Your checked bag is missing? Before leaving the terminal, report it, get the baggage file number, and keep the baggage tag. Then submit a separate written claim for money you spent or property you lost. A Property Irregularity Report (PIR) starts the tracing process, but it usually isn't the same thing as a compensation claim.

The rules depend on the itinerary. A U.S.-only trip is generally governed by U.S. Department of Transportation rules and the airline's contract of carriage. International carriage may be covered by the Montreal Convention. EU261 mainly concerns cancellations, long delays, and denied boarding; it doesn't create a separate fixed payment for lost luggage.

Lost baggage checklist for the first hour

1. Check the carousel and nearby belts. Make sure the belt has stopped. Ask airport staff whether bags from your flight were moved to another belt or holding area.
2. Report the bag at the airline's baggage desk. Do this before leaving the airport whenever possible. If the desk is closed, use the airline's online reporting system or baggage phone line immediately. Note the date, time, and method of contact.
3. Get a PIR or baggage file number. Provide your flight details, baggage tag number, bag description, delivery address, and phone number. Keep the paper or digital confirmation.
4. Save your travel records. Photograph or download the boarding pass, itinerary, baggage tag receipt, and PIR. An airline app may not keep the records you need later.
5. Describe the bag clearly. Give the brand, color, size, hard- or soft-sided construction, distinctive marks, straps, stickers, and other identifying details. Pre-travel photos can help.
6. Confirm delivery arrangements. Ask whether the airline will deliver the bag to your home, hotel, or another address. Find out whether someone must be available to receive it.
7. Buy only necessary replacements. If you need clothing, toiletries, medication supplies, or other essentials, choose reasonable items and keep itemized receipts. There is no universal $50 or $100 daily allowance.

If you've already left the airport, report the bag online or by phone without waiting for a generic 48-hour period to pass. Ask how the tracing file becomes a formal reimbursement claim, and keep proof that you made the report.

Delayed, damaged, or lost: the deadlines differ

A bag can be delayed without being legally treated as lost. That distinction affects both the evidence and the deadline.

The seven-day and 21-day Montreal deadlines refer to a written complaint to the carrier. A phone call or airport conversation may not give you reliable proof of compliance. For a U.S.-only itinerary, follow the airline's contract of carriage and claim instructions, and file as soon as possible.

Don't wait 21 days to report missing luggage. That period is a point at which an international delayed bag may be treated as lost; it isn't a waiting period for opening a PIR, tracking the bag, or recording expenses.

Gather these documents before filing

Create one claim folder and keep copies of:

• The PIR or baggage file number.
• The baggage tag number for every missing or damaged bag.
• Boarding passes, ticket receipt, booking code, and complete itinerary.
• Photos of the bag, its tags, and its condition when returned.
• A contents inventory showing each item's description, purchase date if known, original price, age, and current estimated value.
• Receipts, order confirmations, bank statements, warranty records, or photographs supporting ownership and value.
• Itemized receipts for reasonable necessities purchased because of the delay.
• Emails, messages, tracking screenshots, delivery notices, and notes from calls with the airline.
• Proof of any checked-bag fee paid.

A missing receipt doesn't automatically end a claim, but it makes valuation harder. Retailer records, bank statements, photographs, and a detailed signed inventory can help establish what you owned and what it was worth.

Don't assume the airline will pay the price of a brand-new replacement. It may consider an item's age, condition, and depreciation.

Submit a formal written baggage claim

Use the airline's baggage-claims portal or the address listed in its contract of carriage. A message asking where your bag is may continue the tracing process, but it may not satisfy the airline's reimbursement procedure. Use the word claim when asking for money.

Include:

1. Your name, flight number, route, arrival date, and baggage tag number.
2. Whether the bag was delayed, damaged, or not delivered.
3. The PIR or baggage file number.
4. Each claimed item or expense listed separately.
5. The total amount requested and the calculation behind it.
6. Copies of receipts, photographs, inventory, and other supporting evidence.
7. A request for written confirmation and a claim reference.

