Lost, delayed or damaged baggage: claim helper

Everything the tool uses, written out: what to do at the airport, a delayed bag day by day, what to claim for a lost or damaged one, what changes when your things were in someone else’s bag, the deadlines and limits side by side, and the official page of eleven airlines.

• First hour
• Delayed
• Lost
• Damaged
• Someone else’s bag
• Deadlines and limits
• If the airline says no
• Airlines
• Quick answers

At the airport: the first hour

Stay inside the baggage hall if you can. Many baggage desks are in the reclaim area, and once you walk out you may not be let back in.

1. Check the carousel and the oversize belt. Ask the staff whether your bag came off early and was moved.
2. Go to the desk of the airline that flew your last leg. Delta says to file with the airline that operated the final leg of your trip, and the US rules on bag fee refunds point to the same airline (14 CFR 260.5).
3. Make the report and get the reference. It is called a PIR, a property irregularity report. American gives a 13-character file ID, Ryanair a 10-character reference, SWISS a code like ZRHLX12345.
4. Read the report before you leave. Check your phone number, a delivery address for the next few days and the description of the bag, and ask for a printout or an email copy. In the EU the airline’s own record of your complaint can count as written (C-258/16 Finnair), but only if you could see and check it. Do not rely on that: send your own letter.
5. Ask four questions: Is the bag located? When is the next flight that can bring it? Will you deliver it, and is delivery free? What is your rule for essentials, and where do I send the receipts?
6. Share your tracker. If you packed an AirTag or another item in the Find My network, give the airline its link. American and Delta both ask for it in their forms.

What to photograph

• the empty carousel and the arrivals board, with the time showing
• the bag tag stub and your boarding pass
• the report (PIR)
• for damage: the bag from all sides, close-ups of the damage, the airline’s tag still attached, and any inspection notice inside
• the desk, if the airline sent you elsewhere

If the desk is closed or you have already left, report online at once. easyJet and Wizz Air, for example, use mybag.aero. Then email the airline the same day: that email is your first written complaint.

Delayed bag, day by day

Day 0, the day you land. Make the report. Buy only what you need for tonight and tomorrow: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, underwear, a basic top, a phone charger and any prescribed medicine you cannot do without. Keep paper receipts and photograph them. Delta asks for the shop name, the date, an itemised list, the total and how you paid, and that is a good standard for any airline.

Day 1. Check the tracking page with your reference. If the airline delivers, confirm the address. If you must collect the bag yourself, keep the transport receipt: the cost of fetching your own bag is part of what the delay cost you, so ask for it.

If your trip involves the US, the bag fee is refundable once the bag is more than 12 hours late on a domestic trip, or more than 15 hours late on an international one (30 hours if a nonstop flight of your trip between the US and the other country is scheduled at more than 12 hours). You must have filed the baggage report. The refund should come without your asking. If it does not, ask in writing and quote 14 CFR 260.5. Step 1 of the tool checks this for you.

Days 2 to 4. Buy more only as the delay grows. Airlines pay what is reasonable, so scale your purchases to the length of the delay, the weather and the reason for your trip. Avoid designer items. If you need something unusual, such as a suit for a wedding or ski rental, ask the airline in writing first and keep proof of why you needed it.

Day 5. Many airlines now want a full contents list. American asks for an online claim for a bag missing 5 days or more. Delta switches to a property loss claim from day 6. SWISS asks for a description of the bag and its contents after 5 days. Fill it in with care: it becomes your claim if the bag is not found.

When the bag arrives. Open it at once, in front of the courier if you can. Report any damage or missing items in writing within 7 days at the latest. US domestic deadlines are much shorter: American gives 6 hours for damage and 24 hours for missing contents.

Within 21 days of getting the bag back, send your written claim for the expenses, with the receipts (Convention, Article 31). Do not wait for the airline’s own process. Some set deadlines of their own that can end sooner: American asks for expenses within 30 days of the delay, KLM for your purchases within 21 days, easyJet for receipts within 21 days of the flight.

If the delay was on your way home, some airlines refuse replacement clothes and toiletries once you are back (SWISS says so on its page). Claim what was really necessary anyway, such as medicine or clothes for work the next morning, and say why.

Lost bag: when it counts as lost and what to claim

When it counts as lost. Under Article 17(3) of the Convention you may treat the bag as lost when the airline admits it, or when it has not arrived 21 days after the day it should have. In practice airlines differ. Delta treats a bag as likely lost after 21 days. SWISS contacts you 21 to 30 days after your report. easyJet waits 45 days, which is longer than the Convention’s 21. On US domestic flights the DOT says most airlines declare a bag lost 5 to 14 days after the flight.

