Baggage problems
Baggage problem: how to report it, what to keep and the deadlines
What are the steps, the papers and the deadlines for any baggage problem?
Applies to: International · National law variesRules last checked:
On this page
In short
Whatever went wrong, the order is the same: report at the airport and get a written reference; complain to the airline in writing inside the deadline for your type of problem; keep the evidence; escalate only after the airline has replied.
Under the Montreal Convention the written-complaint deadlines are seven days from receipt for damage and 21 days from the date the bag was placed at your disposal for delay; you can enforce your rights for a lost bag once the airline admits the loss or 21 days have passed; court action must be brought within two years.
What to do next
- Put the three deadlines in your calendar the day you land.
- Send every claim in a way that leaves a dated record.
- Send copies of documents, not originals.
- Do not sign a ‘final settlement’ form until you have read what rights it closes.
What to check
The deadlines side by side
| Problem | What to do | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Damage to checked baggage | Written complaint to the carrier | At the latest within 7 days from the date of receipt |
| Delay | Written complaint to the carrier | At the latest within 21 days from the date the baggage was placed at your disposal |
| Loss | Report at once; you may enforce your rights once the carrier admits loss or 21 days have passed | Court action within 2 years |
If you do not complain within the time for damage or delay, no action lies against the carrier — except in the case of fraud on its part. Domestic flights and some routes follow national law or the airline’s conditions instead, so check the ticket.
The airline’s liability for destruction, loss, damage or delay of baggage is limited to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR, an IMF unit of account) per passenger, according to the limits ICAO revised with effect from 28 December 2024, unless you made a special declaration of interest at check-in and paid a supplementary sum. The figure was 1,288 SDR before that revision.
What to do
Step by step
- At the airport, before leaving the arrivals hall: report at the baggage desk; get a written report and reference number.
- The same day: photograph any damage; write down where the bag should be delivered and how you can be reached.
- Within the deadline for your problem: send a written claim to the airline’s customer-relations channel quoting the reference number.
- Keep everything in one folder — boarding pass, tag, report, photographs, receipts, correspondence.
- If the airline rejects or ignores the claim, look at an ADR scheme where the airline belongs to one, ask whether the national aviation authority of the country concerned takes baggage complaints (practice varies), or go to court within the two-year limit.
What to keep
The documents to keep
- Booking confirmation and boarding passes for every flight in the journey.
- Baggage tag receipts (the stickers issued at check-in).
- The airport report, with its reference number.
- Photographs of damage and of the bag before travel, where you have them.
- Receipts for items bought because the bag was delayed or lost, and for repairs.
- An inventory of the contents with purchase dates and values.
- All letters and emails with the airline, with dates.
Sources
- Montreal Convention 1999 — text as scheduled in UK legislation — legislation.gov.uk (UK National Archives)
- Revised limits of liability under the Montreal Convention (effective 28 December 2024) — International Civil Aviation Organization
- Limits of liability for passengers and goods — Canadian Transportation Agency — Canadian Transportation Agency
General information to help you understand your options — not legal advice, and not a promise that any payment or refund is due to you. Your rights depend on the facts of your journey and the law that applies; check the official sources above and the carrier’s own terms.