Sample lost baggage claim letter

Subject: Baggage claim - PIR [reference number] - flight [number]

Dear [Airline claims team],

I am submitting a written claim for baggage that was [delayed, damaged, or not delivered] on flight [number] from [origin] to [destination] on [date].

Passenger: [name]
PIR or file number: [reference]
Baggage tag number: [number]
Bag description: [brand, color, size, and identifying features]

The bag was [not delivered by the arrival date / delivered on date with the following damage]. I request reimbursement of [amount] for the attached itemized losses and reasonable necessary expenses. The attached documents include [receipts, inventory, photographs, and proof of purchase].

Please confirm receipt of this claim, identify any additional documents required, and explain in writing if any item is excluded or valued differently.

Sincerely,
[name, address, phone, and email]

When a delayed bag arrives, update the airline. Inspect it before putting it away, photograph any damage, and send the written damage notice within the applicable deadline.

How much can you recover?

A legal liability limit is a ceiling, not an automatic payout. The airline normally looks at the documented loss, reasonable expenses caused by the delay, exclusions, and depreciation before applying any limit.

U.S. domestic flights

14 CFR Part 254 sets the disclosure and minimum-liability framework for qualifying domestic carriage. It defines a large aircraft as one designed to carry more than 60 passengers. The rule also addresses a flight segment included on the same ticket as another segment using a large aircraft.

The rule uses an inflation formula that starts with $2,500, multiplies it by the relevant CPI-U ratio, and rounds the result to the nearest $100. That is why older articles quote different limits. Use the current eCFR text and the airline's contract instead of assuming that $2,500, $3,800, $4,700, or another figure is the amount available in every claim.

The limit is generally calculated per passenger, not as a separate full limit for every suitcase. It doesn't mean the airline owes the maximum: an old suitcase and used clothing may be valued below the ceiling. A carrier may publish a higher limit under its own terms.

A lost or significantly delayed bag can also raise a separate checked-bag-fee refund issue under DOT rules. Request that refund separately and keep proof of payment. A fee refund is not the same as payment for the contents, replacement purchases, or other documented losses.

International flights under the Montreal Convention

For international carriage covered by the Montreal Convention, the current baggage liability ceiling is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger for loss, damage, or delay. An SDR is an international reserve asset, so its dollar or euro equivalent changes.

The ceiling applies to proven loss and qualifying expenses; it isn't a guaranteed payment. A claim may include reasonable financial loss caused by a delay or the value of a bag treated as lost, subject to the cap and applicable exclusions.

When checking the bag, a passenger can make a higher-value declaration, known as a special declaration of interest, and may have to pay an additional charge. That option generally can't be added after the airline has already lost the bag.

Flights involving the European Union

The European Consumer Centres Network guidance separates EU261 flight-disruption rights from Montreal Convention baggage rights. Don't use the familiar EU261 flight-compensation amounts as a baggage payout.

A passenger may have both claims if a flight disruption and a baggage problem independently qualify, but one claim doesn't establish the other. A Montreal baggage claim concerns the financial loss from the bag problem; EU261 concerns qualifying flight cancellations, delays, or denied boarding.

Which expenses are usually strongest?

Tie each expense to the baggage delay and explain why it was necessary. Claims are generally easier to evaluate when they include:

• Basic clothing suited to the destination and length of the delay.
• Toiletries and essential personal-care items.
• Necessary medication-related supplies, following the airline and insurer's procedures.
• Reasonable transport or communication costs directly caused by the baggage problem, if the carrier's rules allow them.

Buy what you need, not an entire replacement wardrobe. Luxury goods and purchases you could reasonably avoid are more likely to be challenged. If you were returning home and had access to your normal clothing, the airline may question purchases that weren't necessary.

For items that were in the bag, show when they were bought, how often they were used, and their condition. Airlines often distinguish between new replacement price and used value. Don't inflate the inventory or submit the same loss to the airline, insurer, and card provider without disclosing payments already received.

Connecting flights, codeshares, families, and valuable items

Connecting flights: Report the missing bag at the final destination, where it should have been delivered. Notify the airline operating the arrival segment and keep the marketing carrier's name, the full ticket, and every baggage receipt. The airline associated with the last scan isn't automatically the party responsible. The answer can depend on the ticket, the carriers involved, and the codeshare arrangement.

