Lost, delayed or damaged luggage: the deadlines and how to claim

By the PromptLeadz editorial team. Last reviewed 20 September 2026. General information, not legal advice.

The carousel stops. Your bag isn't on it. Before you leave the airport, there's one thing that decides most of what happens next: the report. After that, the rules give you strict deadlines and a fair amount of cover. Here's how to use them.

At the airport (don't skip this)

• Go to the airline's baggage desk before you leave the arrivals hall.
• File a report and get the reference number (often called a Property Irregularity Report or PIR). Take a photo of it.
• If the bag is damaged, show it at the desk and photograph the damage.
• Ask what the airline covers for essentials while you wait, and keep every receipt.

The deadlines that matter

For international flights, the Montreal Convention sets the clock:

Airlines can reject late claims. Send it by email or their online form and keep a copy.

What you can claim

• Delayed: reasonable essentials you had to buy (toiletries, a change of clothes, a charger). Keep it sensible; airlines push back on shopping sprees.
• Damaged: repair cost, or the value if it can't be fixed.
• Lost: the value of the bag and contents, allowing for age and wear. List everything with rough prices and any receipts or photos you have.

There's a liability cap under the Montreal Convention, set in Special Drawing Rights and reviewed every few years. In practice it's well over EUR 1,500 per passenger, which covers most ordinary luggage. For valuables above that, a special declaration at check-in or travel insurance is what protects you. US domestic flights have their own DOT-set limit.

Worked example

Tom's bag arrived four days late at his holiday destination. He filed the report at the airport, bought EUR 140 of clothes and toiletries with receipts, and claimed on day 6 after the bag came back. Well inside the 21 days. The airline paid EUR 140.

The claim letter

Subject: Baggage claim, file reference [PIR number], flight [number] on [date]

My checked bag on flight [number] on [date] was [delayed until (date) / damaged / lost]. I reported it at [airport], reference [number].

Under the Montreal Convention I claim EUR [total]: [list items with amounts]. Receipts and photos attached.

Please pay within 14 days to [card or account], or tell me in writing which items you dispute and why.

Other routes to try at the same time

• Your travel insurance, and the insurance that comes with some credit cards. They often cover what the airline doesn't.
• Your home insurance, which sometimes covers belongings away from home.
• If the airline doesn't answer: in the EU, the national enforcement body or a European Consumer Centre for cross-border cases; in the UK, the airline's dispute scheme or the CAA; in the US, the Department of Transportation.

Sources and further reading

• UK Civil Aviation Authority: baggage and passenger rights
• Your Europe: air passenger rights and baggage
• US Department of Transportation: air consumer protection