What to send:

• a list of the contents, item by item: what it is, the brand, when you bought it and what you paid
• proof: receipts, bank or card statements, order emails, photos of you using the item, product pages
• the bag itself: brand, age and price
• your receipts for the expenses so far

At American and Delta, expenses already paid are deducted from the final settlement if the bag is lost. Under the Convention everything sits under one limit per passenger.

What you get. The value of what you lost, not the price of new things. The DOT says that for a bag that cannot be repaired airlines negotiate on its value and depreciation, and that lost bags are paid subject to depreciation. Expect deductions for old clothes and shoes. Push back when an item was new and you can prove it, and ask for the calculation in writing.

Valuables. On US domestic flights, items that the contract excludes (often fragile items, electronics, cash and other valuables) are not paid at all. On international trips the DOT says airlines are responsible for such items once they accepted the bag, even if you did not tell them what was inside, but the limit still applies. Either way, carry valuables in your hand luggage.

Bag fee. On routes to, from or within the US, the fee for a lost bag must be refunded (14 CFR 260.5). If it is not, ask in writing.

Damaged bag

Look at the bag before you leave the carousel. If it is damaged, report it before you leave the airport.

Deadlines. Under the Convention your written complaint must reach the airline within 7 days of the day you received the bag. On US domestic flights airlines allow only hours: American and Delta both give 6 hours (Delta for tickets issued on or after 8 October 2025). easyJet wants the report and the claim within 7 days of your flight.

Photos. Take them before you leave the airport. easyJet warns that photos taken later may not be accepted.

Keep the bag and the tag until the claim is settled. Ask the airline about repair or replacement before you buy a new bag. Wizz Air, for example, pays the repair cost shown on your repair receipt, or asks for a written confirmation from the repair shop if the bag cannot be repaired.

What airlines usually refuse: scuffs, scratches and other normal wear and tear, items that were not packed properly, and, at American, items missing from a bag that was neither delayed nor damaged. In the US, airlines cannot exclude liability for damage to wheels, handles, straps and other parts of the bag (DOT), so argue the point with your photos.

If the bag was searched. American does not cover loss or damage caused by a search by a security agency. If you find an inspection notice inside the bag, ask the airline whom to claim from. In the US, damage from a security search is claimed from the TSA: file a claim with the TSA in writing within two years (28 U.S.C. 2401(b)), and allow up to six months for an answer. A lost or missing bag stays a matter for the airline.

Your things were in someone else’s bag

This happens with couples, families and friends: one bag is checked in one name and holds the belongings of two. What follows is general. Nothing in it, or in the tool, needs a name.

What the law says

Under the Convention the limit is “for each passenger” (Article 22(2)), not per bag. The EU Court of Justice ruled in Espada Sánchez v Iberia (C-410/11, 22 November 2012) that a passenger whose items were in a bag checked in the name of another passenger on the same flight has a right to compensation of their own, within their own limit, as long as the bag really held their items. The national court decides on the facts whether you suffered the loss, and may take into account that the passengers are family members, bought their tickets together or checked in at the same time.

Elsewhere the airline’s contract fills the gap. American’s conditions for international flights, for example, presume that everything in a checked bag belongs to the passenger who checked it in, “unless the Passenger proves otherwise”, and United’s contract of carriage says the same. On flights inside the US no treaty rule applies. There United’s contract treats every checked bag as the property of the passenger who checked it, without that exception; we found no such rule in American’s or Delta’s contracts.

What to do

1. In the airport report, the person who checked the bag names the other person as co-owner and lists roughly what belongs to whom.
2. Each passenger files a separate claim under the same file reference and lists only their own items.
3. Attach proof that you travelled together: one booking, the same flights, checked in together.
4. Attach proof for each item: receipts in your name, photos of you wearing or using it, packing photos, order emails.
5. If the airline refuses the second claim, quote Article 22(2) (“for each passenger”) and, for EU airlines or EU courts, case C-410/11. Outside the EU the ruling persuades but does not bind.

What you cannot do

You cannot add your companion’s unused limit to yours, and two people cannot claim the same item.

