your luggage before your flight, make sure to provide them, if possible, so the airline can have a clear understanding of what your bag looks like. Also, make sure to report whether your luggage has your personal details inside and on the outside.

Please move on to Step 12 if you need further assistance.

Contact Southwest Airlines Customer Support

Reach out to Southwest Airlines if you have questions or need further assistance with reporting your lost baggage. They can provide you with answers and guide you through the process.

Conclusion

Don't hesitate to contact Southwest Airlines if your luggage has been lost. A knowledgeable representative can advise you on the next steps.

Why does GetHuman Write How-to Guides for Southwest Airlines Problems?

GetHuman has been working for over 10 years on sourcing information about big organizations like Southwest Airlines in order to help customers resolve customer service issues faster. We started with contact information and fastest ways to reach a human at big companies. Particularly ones with slow or complicated IVR or phone menu systems. Or companies that have self-serve help forums instead of a customer service department. From there, we realized that consumers still needed more detailed help solving the most common problems, so we expanded to this set of guides, which grows every day. And if you spot any issues with our How Do I File a Lost Baggage Claim with Southwest Airlines? guide, please let us know by sending us feedback. We want to be as helpful as possible. If you appreciated this guide, please share it with your favorite people. Our free information and tools is powered by you, the customer. The more people that use it, the better it gets.