When luggage is lost or delayed, travelers often file with their travel insurer first. The policy is usually written to pay second, which makes the airline claim the necessary first step.
Carrier liability comes before the policy
Airlines carry legal liability for baggage they accept, subject to limits set by regulation and by the ticket contract. That obligation exists independently of any insurance the passenger bought.
Travel policies are typically excess coverage, meaning they respond to what remains after other sources have paid. The carrier is one of those sources.
An insurer will therefore ask what the airline paid or denied before evaluating the claim. Without that record, the amount the policy owes cannot be calculated.
Delay and loss are different benefits
Baggage delay benefits reimburse the purchase of necessities while bags are missing, and they usually begin only after a stated number of hours. The trigger is the delay itself.
Baggage loss or damage benefits address property that is not returned or is returned damaged. Airlines commonly do not declare a bag lost until a further period has elapsed.
The two benefits can apply in sequence to the same incident. Delay costs are reimbursed while the bag is missing, and the loss benefit applies if it never arrives.
How reimbursement is calculated
Most policies pay actual cash value, meaning the depreciated value of the items rather than the cost of buying them new. Replacement cost provisions exist but are less common.
Per-item sublimits apply to categories such as electronics, jewelry and sporting equipment, and those sublimits are often far below the overall benefit. A single expensive item can exhaust the category.
Certain property is excluded outright, commonly including cash, documents, contact lenses and items left unattended. The exclusion list is short but consequential.
Documentation determines the outcome
A property irregularity report filed with the airline before leaving the airport is the foundational document. Reporting later weakens both the carrier claim and the insurance claim.
Receipts for emergency purchases, an itemized list of missing property and proof of ownership for higher-value items are the standard requirements. Photographs and original receipts help considerably.
Written confirmation of what the airline settled or refused should be retained. That letter is what establishes the excess amount.
Other sources may also sit ahead
Homeowners and renters policies frequently cover personal property away from home, and some payment cards provide baggage benefits on tickets purchased with them. Both can rank ahead of a travel policy.
Coordination provisions prevent the same loss from being paid twice. Recovering from one source reduces what another owes.
Because policy language and state regulation of travel insurance vary and change over time, a licensed agent or the state insurance department is the right place for questions about a specific contract.