How to File a Baggage Claim with Spirit Airlines

If you have traveled with Spirit Airlines and encountered an issue with your checked baggage, such as damage, delay, loss, or theft, you may not be sure what to do or how to file a baggage claim.

In this blog post, we will guide you through the process of making a baggage claim with Spirit Airlines, step-by-step, and provide you with some tips and resources to help you along the way.

Summary of Filing a Baggage Claim with Spirit Airlines

If your checked baggage is delayed or damaged upon arrival, or there are missing items inside, here’s what you need to do:

1. File a baggage incident report as soon as possible at your airport of arrival.
2. Make sure that you receive a Passenger Irregularity Report (PIR) and File ID.
3. Purchase necessary items if required and retain the original receipts.
4. If your bag hasn’t been found after 5 days, file a baggage claim.
5. Your baggage claim can take up to 30 days to be processed.

Types of Baggage Issues

Before we begin our discussion about filing a baggage claim with Spirit Airlines, let’s briefly cover the typical types of baggage issues that you can encounter when flying.

Baggage issues typically fall into four categories:

• Delayed baggage
• Damaged baggage
• Missing Items
• Lost baggage

It’s important to understand the differences between each type of baggage issue. This affects how much time you have to report your issue to Spirit as well as the claim process.

Delayed Baggage

This is the most common baggage issue that you’re bound to encounter when flying.

Delayed baggage occurs when your checked baggage doesn’t arrive on the same flight as you.

When this occurs, travelers often refer to their delayed baggage as being “lost baggage “, but this has a different meaning in the airline industry. We will explain further in the Lost Baggage section below.

Damaged Baggage

Damaged baggage refers to a situation where your checked baggage is damaged during transit.

It’s not always immediately apparent that your baggage has been damaged. You may have already left the airport before noticing the damage. In this situation, you can contact the Baggage Service Office at the airport or file a report online.

Missing Items in Baggage

This category refers to a situation where items are missing from your checked baggage.

As with damaged baggage, you may not realize until you’ve left the airport and opened your bags, that items are missing.

If you suspect that your missing item may be the result of Transport Security Administration (TSA) screening, you can file a claim with them here.

Lost Baggage

Finally, we come to lost baggage. In airline terms, this is when your delayed baggage changes status and is categorized as lost. This occurs after a period of days, usually 5.

This is the stage when you can submit a baggage claim.

Step 1: File an Incident Report at Your Arrival Airport

The first thing you need to do when you notice that your baggage has been mishandled is to file an incident report. This is an official record of your mishandled baggage issue that will be used as a reference for your claim.

Time Limits for Filing an Incident Report

The time limit for filing your baggage incident report depends on 2 factors:

• Type of travel: domestic or international
• Type of baggage issue: delayed, damaged, lost, missing items.

Whether your flight was domestic or international has a direct bearing on how soon you must notify Spirit Airlines of your baggage issue.

For domestic travel, you must notify the airline within 4 hours of your flight’s arrival at the destination airport. This applies to all types of baggage irregularities such as delayed, damaged, or missing items.

Important: If your baggage issue occurred on a domestic flight that was a segment of an international itinerary, then the entire flight travel is considered international, with respect to filing a report.

For international travel, if your baggage is damaged, you have up to 7 days of your flight’s arrival to report the issue. For all other baggage problems, you have a 21-day window to notify the airline.

However, to improve the chances of your missing baggage to be found sooner rather than later, it’s important to notify the airline as soon as possible.

If you attempt to file a baggage report outside the above timeframes, Spirit Airlines is under no obligation to accept it. The airline has federal and international laws on its side here – there’s little point in disputing their refusal to file a report.

How to File an Incident Report

There are three ways to file an incident report:

1. Visit the Baggage Service Office in person at your airport of arrival.
2. Use the self-serve kiosks in the baggage claim area (available in many domestic airports)
3. Submit your report online by using Spirit Airlines’ Baggage Service Office on its website.

Unless you’re under strict time constraints, I’d recommend visiting the Baggage Service Office in person to file your incident report. You’re more constrained with the information that you can provide and unable to ask questions not covered by Spirit’s website.

