When you are taking a flight, it's important to think about the baggage that will travel in the hold. Banned items, check-in, procedure for connecting flights, collection on arrival... Here are some suggestions from Iberia.
Recommendations for preparing your checked baggage.
Flights with stopovers: baggage in transit.
Collection of your baggage at the destination airport.
Preparing your bag
When you pack your bag, bear in mind the size and weight limitations.
Label your baggage with your personal details (name, destination address, email and mobile telephone number) and put some personal identification inside it as well.
Before you check it in, remove all labels from previous flights.
Always lock your baggage. If you are travelling to the United States, your bags may be inspected. In that case, you can avoid possible damage by using a TSA lock, a system approved by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that allows customs staff and security inspectors to handle bags without causing any damage.
Put medication, cash, valuables and important travel documents in your hand luggage.
Check the items that are not allowed on board the aircraft.
We advise against putting fragile, perishable or valuable items (jewellery, cash) in your checked bag.
Make sure that your bag closes properly and that there is nothing protruding to prevent snagging.
If you want to wrap your bag in plastic, most airports offer this service in the departures area, before you reach the check-in desks. For more information about bag wrapping at Spanish airports, please check the AENA website.
Baggage on connecting flights
If your trip includes stopovers and all your flights belong to the same booking, in most cases your baggage will tagged to the final destination.
You will need to check in your bags separately, collect them at the transit airport and then check them in again if:
You have booked several flights with different booking codes to reach your final destination. If that is your case, each flight will be treated as a single trip, even if they are all operated by Iberia. Make sure you have enough time to do all this and get to the boarding gate on time for your next flight.
The customs authorities in the transit country require passengers to go through customs at the first point of entry (e.g. in the United States or Mexico). In that case, you will need to collect your bag, go through the border formalities and then check your bag in again.
You are switching airports in the city through which you are transiting (e.g. from Heathrow to Gatwick in London).
Your connecting flights are not on the same day and the total transfer time exceeds 12 hours.
Part of your trip is by bus or train (e.g. if you have bought a Train&Fly or Bus&Fly ticket).
In all of these cases, we recommend that you arrive at the departure airport in good time to find out where you will need to collect your baggage.
Baggage collection and customs control
Collect all your checked bags before you leave the arrivals area.
Check your bags carefully in the baggage reclaim area. That way you'll avoid taking someone else's bag by mistake and will be able to make a claim if you discover any damage.
Keep your bag receipts until you have checked that you have received all your items and gone through customs. In some countries you will need to hand over the receipts before you leave the arrivals area.
Unless you are flying between countries in the Schengen Area, you may have to declare certain items (food, valuable electronic equipment, large amounts of cash, medication…). If you don't declare them and the authorities open your bag and find them, they may be confiscated and you may have to pay a fine.
Although we take every precaution to ensure your baggage travels with you in the best possible condition, there are certain circumstances that can lead to damage or delay: bad weather, improper handling, technical problems in the airport systems, broken identification tags, etc. If you find yourself in this situation, here's what you should do:
Go to the desk in the arrivals area at the destination airport.
Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before you leave this area.
Be sure to keep your travel document.
You can also check all this information in the Iberia Baggage Service Centre.
