Baggage FAQ

Please read our Commitment to Return Checked Luggage Promptly to learn more about our baggage policy.

Lost or Delayed Baggage

An incident involving loss, damage, or delay in the delivery of baggage or personal property accepted into the custody of Alaska Airlines must be reported, in person, within 24 hours of arrival. After the first 24 hours, if you have not had the chance to file a report, contact our Central Baggage office by writing to an Alaska Airlines Baggage Services representative. All claims for loss are subject to proof of value and must be presented in writing to Alaska Airlines within 45 days after occurrence of events giving rise to the claim. Please refer to Section H of our Contract of Carriage for full details.

Printable Information & Policies for Delayed or Damaged Baggage (671K)

Interim Expenses/Delivery of Delayed Luggage

We are unable to provide interim expenses or delivery of delayed luggage, as noted in our baggage service brochure, due weather conditions, air traffic control or other extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the carrier occurring at any city within your flight routing. We will do all possible to advise you of weather problems before your departure. However, it is always advisable to check weather conditions prior to your departure and plan accordingly.

Missing Items From Baggage

Except for excluded items specified in our Contract of Carriage, Alaska Airlines will accept liability for missing contents from checked baggage, provided the passenger has exercised reasonable precautions to secure the baggage as protection against possible loss or separation of such contents. Note: TSA accepted locks are suggested, as TSA may need to physically inspect a piece of luggage. If a bag is locked, TSA may cut the lock off.

To submit a claim for a missing item, please contact our Central Baggage Services at 1-877-815-8253 and complete a Missing Contents claim form.

Items Left on Board an Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Flight

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air make every effort to return articles left on board our aircraft. If you believe you've left an article during your travels on Alaska or Horizon, please complete the Left on Board Items form. We will contact you if we locate the item matching your description.

For items left at a gate or terminal area, please contact that local airport's Lost and Found department.

Items left at a TSA security checkpoint, please contact the TSA at 866-289-9673 or ">tsa.gov.

Items Lost at the Airport

Contact the Lost and Found department at the appropriate airport.

Items Not Covered by our Baggage Policy

Some items placed in baggage are judged to be unsuitable as contents of checked baggage. Alaska assumes no liability for loss, theft, damage or delay in the delivery of these items. Some of these items include:

• Cash, currency
• Jewelry, watches
• Cameras, videos and photographic equipment
• Electronic equipment/devices, personal electronic equipment/devices, including compact discs and video game cartridges
• Computers and related components
• Binoculars, telescopes, optical devices including eyeglasses
• Precious metals, stones or materials
• Art objects, sculptures
• Historical artifacts
• Original manuscripts
• Irreplaceable books, publications collectibles such as baseball cards
• Antiques, heirlooms
• Furs, including coats, gloves, hats
• Game trophies, antlers, and pelts

For a complete list and a detailed explanation of items not covered, please refer to Section H of our Contract of Carriage.

Bag Removed Due to Weight and Balance

Luggage can be delayed for several reasons, weight and balance being one of them. There is not a guarantee your luggage will always arrive with you. Generally, luggage does arrive with the passenger but on occasion it does not. If you are required to purchase clothing or toiletries while away from your home when waiting for your baggage, you can mail your purchase receipts to our office for reimbursement. Our address is: Alaska Airlines, Central Baggage Service, P.O. Box 68900, Seattle, WA 98168

Limitations of Liability Policy

When traveling on a domestic itinerary, the maximum liability for your checked baggage is $3,300 (USD) per ticketed person. For international travel, the maximum liability is $9.07/lb under the Warsaw Convention. If your international travel is covered by the Montreal Convention, the liability for loss or delay of your baggage is limited to 1,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per passenger for checked bags, and $400 (USD) per passenger for unchecked bags.

If the value of your checked items covered by our baggage policy exceeds the standard liability, you may declare and purchase additional valuation for $1.00 per every $100.00 of value, to a maximum of $5,000.

Fish and Game Meat: Alaska Airlines will be liable for loss, but not damage or spoilage of "game meat" as checked luggage. Game meat includes any type of meat that was obtained by the passenger by means other than purchasing in a store, for example: fresh-caught fish or meat obtained from a hunt. Liability will be based on a flat rate of $5.00 per pound up to maximum liability of USD $1,250 per ticketed passenger. In the event of delay in delivery of checked luggage, the carrier reserves the right to limit interim expense reimbursement in accordance with its interim policy.