ZIPAIR arrives at Los Angeles in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). If your bag is not on the belt, the next twenty minutes matter more than the next twenty days. This guide is written for that moment and for the follow-up afterwards.

Before you leave the customs hall

  1. Wait until the belt stops and check the oversized-item area — international bags are sometimes offloaded there.
  2. Go to the baggage service desk for ZIPAIR's handling agent in the TBIT arrivals hall, before exiting customs. Reports filed after you leave the airport are accepted but much weaker.
  3. Have ready: passport, boarding pass, and the bag tag receipts stuck to your ticket jacket or boarding pass at check-in in Narita.
  4. Describe the bag precisely (brand, colour, size, distinguishing marks) and give a U.S. delivery address and a phone that works in the U.S.

The PIR and what to keep

The desk issues a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a reference number, usually in the format of three letters (station code) plus letters and digits. Photograph it. You will need it for tracing, for the airline's claim form and for travel insurance. Keep: PIR, bag tags, boarding passes, and every receipt for essentials you buy while the bag is missing.

Delayed bag: the next five days

  • Most delayed bags are delivered within 24–72 hours. Tracing is done through the airline's handling agent using the PIR reference.
  • Reasonable interim expenses (toiletries, a change of clothes) are generally reimbursable on presentation of receipts — keep purchases modest and keep every receipt.
  • If nothing has arrived after 5 days, submit a detailed contents list to the airline; this is the start of the compensation process.

Damaged bag

Report damage at the same desk before leaving, with photos. Under the Montreal Convention, written complaints for damage must reach the airline within 7 days of receiving the bag. Wear-and-tear (scuffs, minor wheel damage) is typically excluded; broken handles, cracked shells and torn fabric are typically covered.

Declared lost

A bag not found after 21 days is treated as lost. Compensation is limited under the Montreal Convention (a per-passenger cap set in Special Drawing Rights, roughly US$1,700–1,900 depending on the exchange rate) and is based on documented contents. Travel insurance often covers the gap above that cap. ZIPAIR USA helps you assemble the claim; the airline decides and pays.

Prevention on the way out

  • Photograph your bag and its contents before check-in at Narita or LAX.
  • Put a copy of your itinerary and U.S. contact details inside the bag.
  • Keep medication, chargers, documents and one change of clothes in the 7 kg cabin allowance.
  • Pre-purchase checked bags online — airport-tagged bags added at the last minute are the ones most often mis-sorted.

Airport notes: ZIPAIR at LAX • Rules: ZIPAIR baggage policy.