Missing checked luggage is mainly a documentation and deadline problem. Report it before you leave the airport, keep the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) number, and save receipts for anything you truly need while you wait. If the bag is later declared lost, file a separate written claim for its contents.

For a U.S.-only flight, federal rules generally cap an airline's baggage liability at $4,700 per passenger. International carriage covered by the Montreal Convention is generally capped at 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger. The SDR amount moves with exchange rates, and neither figure is an automatic payout.

The 21-day rule is narrower than many websites claim. It generally treats a missing bag as lost on an international itinerary covered by Montreal. It isn't a default U.S. domestic deadline.

This is general consumer information, not legal advice. Your itinerary, the airline's contract of carriage, and the law that actually applies control the result.

Which rule controls your baggage dispute?

The airline that issued your ticket and the carrier that operated the flight can both matter, especially on a codeshare. Report the problem to the carrier that created the PIR, then send a copy to the operating or ticketing carrier if you're bounced between companies.

For U.S. rights and baggage-fee information, check the U.S. Department of Transportation's baggage guidance.

What to do before leaving the airport

1. Check the nearby carousels

Look at the carousel display, the oversize-baggage area, and nearby belts before assuming the bag is gone. Ask an airline employee to check the tag or scan history. Don't leave without a record of the problem.

2. File a PIR immediately

Go to the airline's baggage service desk and report the missing bag. Get a copy or photograph of the Property Irregularity Report, including its reference number.

A PIR is an operational tracking report, not your formal compensation claim. Filing it creates a record and helps the airline search. You may still need a separate claim for expenses or the bag's value.

PIR formats vary by airline and airport. There is no universal five-letter, five-number format. Keep:

• PIR reference number and a copy of the report
• Baggage claim tag and photos of the tag
• Boarding pass, booking confirmation, and flight details
• Bag brand, color, size, markings, and distinguishing features
• Your delivery address, phone number, and email
• The airline employee's name or desk details, if available

If the desk is closed, use the airline's online reporting tool or phone line. Save the confirmation page, email, screenshots, and the time you reported the loss.

3. Confirm the delivery process

Ask whether the airline will deliver the bag, whether you must collect it, and how it authorizes purchases of essentials. Confirm the address where you're staying and how long you'll be there.

While the bag is delayed

Use the airline's tracking portal or WorldTracer where it's available. An update showing "tracing," "located," or "delivery arranged" can help, but keep your own timeline of dates, calls, emails, and status changes.

Buy only reasonable necessities you actually need while the bag is unavailable: basic clothing, underwear, medication supplies that can legally be replaced, and toiletries. Skip luxury or unusually expensive purchases unless the airline has approved them in writing.

Keep itemized receipts. A credit-card statement can show that you paid, but it usually won't show what you bought or why. Write the PIR number on each receipt, or keep the receipts in a dated file.

U.S. rules generally require airlines to reimburse reasonable, actual, and verifiable expenses caused by a baggage delay, subject to the applicable liability limit and the carrier's rules. There is no universal $50 or $100 daily allowance that every airline must pay.

A checked-bag fee is a separate issue. For a flight covered by U.S. DOT rules, a refund may be available when a bag is significantly delayed. The federal thresholds are generally 12 hours after gate arrival for a domestic flight, or 15 or 30 hours for an international flight depending on scheduled duration. Request that fee refund separately from your expense or lost-bag claim.

If the bag arrives, photograph its condition before you discard tags or packaging. Report damaged luggage promptly. If contents are missing, list those items separately and notify the airline immediately.

Lost, delayed, and damaged baggage deadlines

The deadline depends on what happened and whether Montreal applies.

The seven-day rule is principally an international damage deadline. It does not give every traveler seven days to make an initial missing-bag report.

Don't wait for a domestic airline to use the word "lost." Ask for its lost-baggage claim form as soon as the search looks unsuccessful. For an international claim, submit a formal notice before the 21-day point if the airline will accept it, then update the claim if the bag reaches the treaty's lost-baggage threshold.

The Citizens Advice baggage guidance is written for the UK, but its explanation of Montreal's seven-day and 21-day windows is useful for treaty timing. Don't import its complaint routes into a U.S.-only dispute.

How to prepare the formal claim

Separate the money into categories:

1. Delay expenses: reasonable necessities bought while waiting.
2. Lost contents: the provable value of items that were never returned.
3. Damage: the reasonable repair cost or value reduction for a damaged bag or item.
4. Checked-bag fee: a separate refund request when the relevant U.S. DOT delay threshold is met.

Include:

• Passenger name and contact details
• Flight numbers, dates, route, and booking reference
• PIR number and baggage-tag number
• A description of the bag
• A dated inventory of its contents
• Original receipts, replacement receipts, photos, or other proof of value
• Receipts for necessary purchases during the delay
• Serial numbers, warranty records, or purchase confirmations for valuable items
• A timeline of reports, calls, tracking updates, and delivery attempts
• The total amount requested and how you calculated it

A simple inventory helps:

Airlines may use depreciation rather than the price of a brand-new replacement. A five-year-old suitcase is unlikely to be valued at the price of a new premium suitcase. Sentimental value, inconvenience, and irreplaceable memories generally don't produce a separate baggage payout.

The liability ceiling applies per passenger, not as a guaranteed amount for each bag. Several bags may be considered together under the same passenger limit. Cash, jewelry, fragile goods, and valuables placed in checked baggage may be restricted or excluded under the airline's contract. Ask for the exact clause instead of accepting a general statement.

For example, a passenger might document $1,050 in depreciated contents and $140 in reasonable delay expenses. The written claim would request those amounts separately and explain any overlap. A $40 checked-bag fee would be requested as a separate fee refund, not counted twice as property loss.

