easyJet lost and found: how to get your item back

Lost something on an easyJet flight? Take a breath. What you do next depends entirely on what went missing, and the two situations are not the same.

If you left a phone, a jacket, or a bag in the seat pocket or overhead locker, that is a lost-property recovery job. Contact easyJet's baggage services for the airport as soon as you can. If easyJet delayed, lost, or damaged a bag you checked in, that is a baggage claim, and the airline may owe you money. This guide covers both, starting with the fastest action for each.

Key takeaways

1. Item left on the plane goes to easyJet baggage services, then to the airport's lost property office. You will not get compensation for this; the goal is simply getting the item back.
2. Report it fast. Uncollected items are usually handed to the airport lost property office within 24 hours of the flight landing.
3. A checked bag that was delayed, lost, or damaged is a different matter. File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport before you leave.
4. Under the Montreal Convention, easyJet is liable for delayed, lost, or damaged checked baggage, and reasonable delay expenses can be reimbursed.
5. Keep every receipt and your PIR reference. AirAdvisor can pursue a mishandled-baggage claim on a no-win, no-fee basis.

Report an item you left on an easyJet plane

If you realise your item is gone while still at the airport, tell easyJet staff at the gate or a service desk straight away. If you have already left, follow these steps.

1. Find the baggage services contact for your airport. easyJet lists tracing and baggage contacts by airport on its baggage tracing contact details page. Pick the airport where you landed.
2. Contact both the arrival and the departure airport. Items are sometimes found during the aircraft turnaround at the departure end, so checking both improves your odds.
3. Give clear details. Have your flight number, travel date, seat number, and a specific description of the item ready. "Black North Face jacket, size M, left in seat 14C" beats "a dark coat" every time.
4. Do it within 24 hours if you can. Once an item leaves the aircraft and is not claimed quickly, it moves to the airport's own lost property office, and from there it can be harder to trace.

There is no dedicated online portal for items left on board an easyJet aircraft, so the phone and email contacts for your airport are the route to use.

What happens to items left on board

When cabin crew or cleaners find something after a flight, they hand it to the ground crew, who pass it to the baggage services team. Anything not collected within 24 hours is normally handed over to the arrival airport's lost property office.

That handover matters for timing. In the first day or so, easyJet's own baggage team is your best contact. After that, the trail usually leads to the airport, and each airport runs its lost property office differently, with its own holding periods and, in many cases, its own handling or storage fee.

Passports and other ID documents are treated separately. They are often held by immigration officials or the local police rather than the airport lost property office, so ask there if a travel document is what you are chasing.

easyJet does not publish a fixed fee for returning items left on board, and the cost of postage or storage depends on the airport and any courier involved. Ask about charges when you make contact so there are no surprises.

Where you lost it decides who handles it

Getting this wrong wastes days. Who you contact depends on where the item went missing. The airline matters less than the location.

• On the aircraft (seat pocket, overhead locker, tray table): easyJet baggage services, then the airport lost property office. Start here for anything left in your seat.
• In the terminal, at a gate, in a cafe, or at a shop: that airport's lost property office. easyJet never handled the item, so it cannot trace it.
• At the security search area: the security or airport operations team at that specific airport.

If you set your bag down at a coffee stand and walked off, easyJet cannot help, and chasing the airline first only delays you. Go straight to the airport.

If easyJet mishandled your checked bag

This is where money can be recovered. If a bag you checked into the hold came off the belt damaged, arrived late, or never arrived at all, treat it as a baggage claim. The airline may owe you.

File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before you leave the airport. Go to the easyJet baggage desk or the airport's baggage service office, report the problem, and keep the reference number. This report is the foundation of any later claim, and it is far harder to open one without it.

Then match the process to what happened:

• Damaged bag: report it within 7 days of your flight. Photograph the damage before you leave the airport, then register the claim at damagedluggage.com.
• Delayed bag: report it within 24 hours of arrival through the easyJet baggage tracing portal at mybag.aero. Most delayed bags turn up within the first few days.
• Essential purchases while you wait: buy the basics you need, keep every receipt, and submit your expenses within 21 days of your flight through easyJet's claims portal. Think underwear, a change of clothes, toiletries, and any medication. Skip anything that counts as a treat.
• Bag never found: easyJet treats a bag as lost after 45 days, and from that point you can claim compensation for it through easyJet's claims portal.

Under the Montreal Convention, the airline is liable for delayed, lost, and damaged checked baggage, up to a limit of roughly 1,519 SDR (about 1,800 to 1,900 euros or 1,550 to 1,600 pounds, as the value moves with exchange rates). easyJet treats a bag still missing after 45 days as lost, and compensation for the bag applies from that point. The 21-day figure some travellers cite is the Montreal deadline for filing a delay complaint, a separate clock. Reasonable expenses caused by a delay are reimbursable, which is exactly why those receipts matter.

"People confuse the two situations all the time. If you simply left your phone in the seat pocket, that is a recovery job, no money involved. But if easyJet delayed or lost a bag you checked in, the airline is liable under the Montreal Convention, and most people never claim what they are owed." - Anton Radchenko, Aviation Attorney

If easyJet mishandled your checked bag, you do not have to fight the paperwork alone. AirAdvisor can assess and pursue the claim for you on a no-win, no-fee basis. See easyJet baggage compensation for how it works, or the wider guide to delayed, damaged or lost baggage compensation.

Tips to improve your chances

Small habits make a real difference to whether your item comes back or your claim succeeds.

• Report the moment you notice. Every hour counts, especially for on-board items before they leave the aircraft.
• Be specific. Colour, brand, size, distinguishing marks, and where exactly you were sitting.
• Keep your paperwork. Boarding pass, bag tag, and the PIR reference for a checked-bag problem.
• Photograph valuables and any damage. A picture settles a lot of arguments.
• Check both airports for on-board items, since bags and belongings move during turnaround.
• Hold on to receipts for anything you buy because a bag was delayed. No receipt, no reimbursement.

Realistically, on-board items are recovered within days when reported quickly, while checked-baggage claims can take several weeks, particularly once a bag is declared lost.

Frequently asked questions

How do I contact easyJet about something I left on the plane? Use easyJet's baggage tracing contact details page to find the baggage services contact for your arrival airport, and contact them with your flight number, date, seat, and a description of the item.

Does easyJet charge to return a lost item? easyJet does not publish a fixed fee for on-board lost property. Any cost usually comes from the airport lost property office or courier postage, so ask about charges when you make contact.

How long does easyJet keep lost property? Items left on board are typically passed to the arrival airport's lost property office within 24 hours if not collected. After that, the airport's own holding period applies, and this varies from airport to airport.

What if I lost something in the terminal and not on the plane? Contact that airport's lost property office directly. easyJet only handles items left on the aircraft, so anything lost at a gate, shop, or security area is the airport's responsibility.

Can I get compensation if easyJet lost my checked bag? Yes. Under the Montreal Convention, easyJet is liable for delayed, lost, and damaged checked baggage. File a PIR at the airport, keep your receipts, and you can claim for reasonable expenses and, if the bag is lost, its value.

When is a bag officially considered lost? easyJet considers a checked bag lost after 45 days, and compensation for it applies from that point. The separate 21-day window is the Montreal Convention deadline for filing a delayed-baggage complaint, not the point a bag becomes "lost".

What to do now

Sort yourself into the right path first. If you left something in your seat, contact easyJet baggage services for your airport today, and check both the airport you left from and the one you landed at. If easyJet mishandled a bag you checked in, file that PIR, keep your receipts, and let AirAdvisor check whether you are owed compensation. It costs nothing to find out.

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