These Airlines Will Reward You with Miles for Slow Baggage Delivery

If your last flight segment is with Alaska Airlines or Delta Air Lines, it's a good idea to start timing on your phone as soon as you exit the plane—it might earn you miles or credit for a future trip.

Both Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines provide a 20-minute baggage guarantee. If your checked luggage doesn’t arrive at the carousel within 20 minutes of the plane’s door opening, you can receive 2,500 miles on Delta flights or choose between 2,500 miles or a $25 travel voucher on Alaska flights. However, these airlines generally don’t automatically issue the miles or vouchers for delayed baggage—you must request them. Here’s how to obtain your miles or flight credit if your bags arrive late on Delta and Alaska flights.

How to Claim Miles or Compensation for Delayed Bags on Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines typically excels at delivering luggage to the baggage claim within the 20-minute timeframe. However, at larger airports or during peak landing times, it’s not unusual for bags to take longer to reach their owners.

If your bag hasn’t appeared on the conveyor belt after 20 minutes, locate an Alaska customer service representative. They will request to see your checked baggage receipt and usually issue a paper voucher containing a code that you can use to claim miles or credit for future flights. It is the traveler’s responsibility to visit Alaska’s online baggage service guarantee and enter their details (name, travel date, arrival city, and the voucher authorization code). You can then choose to either use the $25 credit for immediate shopping, apply a $25 discount code to your Alaska Airlines account for later use, or add 2,500 miles to your Mileage Plan Account. The miles or money will automatically appear after you click the “claim” button. However, some airports, like Denver International Airport, are transitioning away from paper vouchers; in those cases, the agent will directly credit the selected reward to the traveler’s account for future use.

No matter how many bags you check, each passenger is limited to a single voucher, and this offer does not apply to items picked up at the oversize baggage claim area (such as checked pets or large sporting equipment like golf clubs or surfboards).

How to Claim Miles for Delayed Bags on Delta Air Lines

Delta's policy varies from Alaska's in several respects, with the most significant difference being that the entire claim process can be handled online. Passengers whose luggage is delayed should visit delta.com/bagsontime within three days of their flight's completion to submit a mileage request. The form will require details such as the traveler’s name, SkyMiles number, departure and arrival cities, departure date, and trip confirmation number. If approved, the miles should be credited to the traveler’s account within two weeks.

To qualify for the miles, you must hold a SkyMiles membership (which is beneficial since the airline now offers free inflight Wi-Fi to members). The membership number should be included in your reservation before flying. The guarantee applies only to domestic flights within the United States and Puerto Rico and is valid for one bag per person. Oversized and overweight items are not covered by this guarantee.

Although 2,500 miles or a $25 discount on a future flight might not take you very far by themselves, every little bit contributes. It could even encourage you to embrace Team Checked Bag—especially if you possess the Alaska or Delta credit cards, which offer waived luggage fees.