Did your checked bag miss the carousel, and now you need the airline to pay for it? Put the claim in writing with the airport file number, the bag tag, and receipts for what you had to replace.
A chat transcript is easy to bury. A dated claim with attachments is not.
This sample is for U.S. travelers sending a first lost-baggage letter. It's general information, not legal advice. Send it through the airline's official baggage portal or the contact printed on your airport report.
What to gather before you write
Don't draft the letter empty-handed. Claims stall when the file has a story and no proof.
- PIR or file ID issued at the airport
- Bag-tag number, plus a photo of the stub if you have it
- Boarding pass or e-ticket receipt
- Itemized contents list with rough purchase dates and values
- Dated receipts for emergency clothes, toiletries, and similar replacements
- Proof of the checked-bag fee, if you paid one
Thing is, none of this helps if it lives only in your head. You'll want the PIR, the bag tag photo, the boarding pass, and every receipt for toothpaste and a cheap shirt because those little purchases add up and airlines ask for dated itemized receipts, not a round number you typed from memory.
If you wait a week the paper trail gets messy. Photograph everything the same day. Paper fades. Phones get wiped.
Sample lost baggage claim letter
Paste this into email or the carrier form. Replace the brackets. Keep every figure tied to a receipt or a line on your contents list.
Subject: Lost baggage claim - PIR [file ID] - Flight [number] - [date]
[Your full name]
[Street address]
[City, state, ZIP]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Date]
[Airline name]
Baggage claims
Re: Lost checked baggage - PIR [file ID], bag tag [tag number], flight [number] from [departure airport] to [arrival airport] on [date]
I am writing to claim compensation for checked baggage that was not delivered when I arrived. I reported the missing bag at the airport on [date] and received PIR [file ID]. The bag has not been returned.
Flight number: [number]
Date of travel: [date]
Booking reference: [code]
Bag tag number: [number]
I request payment for the bag and its contents, reimbursement of necessary replacement purchases, and a refund of the checked-bag fee I paid.
Replacement purchases (receipts attached): $[amount]
Bag and contents (itemized list attached): $[amount]
Checked-bag fee: $[amount]
Please confirm you have this claim and send a written decision.
Attachments: PIR, bag-tag photo, boarding pass, receipts, contents list.
Sincerely,
[Your full name]
If the airline will not take email, put those same numbers in the online form. Conflicting totals give them an excuse to delay.
Domestic flights, international flights, and what does not apply
U.S. domestic rules and international treaty rules are different. Cite the one that matches your ticket.
Most domestic U.S. flights sit under DOT baggage guidance and 14 CFR Part 254, which set how much an airline may have to pay when checked baggage is lost. You still have to document what was in the bag.
International itineraries are usually under the Montreal Convention. Written notices have short deadlines. If a bag is still missing after 21 days, it is commonly treated as lost. File the delay in writing well before that.
Flight-delay compensation schemes do not cover a missing suitcase. Those are a different claim.
Airlines often pay depreciated value on used clothes and gadgets. Retail replacement price isn't automatic. If you declared a higher value and paid for it at check-in, say so in the letter.
Turns out the first offer sometimes skips receipts you never uploaded. Attach them on day one.
The bag fee is not the same as the contents
A refund of what you paid to check the bag is a different request from paying for the jeans inside it. Ask for it by name.
Covered U.S. airlines must refund a lost or significantly delayed bag's checked-bag fee under 14 CFR 260.5, and the amount has to be at least what you paid. Put it on its own line.
How to file, then follow up
- Report the bag at the airport and walk out with a PIR or file ID.
- Photograph the PIR, bag tag, and boarding pass before you leave.
- Buy only essentials and keep every dated, itemized receipt.
- Submit the sample letter through the portal or claims address on the PIR.
- If you hear nothing, send a short follow-up quoting the PIR and the original send date.
- Keep the whole thread. You'll need it if you escalate.
Delta, United, and other carriers want the portal more than a free-form inbox. Use what the PIR tells you to use.
People sit on a "still searching" note for weeks, to be honest, and then wonder why the claim went cold. Set a reminder.
A follow-up can be three sentences that restate the PIR, the date you filed, and a request for a written decision.
When to take it to the DOT
Stay with the airline until they decide or go silent. The government complaint is an escalation, not the opening move.
If they ignore the claim or the offer is far below your receipts, submit a DOT air consumer complaint. List the flight, PIR, dates, amount requested, and amount offered. Leave the sarcasm out.
Travel insurance can sit behind the airline claim. Check whether your policy wants a written denial first. Used clothing rarely pays out at brand-new prices.
Fill the sample with your PIR tonight. Attach the receipts you already have. Send it through the channel on the airport report, even if the contents list is still rough.