A short baggage claim template

Use the airline's own form when required. A written cover message can still make the record clearer:

Subject: Formal baggage claim - PIR [reference number], tag [number]

I am submitting a claim for [delayed, lost, or damaged] baggage from flight [number] on [date], traveling from [origin] to [destination].

The PIR number is [number] and the baggage-tag number is [number]. I request reimbursement for the attached reasonable delay expenses of [amount] and compensation for the attached itemized loss or damage claim of [amount], under the applicable contract of carriage and, where applicable, the Montreal Convention.

Please confirm receipt, identify any missing documents, and explain the valuation method and applicable liability limit if you do not accept the full amount.

Send the claim through a traceable channel and keep the submission, attachments, and confirmation. Don't send irreplaceable original documents.

How to challenge a denial or low offer

Ask for the denial in writing. It should identify the reason, the contract clause or policy relied on, the valuation method, and any deadline for appeal.

Common problems can often be answered with targeted evidence:

• "No report was filed." Send the PIR, online confirmation, or proof of your airport report.
• "Receipts are missing." Provide card statements, order confirmations, photos, warranty records, or a signed explanation of why a receipt is unavailable. Never create or alter proof.
• "The items were worth less." Ask how depreciation was calculated and provide purchase dates and condition details.
• "The items are excluded." Request the exact contract language and check whether the item was in checked baggage, carry-on baggage, or a separate shipment.
• "Another airline or handler is responsible." Send the record to both carriers and ask which company is formally handling the claim.
• "The expenses were unreasonable." Explain why each purchase was necessary, modest, and connected to the delay.

Request review by a baggage-claims supervisor. A partial offer may include release language stating that it is full and final settlement. Read that language before accepting; payment can affect the rest of the claim.

An AirTag or similar tracker can support the timeline, but it doesn't prove the airline owes a particular amount. A location pin may show the last detected location rather than the bag's exact current position.

AirTags and other tracking evidence

If you used an AirTag or SmartTag:

1. Take screenshots showing the location and timestamp.
2. Save the device's serial number and pairing information.
3. Give the location to the airline through the PIR or claim channel.
4. Ask the airline to record the information in the tracing file.
5. Don't confront anyone or enter private property because a tracker shows a location.

Tracking data is most useful for recovery and for corroborating what happened. It doesn't replace the PIR, establish the contents of the bag, or prove that a displayed location is current. Airline access to consumer tracking data also varies.

Travel insurance and credit card coverage

Notify your travel insurer, renters or homeowners insurer, and eligible card-benefit administrator promptly if you may use their coverage. Their notice windows can be shorter than the airline's process.

Check:

• Whether the trip or baggage was paid for with the covered card
• Whether award travel qualifies and whether taxes or fees had to be charged
• Whether coverage is primary or secondary
• The baggage-delay waiting period
• Deductibles and per-item or total limits
• Exclusions for valuables, electronics, or unattended property
• Required documents and claim deadlines
• Whether the insurer requires an airline response first

Card travel insurance is different from purchase protection, and different again from a credit-card billing dispute. A chargeback is not a general remedy for an airline's baggage liability. Use it only when the card-network rules actually fit the billing problem.

Benefit terms change by card and account. The Chase travel insurance guide, for example, directs cardholders to the applicable benefit administrator. The guide for your specific card, not a list of benefits from another product, controls.

You generally can't recover the same loss twice. Tell the airline, insurer, and card administrator about payments or settlements from the other sources.

When to escalate

Keep every deadline in view and work in this order:

1. Airline baggage department: submit the formal claim and request a written decision.
2. Airline appeal: send a concise response addressing each reason for denial.
3. Insurer or card administrator: open a parallel claim if coverage may apply.
4. DOT complaint: if the trip or carrier falls within U.S. aviation oversight, file through the DOT consumer complaint form. DOT can review compliance and identify patterns, but it generally doesn't act as your collection agent or guarantee an individual payment.
5. Small claims or civil court: consider the amount, evidence, filing cost, venue, and deadline. For Montreal claims, the treaty's two-year court limit is separate from the airline's internal claim window.

For a foreign carrier or an international itinerary, ask the airline for its designated complaint or alternative-dispute-resolution route. A European flight-disruption complaint system should not be assumed to decide a U.S. baggage-value dispute.

Common questions

Is a PIR the same as a compensation claim?

No. A PIR records the missing or damaged baggage for tracing. Submit a separate written request for delay expenses, damage, or lost contents unless the airline confirms that its form serves both purposes.

Does an airline have to pay a fixed amount per day for delayed luggage?

Usually not. The normal claim is for reasonable, actual, documented necessities. Airline policies may offer advances or amenity payments, but those are not a universal federal daily allowance.

Does the 21-day rule apply to every U.S. flight?

No. It is the key lost-baggage rule for international carriage covered by Montreal. For a U.S.-only trip, check the airline's contract and file promptly rather than relying on 21 days.

Is the $4,700 domestic limit an automatic payout?

No. It is a maximum liability limit per passenger. You still need to show that the airline is responsible and prove the reasonable value of the loss, subject to exclusions and depreciation.

What should I do if the airline says my claim is too late?

Ask for the exact deadline and rule in writing. Then provide proof of when you reported the problem and when the bag was returned, if applicable. A domestic deadline may come from the carrier's contract, while Montreal's seven-day and 21-day windows apply to specific international baggage complaints.

If you haven't left the airport yet, file the PIR and photograph the claim tag before you go. If you're already home, gather the PIR number, receipts, inventory, and flight records, then send the written claim through a channel that gives you confirmation.