When a suitcase is stolen at the airport: a vacationer finds her black market suitcase!

When a suitcase is stolen at the airport: a vacationer finds her black market suitcase!

Tourists arriving at Palma de Mallorca airport often face various luggage problems. On May 28, 2025, a German vacationer experienced a particularly unusual incident: she accidentally took a fellow traveler's suitcase. It was a large black suitcase with a lock that was not her own. To find the rightful owner, she reached out to the public on a Facebook group to share her experience and seek information. She was specifically looking for someone who had flown from Frankfurt at 4:45 a.m. and was also transporting a suitcase of this type. Fortunately, the problem was quickly resolved and the holidaymaker received her own suitcase back. The swapped luggage was returned to its rightful owner, which shows that helpfulness and a sense of community are important in such situations.

Users of the Facebook group shared numerous tips to avoid future mix-ups. These included, for example, using colorful ribbons on the suitcase or choosing a strikingly designed piece of luggage.

Tips for dealing with lost luggage

In addition to the incidents mentioned, there are numerous other challenges that tourists may experience when arriving at Mallorca Airport, especially if their luggage is missing. Users should know what to do in these cases. First of all, it is advisable to report the loss at the lost and found desk. For this purpose, a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) should be filled out to receive a transaction number. The loss should also be reported to the airline, either directly on site or online. For package tours, it makes sense to inform the tour operator immediately in order to receive support.

Using a suitcase tracker, such as an Apple Airtag, can additionally help track the location of luggage while traveling. Sharing the location link with the airline is supported by many companies and allows easy tracking of the status of the missing suitcase. While waiting for your suitcase, you should purchase necessary items such as underwear or shampoo and keep receipts for them so that you can claim the costs back if necessary.

Legal Actions and Compensation

After a period of three weeks, a suitcase is considered lost, which gives travelers the right to have the contents replaced by the airline. The maximum liability limit is around 1,900 euros, based on the current value of the items. Airline liability rules stemming from the Montreal Convention apply in over 130 countries. Flights from Germany to countries like Turkey also fall under this regulation.

For those traveling on package holidays, there are other options for making financial claims. Travelers should check whether there are any claims for reduction or compensation due to useless vacation time. The reduction in the travel price for each missing day of vacation can vary between 20 and 50 percent, depending on the individual case.

To avoid future mishaps, it's a good idea to take photos of the contents of your suitcase before traveling and to carry important items like cash, jewelry, and expensive electronics in your carry-on luggage. Making contact details visible on the suitcase and designing the luggage in eye-catching colors can also help to prevent mix-ups and losses, as the holidaymaker from Frankfurt experienced.