Those passengers whose bags have been missing for more than 21 days can start compensation claims against the airline, and expect to receive a maximum of £850 per claim.

The carrier could not put a precise estimate on the number of bags still being stored at Heathrow, but a spokeswoman told Times Online Travel: “It’s no longer a bag mountain, or even a hill.”

She said that although bags are legally lost after 21 days, the carrier will continue to attempt to trace bags for 45 days from the date of travel.

The spokeswoman added that most of the bags at the airport were there because of difficulty reuniting them with their owners, either because of a missing baggage tag or because the bag lacks any discernible features.

“By the end of the week we hope everyone will be reconciled with their bags, bar those where the tags have come off,” she told Times Online Travel.

But emails are still pouring in from readers whose bags are missing. When Lisa Klooss from London flew with BA to Gibraltar on August 11 her cases, containing two ushers’ suits for a wedding, were lost. These cases have still not been returned and she is paying late return charges on the suits. She told Times Online Travel: “Our suitcase is still missing and we haven't been able to get any updates from BA because the baggage tracing office number is always busy and the website tracing system has not been updated.

Martin Miller from Ealing flew with BA to Malaga on August 10. When he returned home his bags were missing and he was locked out of his home (he had to pack the keys in his cabin luggage), and at the start of this week, the bags had still not been returned.

Dafydd Goff, also from London, who flew with BA to Stockholm on August 11 is still without his bags, but today received a phone call from the airline saying it will be delivered to him by Thursday.

For those passengers who flew on August 10 (the first day of the disruptions owing to the security alert) and don’t receive their luggage by Thursday (August 31), their bags are considered lost and they can start compensation claims against the airline. This is according to the Montreal Convention, an agreement signed by European airlines that sets out airlines’ liabilities for passengers and their baggage.

However, airlines are only liable to pay out up to £850 per claim. “Beyond this, passengers should seek compensation from their travel insurer,” a spokeswoman told Times Online Travel.

Additionally BA is not liable to payout for items of high value that have been lost, damaged, or alleged stolen from cabin luggage. While the airline accepts that it will review each claim on a case-by-case basis, given the exceptional circumstances, it will not always payout, and in these cases BA is again recommending passengers pursue compensation from their insurance company.

In order to claim compensation from BA customers must fill in the missing luggage form on the BA website or can request a form by phone. A spokeswoman said that claims should be accompanied by the relevant receipts and said should be settled “within a few weeks”.

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