Next time

• Pack your valuables and essentials in your own bag, or better, in your hand luggage.
• Split clothes between the bags, so that one delay leaves each of you with something to wear.
• Travel on one booking and check in together.
• List the contents of each bag and photograph them while you pack.
• Keep the receipts.
• Think about a special declaration of value at check-in.

Step 3 of the tool turns these questions into steps for your case, and step 5 can add a shared-bag paragraph to your letter.

Deadlines and limits at a glance

All days are calendar days (Article 52). If the airline’s own deadline is shorter than the Convention’s, meet the shorter one. Domestic flights in Switzerland on airlines from outside the EU and Switzerland fall under the Swiss air transport ordinance (LTrV, version of 1 November 2023, still in force), which has the same 7 and 21 days and 2 years to sue. The BAZL page on baggage (as of May 2024) counts the 21 days for a delayed bag from check-in and still shows the Convention’s old limit of 1,288 SDR: write early, and for flights under the Convention use 1,519 SDR.

Coming in the EU: Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, which applies mostly from 23 October 2027, makes airlines offer the baggage complaint form online, in their app and in the baggage hall. The day you submit the form will count as the day of your written complaint under Article 31. Passengers with reduced mobility get a free special declaration of value for their mobility equipment and, if it is lost, delayed or damaged, a temporary replacement as soon as possible.

To convert, take the IMF’s “currency units per SDR” for the date and multiply it by 1,519. A court converts at the date of the judgment (Article 23). American and Delta convert at the date of the settlement. The rate moves every day, so these amounts move too. Other pages show different dollar figures because they use older rates: the DOT’s page, updated on 29 October 2025, shows about USD 2,175. On a domestic flight in Switzerland, the Montreal Convention limit of 1,519 SDR applies to Swiss and EU airlines: Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 extends the Convention to all their flights, and Switzerland applies it under its air transport agreement with the EU. On a purely domestic trip, other airlines fall under the Swiss air transport ordinance (LTrV), which still states 1,288 SDR (Fedlex version in force since 1 November 2023).

If the airline says no, or offers too little

1. Ask for the reasons in writing. Which rule do they rely on, and how did they work out the amount?
2. Reply in writing. Quote Article 17 (the airline is liable without fault for loss of and damage to checked baggage), Article 19 (delay), Article 22(2) (the limit) and Article 26 (contract terms that lower the Convention’s protection are void). In the EU add Walz (C-63/09) and Espada Sánchez (C-410/11). Add any missing receipts.
3. Escalate inside the airline. Write to customer relations, not to the baggage contractor.
4. Ask a mediator or the authority. They collect complaints and mediate, but they do not award damages. In the US, file a complaint with the Department of Transportation: the airline must acknowledge it within 30 days and answer within 60 (14 CFR 259.7), but the DOT does not look into every complaint. In the EU, the European Consumer Centre in your country helps with cross-border cases but has no power to enforce. Austria’s apf takes baggage complaints about airlines with a branch in Austria, and Italy’s ENAC takes reports about baggage but cannot enforce a claim. In Germany, the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr names baggage problems among its cases for airlines that are its members, and the Schlichtungsstelle Luftverkehr at the Federal Office of Justice covers the other airlines (EVZ Germany, in German). Both take claims about lost, delayed or damaged baggage up to EUR 5,000, once the airline has refused your claim or not answered it within two months (§ 57b LuftVG, in German). In Switzerland, the BAZL does not deal with these disputes and the Swiss travel industry ombudsman only helps if you booked through a travel agency, so the route that remains is the civil court. In the UK, the two approved ADR bodies, AviationADR and CEDR, take baggage complaints free of charge within 12 months of the airline’s final answer; if the airline belongs to neither, the Civil Aviation Authority may help, but it cannot make a binding decision.
5. Go to court. In the EU, the European Small Claims Procedure covers cross-border claims up to EUR 5,000, mostly in writing and without a lawyer. It does not apply in Denmark, Switzerland or the UK, where you use the national small claims route. In the US, use small claims court. Choose a court that Article 33 allows: the airline’s home court, the court of its main place of business, the court where the contract was made through its office, or the court at your destination, which is often the most practical for travellers.
6. Watch the two-year limit. Negotiating does not stop the clock (Article 35).

Insurance and cards

Many cards and travel policies pay only what the airline does not, so claim from the airline first. Some travel policies pay you first and then take over your claim against the airline, so tell the airline too. British Airways advises contacting your insurer first, because a personal policy will likely give more cover than the airline can. If two payers cover the same loss, tell both: never take a double payment. Check your own policy for baggage delay, baggage loss and the limit per item.

