( CNN ) -- We all know the feeling of dread that washes over you when standing at the baggage carousel after a flight . `` Did my bag make it ? '' In the last couple of years , another wrinkle has been added to the mix in the form of bag fees . In the past , if an airline lost , delayed or damaged your bag , you could get compensation . That 's still true today , but what about that fee you paid just for the right to check your bag ? Can you get that back ? While some airlines will give you something back , the majority wo n't . That 's surprising to a lot of people , and it does n't really seem fair . Are you paying just to check your bag or are you paying for it to actually get to your destination when you do ? Only one airline will refund your bag fees if your bag is lost , delayed , or damaged and that 's Frontier , with its hubs in Denver and Milwaukee . Kudos to Frontier for doing the right thing , but very few others will do anything at all . Alaska led the way in compensating travelers when it first introduced its bag fees for the first checked bag . Now , if you are n't reunited with your bags within 20 minutes of arriving at the gate , you 're entitled to a $ 20 discount on a future flight or 2,000 bonus miles in the airline 's frequent flier program . There are a couple of catches . This wo n't automatically get put into your account -- you 'll have to talk to someone at the airport within two hours of your arrival to get the credit . Also , it 's only one coupon per person , regardless of how many bags were checked . Delta has also decided to do something in this arena , but it 's structured differently . If your bags are delayed more than 12 hours on Delta , and you 've paid the first and second bag fees , then you can get a credit as well . But on Delta it 's a $ 25 credit for the first bag and another $ 25 if you had a second bag . Unfortunately , this is really the end of the line when it comes to getting something in return when your bags go missing . United has a bag fee refund form , as do others , but the only reasons it says it gives refunds are if there were duplicate charges , if you did n't travel or if you did n't actually check a bag . If your bag was delayed , it appears you are n't getting that fee back in any shape or form . Southwest and JetBlue , of course , wo n't refund your money for checking that first bag , because they do n't charge a fee for those bags . Instead , they bake the cost into the ticket price , and you are n't getting a refund for that . There is a little bit of relief on the horizon from the federal government , but it 's really minor at best . Regulation soon goes into effect that will require airlines to refund bag fees but only if the bag is lost permanently . In other words , if your bag is simply delayed for a day or two or 10 , then this regulation does n't apply . It 's only if that bag is lost and gone forever . Not much teeth to this rule . So what can you do ? Well , if your bag is lost or delayed , you can always try contacting customer relations at the airline . Depending upon the situation , that might be able to get you some bonus miles or a voucher , but that 's the luck of the draw .
Chief Snyder thinks travelers should receive compensation if they do n't get their luggage . Delta has a $ 25 to $ 50 fine if your bags are delayed by more than 12 hours . Frontier is one airline that has additional fees if your bag does n't get on your flight .