Most checked bags arrive with you. Yours didn't. That changes your next hour. One airport step protects nearly everything that follows.
Don't leave the terminal until you file a Property Irregularity Report, or PIR. Airlines trace missing bags through a shared global system. The PIR puts yours into that queue. Walk out without one and tomorrow starts from nothing.
What you're owed, and how long you have to claim it, depends on where you flew. The rules split by route.
File the PIR before you leave the airport
Go to your airline's baggage service desk in the arrivals hall. Not a general lost-and-found counter. Bring your boarding pass and the bag tag if you still have it.
Filing takes a few minutes. You describe the bag, leave contact details, and get a reference number. Photograph that paperwork before you fold it into a pocket. If the desk offers a toiletries kit or a small allowance, take it. Ask what else they'll cover while the bag is missing.
Describe the bag the way a stranger would search for it. "Black hard-shell 24-inch Samsonite, red strap, scuff on the left side" beats "black suitcase." Turns out, thin descriptions are one reason bags sit unmatched for days.
Two rules cover baggage, and they don't overlap
Domestic U.S. flights fall under 14 CFR Part 254. That's the DOT's checked-baggage liability rule, and its ceiling is $4,700 per passenger. That number surprises people because many travel sites still quote less.
International itineraries run under the Montreal Convention of 1999. More than 140 countries recognize it. It applies automatically once you cross a border, and it covers the international leg of a trip that also includes domestic segments.
EU261 gets mixed into this conversation constantly. It handles flight delays, cancellations, and denied boarding. It does not cover lost or delayed bags. If luggage is the problem, EU261 isn't your route.
Limits and deadlines
| Situation | Governing rule | Key number |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic U.S. bag, lost or damaged | 14 CFR Part 254 | Up to $4,700 per passenger |
| International bag, lost or damaged | Montreal Convention | About 1,519 SDR (roughly $2,000) |
| Damaged bag, international flight | Montreal Convention, Art. 31 | Written complaint within 7 days |
| Delayed bag, international flight | Montreal Convention, Art. 31 | Written complaint within 21 days |
| Court action, international flight | Montreal Convention, Art. 35 | Within 2 years |
| Domestic delayed or damaged bag | Airline contract of carriage | Windows vary; report fast |
Those figures are ceilings, not automatic payouts. You still have to prove what was lost, and airlines depreciate.
The bag fee refund most travelers forget
If you paid to check the bag, ask for that fee back when it's significantly delayed or lost. A DOT rule, 14 CFR 260.5, says the refund must be at least the fee you paid.
The rule treats some refunds as automatic. Thing is, not every airline applies it that way. Ask in writing and cite the rule.
Interim expenses while the bag is missing
You shouldn't buy a new wardrobe. You also shouldn't wear the same shirt for three days. Toiletries and a change of clothes are usually reasonable costs during a delay.
Keep every receipt. Airlines reimburse itemized, actual costs. A round number you'd like to see does not get paid.
What a lost bag is actually worth
For a permanently lost bag, you claim the bag and its contents at current value. Airlines apply depreciation. It adds up fast.
Electronics typically lose 20 to 33 percent of value per year. Clothing loses 10 to 20 percent. The bag itself loses 10 to 15 percent. That's why the first offer often lands below what you expected.
Don't accept the first number if it looks thin. Send purchase receipts, pre-trip photos, and a written itemization. Airlines start low. They adjust when evidence pushes back.
When delayed becomes lost
Industry practice treats a bag as lost after 21 days without delivery. At that point the claim changes. You're not chasing interim expenses anymore. You're claiming the bag and everything inside it, up to the liability cap.
Get the airline to declare the bag lost in writing. That letter anchors your airline claim and any insurance claim.
Documents that decide the outcome
Collect these while they're still easy to find:
- The PIR and its reference number
- Boarding pass and baggage claim tag
- Pre-trip photos of the bag
- Receipts for the bag and higher-value contents
- A written itemization with dates and values
Tracking and escalation
Your PIR number works in most airline apps and on the shared WorldTracer system. Check it every day, not every week. If nothing moves by day three, start pushing.
Email the airline with your PIR and documents attached. If that goes nowhere, call and ask for a supervisor. When the airline still won't engage, file a complaint with the DOT through its consumer complaint form.
International claims can also go to court. The clock is two years from arrival. Small claims is usually the practical route for anything short of a major loss.
Packing choices that shorten a delay
Put a card with your name and phone number inside the bag. Outside tags fall off. Bright colors or an unusual strap help a searcher pick your bag out of a pile.
A Bluetooth tracker won't retrieve the bag by itself. It tells you and the airline where to look. That can cut days off the wait.
Snap one photo of your packed bag before you close it. Ten seconds, and it ends arguments at the claims desk.
If your bag is missing right now, the move hasn't changed. Find the desk. File the PIR. Keep the reference number.