Official claim pages, airline by airline

These are the airlines’ own pages, read on 28 October 2026. Airlines change their rules often: look at the page before you rely on a figure.

• American AirlinesDelayed or damaged bags · Conditions of carriage · Central Baggage Resolution OfficeDelayed bag: report within 4 hours of arriving on domestic trips (12 hours with Bags VIP), before leaving the airport on international trips. Damage: before you leave, or within 6 hours on domestic trips, within 7 days on international ones. Missing contents: 24 hours or 7 days. Expenses: send them within 30 days of the delay, with your 13-character file ID. Bag missing for 5 days: online claim. Passenger Property Questionnaire: within 30 days of your first report. Legal action: within 2 years.
• United AirlinesDelayed, lost or damaged baggage · Contract of carriageDelayed bag: report it at your final destination, within 24 hours of arriving on trips within the US and within 21 days on international trips. Expenses: claim within 45 days (US) or 21 days (international), with dated receipts. After 5 days without the bag, file a lost bag claim; United searches for about 21 days. Damage and missing items: report within 24 hours (US) or 7 days (international), claim within 45 or 21 days. Damage from a security search: claim from the TSA. United’s page still gives the old limit of 1,288 SDR and names USD 2,000 as its maximum for international flights; the Convention limit is 1,519 SDR, about USD 2,055.
• Delta Air LinesDelayed, lost or damaged baggageReport at the Baggage Service Office, with the airline that flew your last leg. Damage: 6 hours on domestic tickets issued on or after 8 October 2025 (24 hours before), 7 days on international tickets. Missing items: 24 hours or 7 days. Out-of-pocket expense claim for the first 5 days, property loss claim from day 6. Likely lost after 21 days.
• British AirwaysMaking a baggage claimMissing bags: claim within 21 days of the bag going missing. Damaged bags or contents: within 7 days of receiving the bag. British Airways recommends contacting your insurer first. The page gives no deadline for reporting a delayed bag.
• LufthansaProblems with baggage · Refund requestDelayed bag: report it before you leave the airport, online or at the baggage desk. After 5 days, fill in the contents list on the baggage status page. Expenses: toiletries in full, reusable items such as clothes at 50% (other rules in the US and Canada), within two years of the flight. Lost bag: compensation once it is more than 21 days late; claim within two years. Damage: report at once, online up to 3 days after the flight, and no later than 7 days after you received the bag. Missing contents: at once, or in writing online within 7 days.
• SWISSProblems with your baggage · Refund request · QuestionsReport a delayed bag at once, online or at the baggage tracing office. Online reports are generally possible up to 3 days after arrival; the limit is 7 days, but then the burden of proof is reversed. Damage: at once, and no later than 7 days after you received the bag. After 5 days without the bag, SWISS asks for a description of the bag and its contents. Compensation for a lost bag needs a delay of more than 21 days; SWISS contacts you 21 to 30 days after your report. Expenses: receipts within 2 years of the flight, toiletries 100%, reusable items such as clothes 50%, nothing for a delay on a return flight.
• Air FranceDeclaring a missing baggageMissing bag: declare it at the Air France KLM baggage office before you leave the airport (Property Irregularity Report), or online within 7 days of arriving. Basic necessities: claim online within 21 days of getting the bag back, with proof of purchase. If the bag is not found within 21 days of your report, your list of contents is the basis for compensation, up to the Convention limit.
• KLMLost or missing baggageReport online within 48 hours of arrival, or at the baggage desk before you leave the airport. There is no set amount: KLM reimburses reasonable expenses for first needs. Report your purchases within 21 days and send copies of the receipts. If the bag is not found within 21 days, contact KLM.
• easyJetDamaged, delayed or lost luggageDelayed bag: report on mybag.aero within 24 hours of arrival. Essentials once the bag is 24 hours late or more: up to GBP 75 per person, receipts within 21 days of the flight. A bag counts as lost after 45 days. Damage: take photos before you leave the airport, then complete the report and the claim at damagedluggage.com within 7 days of the flight.
• RyanairHow do I claim for lost, damaged or delayed bags?Claims cannot be processed unless the case was reported at your arrival airport and a PIR was issued. Include the 10-character file reference from your PIR. The page lists no deadlines, so use the Convention’s: 7 days for damage, 21 days for delay.
• Wizz AirReporting procedureReport at the baggage desk or on mybag.aero. Claim your expenses on the website under “Bag delay”, with receipts, the PIR, the bag tag and your boarding pass. If the bag is not found within 21 days of your report, Wizz Air is liable for the loss: claim under “Bag loss” and make sure the value of the bag is in the PIR. Damage you notice after leaving the airport: report within 7 days of arrival.

