Lost, delayed or damaged baggage

Enter the day you landed or got the bag. You get the deadline for your written complaint, the most the airline has to pay, a checklist of what to do and keep, and a letter ready to send.

1. What happened

Day the bag was handed to you (or today if it is still missing)

Pick the date to see your deadline.

2. The most the airline has to pay

1,519 SDR per passenger

Written complaint about damaged checked baggage: immediately on discovery and at the latest within 7 days of receiving the bag (Article 31).
Written complaint about delayed baggage: within 21 days of the date the bag was placed at your disposal (Article 31).
A bag that has not arrived 21 days after it should have is treated as lost, and you can claim as for loss (Article 17).
A court action must start within 2 years of the date you arrived or should have arrived (Article 35).
The limit is per passenger, not per bag, and covers destruction, loss, damage and delay together (Article 22). You can declare a higher value at check-in and pay a supplement if the airline asks for one.
The limits were raised on 28 Dec 2024; earlier trips may fall under the older lower figure (check).

The limit is set in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), an IMF unit. Convert with the current rate, which moves daily. It is revised roughly every five years for inflation.

Today’s rate: how much of your currency is 1 SDRCurrency

Get the current rate from the IMF: SDR valuation and exchange rates.

Source: ICAO: revised Montreal Convention limits of liability from 28 December 2024, checked 30 Sep 2026check

Bag fee: Under the DOT rule in force since 28 October 2024, airlines must refund the checked-bag fee automatically if the bag is not delivered within 12 hours of arrival on a domestic flight, 15 hours on an international flight of up to 12 hours, and 30 hours on an international flight of over 12 hours. A lost bag is refunded the fee whenever it is declared lost. check

3. Checklist

0/7 done

Report it at the airport before you leaveBefore leaving the airportGo to the airline's baggage desk (or its handling agent) in the arrivals hall and get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) filed. Do this before you pass customs. The airline gives you a file reference number that you use to track the bag (most airlines and airports use the WorldTracer system). If you can't find a desk, report online through the airline and keep the confirmation.
Keep the paperworkStraight awayBoarding pass, baggage tag receipt (the sticker on your ticket jacket or the bag-tag receipt), the PIR reference, booking confirmation, and a photo of the bag before the trip if you have one. For damage, photograph it in the baggage hall before you leave.
List what is insideWithin 24 hoursWrite down the contents with rough values and, for anything expensive, the receipt or a photo. Airlines pay depreciated value, not replacement cost, and do not usually cover cash, jewellery, electronics and medicines in checked bags (check the contract of carriage).
Buy the essentials and keep every receiptWhile the bag is missingFor a delayed bag, buy only what you genuinely need (toiletries, a change of clothes) and keep the receipts. Ask the airline for its daily allowance or reimbursement rules before you spend; you claim reasonable costs later.
Tell your travel insurer and card issuerWithin daysCheck whether your travel insurance or your card covers baggage delay, and what proof and deadlines they want. Claim from the airline first if you can: insurers often deduct what the airline pays.
Send a written complaint inside the deadlineBefore the deadline shown aboveUse the letter below, email or post it to the airline's customer relations (not only the airport desk), and keep proof it was sent. The deadline for a written complaint is what protects your claim.
If the airline stallsAfter the airline replies or stallsAfter the airline's answer (or if it does not reply), escalate to the national body or a small claims court: in the US, the DOT; in the UK, the airline's approved dispute resolution scheme; in Canada, the CTA; in the EU, the national enforcement body. Court action on an international flight must start within 2 years.

4. Complaint letter

Your nameYour address and emailAirlineFlight numberFrom (airport or city)To (airport or city)Booking referenceAirport report (PIR) referenceBaggage tag number (optional)Amount you claim (with currency)Date of the flight

Contents and value: one item per line

[your name]
[your address and email]

[today's date]

To: [airline], Customer Relations (Baggage Claims)

Subject: Baggage delay complaint: [flight], [date]
Booking reference: [booking reference]

Dear Sir or Madam,

My checked baggage did not arrive with me on [flight number] from [departure] to [arrival] on [date]. I reported it at the airport. It has not yet been delivered.

This is a written complaint about the delay to my baggage, made within the time allowed by Articles 17 and 31 of the Montreal Convention. I claim reimbursement of the reasonable expenses I had to incur because of the delay (receipts attached).

Contents and value:
[list each item with its approximate value; attach receipts for expensive items]

Please confirm receipt of this complaint and tell me how you will settle it. I would like a written reply within 28 days.

Yours faithfully,
[your name]

Send it by email or post to the airline’s customer relations and keep proof of sending. This is general information, not legal advice.