One ticket versus separate tickets: A domestic segment on the same ticket as an international journey may be analyzed as part of one international carriage. Separate tickets can create separate journeys and separate claim procedures. Give the airline the complete itinerary rather than only the last flight number.

Several bags or family travel: List every baggage tag and identify which passenger checked each bag. The liability limit is commonly calculated per passenger, not as a separate full limit for every suitcase. Follow the airline's instructions if it creates one file for several bags or separate files.

Premium cabins: First class, business class, and premium economy don't automatically increase the statutory baggage limit. Check whether the ticket includes a carrier-specific benefit or whether you made an excess-value declaration.

Valuables: Airlines commonly restrict or exclude liability for certain valuables, fragile items, cash, documents, electronics, or irreplaceable property placed in checked baggage. Check the carrier's conditions before travel and keep high-value or essential items in your carry-on when permitted.

Mobility and assistive devices: Wheelchairs and other mobility aids have protections that differ from ordinary luggage. Tell the baggage desk immediately that the missing item is an assistive device. Ask about expedited recovery, a temporary replacement, and the separate complaint process.

Travel insurance and credit-card benefits

File with the airline first unless the policy says otherwise. Also check travel insurance, homeowners or renters coverage, and credit-card baggage benefits. Their terms may differ on:

• Whether coverage is primary or secondary.
• The minimum delay before benefits begin.
• Per-item and per-person limits.
• Deductibles and depreciation.
• Excluded valuables.
• Whether the ticket had to be purchased with that card.
• Claim deadlines and required documents.

Send the insurer or card administrator the PIR, airline claim, receipts, settlement offer, and any written denial. Tell each provider what another party has paid. Insurance generally isn't a way to recover twice for the same loss.

If the airline denies the claim or stops responding

Ask for an item-by-item explanation. A reduced offer may be based on missing proof of ownership, depreciation, an excluded item, allegedly late written notice, or expenses the carrier considers unreasonable.

Respond in writing with:

• The specific item or expense you dispute.
• The rule or contract section the airline cited.
• New evidence, such as purchase records or photographs.
• A revised calculation if part of the offer is reasonable.
• A request for the airline's final position and the next appeal step.

Some airlines have separate service guarantees for late bags, such as points or a discount code when a bag misses a short delivery target. These offers come from carrier policy, may have short filing windows, and aren't the same as a Montreal or EU261 baggage claim. Check the current terms before treating a service credit as a settlement.

For a U.S. itinerary, you can submit an air-travel complaint to the Department of Transportation if the airline appears not to follow applicable baggage or refund rules. A DOT complaint doesn't replace the airline's formal claim and doesn't guarantee a particular reimbursement amount.

For an itinerary connected to the European Union, consult the relevant national consumer or enforcement body. The Montreal Convention overview is a plain-language starting point for the international baggage deadlines, but the route, ticket, and airline contract still matter.

If you consider court action over an international claim, the Montreal Convention generally provides a two-year period for bringing an action. That doesn't mean you should wait two years to file with the airline. Preserve every deadline in the carrier's instructions and obtain local legal guidance for a high-value dispute.

Mistakes that weaken a baggage claim

• Leaving the airport without reporting the bag when a desk was available.
• Losing the baggage tag or failing to record every tag number.
• Treating app tracking as a substitute for a written claim.
• Waiting 21 days before starting the report.
• Assuming a fixed daily clothing allowance exists.
• Buying expensive replacements without checking what the airline considers reasonable.
• Claiming the full new retail price for used property without supporting evidence.
• Using EU261 flight-compensation figures for baggage.
• Assuming the airline that last scanned the bag is automatically liable.
• Accepting a voucher or signing a release without checking whether it ends the claim.
• Missing the seven-day damage or 21-day international delay notice deadline.

Save the PIR, baggage tag, itinerary, and receipts in one folder now. Submit the formal claim in writing, then calendar the shortest deadline in the airline's instructions.