Quick answers

Is the airport report enough?

Usually not. Send your own written claim within 7 days for damage and 21 days for a delay. In the EU the court accepted an airline’s own record of a complaint as written (C-258/16 Finnair), but national courts disagree on whether a report alone is enough. A short email costs nothing.

Can I buy clothes as soon as I land?

Yes, the essentials. Scale your purchases to the expected delay and keep every receipt.

Will they pay for new shoes?

Only if you need them. Ask first for anything specialised, and keep proof of why you needed it.

Is there a daily allowance?

Not in the US: the DOT does not allow an arbitrary daily cap. easyJet pays up to GBP 75 per person, KLM has no set amount, and most others pay what is reasonable against receipts.

My bag arrived after 13 hours on a US domestic flight. Do I get my bag fee back?

Yes, if you filed a baggage report. The rule starts at more than 12 hours.

When can I claim the full value of a lost bag?

After 21 days under the Convention, or sooner if the airline admits the loss.

Do I get the price of new things?

No. Expect the depreciated value.

My laptop was in my checked bag.

On US domestic flights it is likely excluded. On international trips the DOT says airlines are responsible once they accepted the bag, up to the limit. Keep electronics in your hand luggage.

Who do I claim from on a connecting trip?

Usually the airline that flew your last leg. Article 36 of the Convention lets you claim against the first carrier, the last carrier or the carrier on whose leg the problem happened.

Can I claim for stress?

In the EU the court ruled that the Convention’s limit covers both material and non-material damage (C-63/09 Walz), so distress sits inside the same limit.

Should I claim from my insurer or the airline?

From the airline first, and keep every reply. Then ask your insurer or card what they pay on top. Never take a double payment.

The delay was on my way home. Can I claim?

Only for expenses you really had, with receipts. Some airlines refuse replacement clothes once you are home.

Does the EU flight delay law pay for lost bags?

No. Regulation 261/2004 covers delayed and cancelled flights and denied boarding. Bag claims run under the Montreal Convention. For the flight itself, see our flight delay compensation calculator.

Can I claim for things that were in my travel companion’s bag?

In the EU yes, within your own limit, if you were on the same flight and can prove the items were in that bag. See the section above and step 3 of the tool.

How long does the airline take?

The Convention sets no time for the airline’s answer, so ask for a date. For a complaint to the US DOT, the airline must acknowledge it within 30 days and answer within 60.

Is my data stored?

No. The tool runs in your browser and sends nothing. What you type stays in this browser, and the button at the end of the tool deletes it.

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Sources

• IMF, SDR rates (currency units per SDR) of 27 October 2026, the newest rate on 28 October 2026.
• Treaty: the Montreal Convention of 1999 (EUR-Lex) and the revised limits of ICAO (in force since 28 December 2024).
• EU: Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 as amended by Regulation (EC) No 889/2002 (EUR-Lex), and the court rulings C-410/11 Espada Sánchez, C-258/16 Finnair and C-63/09 Walz, and Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 (in force since 22 October 2026, applying mostly from 23 October 2027).
• US: 14 CFR 254.4 and 254.6 (liability limit), 260.2 and 260.5 (bag fee refunds), 259.7 (complaints), the DOT page Lost, delayed, or damaged baggage and its Fly Rights page.
• Switzerland: the BAZL baggage page (in German), the EU-Swiss air transport agreement (SR 0.748.127.192.68), whose Annex (point 7) applies Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 in Switzerland, and the Swiss air transport ordinance (LTrV, SR 748.411) on Fedlex (in German), version of 1 November 2023, still the current one on 28 October 2026.
• Authorities: apf, Austria, ENAC, Italy (in Italian), EVZ Germany, conciliation bodies (in German), the UK Civil Aviation Authority, the European Consumer Centres, the CAA page on alternative dispute resolution, § 57b LuftVG (in German) and the TSA claims page.
• Airlines: the pages linked in the list above, American’s conditions for international flights and Delta’s contract of carriage for US flights, read on 28 October 2026.

General information about baggage rules, not legal advice. We are not a law firm and do not handle claims. Rules, limits and airline pages checked on 28 October 2026; IMF rates of 27 October 2026.

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