Update: 9 a.m. on December 23, 2019

As of Sunday afternoon, all bags left behind at Sea-Tac Airport have been sent to their intended destinations. Our teams worked quickly to make sure that happened, understanding how problematic and frustrating it has been for our guests not to have their belongings – especially during holiday travel.

It remains a very busy time at Sea-Tac, with nearly all flights flying full. There will be lines and issues that pop up. We are determined to do our best in each case to help our guests.

Original post: 5 p.m. on December 21, 2019

First off, we sincerely apologize to our guests who endured considerable inconvenience and understandable frustration at Sea-Tac Airport over the past two days. With many different factors working against us, we dropped the ball, and by doing that, created an awful holiday travel experience just when people rely on us the most.

Put simply: a severe staffing shortage during a very heavy travel period, as well as difficult weather conditions, unleashed a cascade of problems for us, and – unfairly – for our guests.

Starting Friday morning, we did not have enough ramp workers in place to successfully handle the holiday volume of baggage. A backlog quickly took shape and that prevented many bags from being loaded on flights ultimately causing our guests to arrive at their destinations without their checked bags. We simply did not have enough people to do all the work. This caused us not to operate our gates efficiently and kept our aircraft out on the tarmac waiting until gate space opened up. We have called in many management employees from across the company to assist with the baggage backup and recovery.

What to do if your bag didn’t arrive

In the past 24 hours many guests arrived at their destinations without their checked bag(s). We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience! Teams of people are working extended hours, and in some cases around the clock, to reunite guests and their bags.

Here’s what to do if your bag is missing

1. Don’t leave the airport.

If your bag did not make it on your flight, it’s critically important to file a claim before you leave the airport. Lines at our Airport Baggage Offices are long, but we’ve staffed up to process as many claims as possible. Filing a claim at the airport is the fastest way for us to collect your information and get your bag to you.

The faster we get a claim into the system, the faster we can get you reunited with your bag.

2. We’ll reimburse guests with delayed bags for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred while separated from their belongings (such as clothing and toiletries). Please keep a copy of any receipts for purchased items and mail them to the address below.

3. If you have already filed a claim with us, we will reach out to you as soon as we have more information. If not, please reach out to your arrival baggage office (see link below).

4. After your bag has been delivered to the right airport, we’ll call you and ask where you’d like us to deliver your bag: to your home, your hotel or other location. 5. If you left the airport without filing a claim, you’ll need to call our Central Baggage Office at 1-877-815-8253. Thank you in advance for your patience as we’re experiencing long hold times.

6. If your bag is delayed 24 hours or more, we will be providing you with a discount off a future flight as long as you have a claim open. We’ll reach out to you.

Related information

1. • Airport baggage services
   • Baggage office phone numbers
   • Central baggage services: Daily, 7:00 am – 7:00 pm (PT)
   • Telephone: 1-877-815-8253 website: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/baggage/baggage-claim/delayed-damaged-missing
   • E-mail central baggage services