British Airways baggage delayed from Heathrow: Your rights

"Intermittent issues" with the baggage system between 26 and 29 June caused some bags to be processed manually, meaning they didn't make it onto the same flight as their owner.

The problem, which Heathrow says has been rectified for passengers checking in now, only affects certain British Airways customers as this is the only airline to fly out of Terminal 5.

But a number of MoneySavers have got in touch with us to say they're still waiting for their bags:

• @waynefoy tweeted: "I'm stuck in San Francisco with no update since Saturday. I leave on a road trip tomorrow and can't get a response."

• @rcabanier also tweeted: "June 25 SEA > BRU. Still no bag. Got no information and all phone lines are jammed."

Phil and Alison Jackson, from London, are two other passengers who've been hit by the problems. They travelled with British Airways last Thursday as a party of five from Heathrow to Miami, where they caught a connecting Avianca flight to Bogota, Colombia.

But only one of their five checked-in bags had arrived by Monday. Phil said: "The issue means we've had to remain in Bogota rather than travelling around the country as planned. This situation has meant that a third of our holiday has been ruined by missing several internal connections and trips."

British Airways told us it would fly the Jackson party's missing bags to Miami, where Avianca will fly them to Bogota.

My luggage hasn't arrived. What should I do?

British Airways says if you've arrived at the airport and your luggage hasn't, you should fill in a report either at the airport or on the British Airways website. You have three days from arrival to do this.

Make sure you tell it the best delivery address, as this is where your bag will be delivered to.

Am I entitled to any compensation?

BA says it will refund customers for any "essential items" they need while they don't have their bags. Customers have 21 days from the flight to ask for a refund and BA says you should keep your receipts and use these when making a claim. You can do this using BA's online baggage claim form.

The airline adds it will consider any claims for additional compensation – for example, for consequential loss where you've missed the start of a cruise you were booked on because you had to wait 24 hours for your bag to arrive at the airport – on a case-by-case basis.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says airlines often don't automatically consider themselves liable for consequential losses and so the only way you could enforce a request if the airline initially refuses to do so is in court.

Should I claim on my travel insurance instead?

The Association of British Travel Insurers (ABI) says most travel insurance policies will cover you for the essential items you need while you wait for your luggage. Aviva, for example, will pay out up to £150 for this.

However the ABI says it's unlikely policies will cover you for consequential loss.

The CAA says airlines may not pay out the true cost of what a delay has cost you, so your best bet is to check what travel cover you have, and either claim to the airline or to your insurance provider based on this.

Just remember that travel insurance is likely to have an excess and there's often a time limit for submitting a claim.

How can I track my luggage?

The BA luggage report you fill in generates a baggage file reference number. You can use this to get up-to-date information on your bag's location from BA's baggage telephone helpline on 0844 493 0785, or on its WorldTracer Services website.

However BA warns that as some bags have been sent using other methods, the status of your delayed bag report may not be updated until your bag is received at the destination airport.

Courier services working on BA's behalf to deliver the bag to the correct address are also updating the system.

When will I get my luggage?

BA says it "hopes" the last remaining bags will depart from Heathrow by the end of today, but warns it could take several more days before they reach passengers.

Do I need to pick up my luggage?

BA says it will deliver your luggage to the address you've given it, you don't need to go to the airport to collect it.

If want to travel to another destination, you can update your report on BA's website with a new delivery address. When the bag arrives at the airport, the most up-to-date address will be used for delivery.

What does BA say?

A spokesman for British Airways says: "We realise it is extremely frustrating for customers who have not received their bags, and we are very sorry that it is taking longer than anticipated. "Although we have not been able to use Terminal 5's baggage system to its full capacity to manage delayed bags for the past four days, we have used a range of other methods to process bags and are hoping that the last remaining items will depart from Heathrow by the end of today. "Given the nature of global travel and a range of complex security and customs regulations in some countries, it may take several more days to reunite bags with their owners."