Visiting the Baggage Service Office is critical if your baggage has been damaged. Your baggage can be physically examined and assessed by the airline agent.

Hot Tip: If your baggage has been damaged, make sure that you take plenty of photos of the damage for your records. If you have photos of your bag prior to your flight, you can provide this as further evidence for your claim.

File an Incident Report at the Baggage Service Office

The baggage service office will be in or near the baggage claim area. If you have trouble finding it, you can ask an airport employee for help.

The Spirit Airlines agent will then create a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) that will include the following information:

• Personal information: name, address, email, phone number, etc.
• Details about your baggage: make, color, size, distinguishing features, type of incident, etc.
• Details about your flight: flight number, date, and time of flight, etc.

Once the PIR has been completed, you will also be given a File ID. This identifier will be used for all follow-up communications with Spirit, including tracking the status of your bags and filing a claim.

The PIR will be emailed to you for your records.

Self-Service Kiosks

Many U.S. airports have self-service kiosks where you can file your incident report. This is essentially the same as filing your report online.

Using a kiosk is a valuable option, especially if the Baggage Service Office is very busy or you don’t have phone or internet access.

File an Incident Report Online

There are many reasons why you may prefer to file your incident report online:

• The Baggage Service Office at the airport is very busy,
• If your baggage is damaged or items within are missing, you may not discover the issue until leaving the airport,
• You may have some other commitments that you need to attend to.

You can file an incident report by visiting Spirit Airlines’ online Baggage Service Office.

You will be presented with the following screen:

Let’s discuss each of these options in turn:

1. “I accidentally left an item onboard”: If you left one of your possessions in the plane cabin, select this option.
2. “My checked bag did not arrive”: This refers to delayed baggage.
3. “My checked baggage is damaged”: No prizes for guessing what this option is for.
4. “Something is missing from my checked baggage”: This option is for reporting contents missing from your bag. Selecting this item from the menu offers this advice:
   “If an item is missing from your checked bags, we recommend that you report it to local law enforcement.”
   In this instance, I would contact the Baggage Service Office at the airport or call the airline on 678-973-2402.

To progress through the menus and file an incident report, you will need to provide your last name and one of the following:

• Passenger Name Record: found on your baggage receipt.
• Confirmation Code: found on your boarding pass.
• Record Locator: found in your airline booking email.

Complete the online form and submit. You will receive an email with your Passenger Irregularity Report (PIR) and File ID.

Important: Check your inbox to confirm that your report has been submitted properly.

Your PIR and File ID are important when checking the status of your bags, contacting Spirit about your file, and filing a baggage claim.

Congratulations! You’ve filed your report!

Spirit Airlines will now conduct an exhaustive search for your missing baggage, If your bag isn’t found after 5 days, it’s time to submit a baggage claim.

In the interim, if you need to contact Spirit Airlines regarding your baggage issue or to get a status update, you can do the following:

• For domestic travel, use the Spirit Airlines Baggage Service Portal
• For international travel, contact the Baggage Service Office at your arrival airport.

Step 2: Purchase Necessary Interim Items

This is an optional step, and only applies while you’re away from home.

You’re allowed to buy reasonably priced interim items which are necessary for you to continue your trip. Typical items to purchase include clothing and toiletries.

Important: Make sure to keep all original receipts of your purchases – Spirit doesn’t accept copies!

Also, Spirit Airlines may request that you return any of these reimbursable items before you are compensated for them. To be honest, this does seem to be a little mean, even for an ultra-low-cost carrier.

If your delayed bag is found, you can file a claim to be reimbursed for these interim purchases on the Spirit Airlines Baggage Service Portal. You will need to provide your File ID to proceed. Don’t forget to include your baggage fee as part of your claim for reimbursement.

If your delayed bag isn’t found after 5 days, you can claim for these interim purchases when submitting a claim for your lost bag.

Step 3: File a Baggage Claim

If your delayed bag isn’t found after 5 days, it is considered lost.

The next step is to complete the online claim form on the Spirit Airlines website. You can access this form by visiting Spirit Airlines’ Baggage Service Portal and entering your last name and File ID (Your File ID was provided to you when you filed your baggage incident report):

You will then need to click on “Create Online Claim” and complete the online form. Don’t forget to claim your checked baggage fee.

You will need to provide some information about your flight, your baggage, and your claim. You will also need to upload some supporting documents, such as proof of purchase for claimed items, government photo identification, such as driver’s license or passport, and any other relevant documents.

Click the “Submit” button.

You need to submit your claim form and all required documents within 30 days of arrival.

Step 4: Wait for a Response from Spirit Airlines

After you submit your online claim form, you will receive a confirmation email from Spirit Airlines. This means that they have received your claim and are processing it. Most claims are processed within 30 days, but some may take longer depending on how complex the claim is.

You can check the status of your claim by visiting the Spirit Airlines Baggage Service Portal and entering your last name and File ID. You can also contact Spirit Airlines via the Baggage Service Portal by clicking on “Communicate With Us” option. You can ask questions or provide additional information or documents if needed.

If your claim is approved, you will receive an email from Spirit Airlines with details about the compensation that you are entitled to receive. The compensation amount will depend on several factors, such as the type and extent of damage or loss, the value of the items claimed, and the limits of liability that apply to your case.

If you claimed reimbursement for necessary purchases while waiting for your delayed bag, the value of these items will be subtracted from your compensation amount.

Limitations of Liability

The limits of liability are the maximum amounts that Spirit Airlines will pay for your mishandled baggage claim. They are based on whether your travel is domestic or international.

Domestic Travel

For domestic travel within the United States, the limit of liability is $3,800 per passenger. This is the same limit that applies to all airlines that operate within the United States, regardless of their policies or terms and conditions.

Exclusions

Spirit Airlines doesn’t accept liability for oversized, overweight, and overpacked baggage.

Spirit Airlines doesn’t accept liability for items that are considered fragile or valuable. Typical items include:

• Electronics
• Musical instruments
• Jewelry
• Cosmetics
• Liquids

A complete list of applicable items can be found in Spirit Airlines’ Contract of Carriage (Section 7.7.1.1)

However, Spirit Airlines is liable for these items when traveling internationally.

International Travel

For international travel (including travel between U.S. territories), the limit of liability is $1,131 per passenger (or equivalent in local currency). This amount is based on the Montreal Convention, which is an international treaty that governs airline liability for passengers, including their baggage.

Phone Numbers for International Baggage Service Offices

For your reference, here is a list of Spirit Airlines’ international Baggage Service Offices and their respective contact details. The U.S. territories Costa Rica and the U.S. Virgin Islands are included in this section.

The offices are categorized by country.

Note: Spirit Airlines doesn’t publish phone numbers for domestic Baggage Service Offices. Instead, the airline directs you to use their online Baggage Service Portal and select the “Communicate With Us” option.

Alternatively, you can contact the airline’s customer service department.

Aruba

Colombia

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Guatemala

Haiti

Honduras

Jamaica

Mexico

Nicaragua

Peru

Puerto Rico

Sint Maarten

U.S. Virgin Islands

Final Thoughts

We’ve covered a lot of ground here but there are only two critical steps to filing a baggage claim with Spirit Airlines:

1. File a baggage incident report as soon as possible at your airport of arrival.
2. If your checked bag isn’t found after 5 days, file a baggage claim.

Losing your luggage at the beginning of a trip can be an inconvenient and, frankly, stressful experience. It’s only happened to me once, and it was due to someone taking my suitcase at the baggage carousel by mistake. Thankfully, I did get it back, but I was without my belongings for almost a week!

I’ve learnt my lesson. I always ensure that my checked baggage is distinctive by using luggage straps, ribbons, and stickers. For tips about how to avoid losing your checked baggage, you can read our blog post about it here.

Remember to always check Spirit Airlines’ website or contact their customer service for the latest information on baggage allowances and fees.

Related: Spirit Airlines Baggage Fees and Policy

Sources

• Spirit Airlines