A bag delayed, lost or damaged can happen even with today's tracking technology. This guide walks you through what to do at the airport, your rights under the Montreal Convention, and how to file a claim with confidence.
The first steps you take at the airport matter. They let the airline start searching right away and create the official record you'll need for any later claim.
Before reporting it missing, check the end of the belt, a neighboring carousel, the oversized baggage area, or the lost and found desk. Confirm the carousel matches your flight on the airport screens.
The baggage service desk is usually located before the exits. Once you leave this area, some steps can become more complex and cause extra delays.
Bring your ID or passport, boarding pass, and baggage claim tag. This lets the airline identify your bag quickly in the global tracking system.
The Property Irregularity Report (PIR) is the official document used when a bag is delayed, lost or damaged. Double-check every detail — your phone number, address, and bag description — before leaving the desk.
You'll need it to track the search, contact the airline, and request compensation if necessary. Keep it with your travel documents.
Ask how to track your case online, which number to call, and when the airline expects to contact you again. Most airlines now offer online or app-based tracking.
Some reasonable expenses may be reimbursed. Keep every receipt, invoice, and proof of payment — you'll need them for your claim.
When a bag doesn't arrive, acting fast matters. Report it immediately, get a PIR, and keep every document related to your trip. Most delayed bags are located and returned within days, but a complete file will speed up tracking and any compensation.
Once checked in, your bag doesn't board the plane right away. It follows a complex path through automated systems, security checks, and ground teams before reaching you.
At check-in, a barcoded tag is attached to your bag, carrying your flight number, destination, connections, and a unique tracking number. From there, it travels a conveyor network that can stretch several kilometers in large hubs, guided by optical readers, before passing through mandatory security screening — X-ray scanners and, when needed, explosive detection.
The sorting system then directs each bag to its flight — hundreds of destinations processed simultaneously in major hubs. Bags are grouped, loaded in a precise order to balance the aircraft, flown in the hold, then unloaded and sorted again on arrival before reaching the carousel.
A bag's journey is more complex than it looks. Understanding these steps helps put a delay into perspective: a bag missing on arrival isn't necessarily lost — it's often simply still on its way.
A missing bag is rarely truly lost. In most cases it's simply delayed, or was sent to the wrong airport before being rerouted to its owner. Here are the most frequent causes.
One of the most frequent causes. If the time between two flights is too short, ground teams may not have time to transfer the bag.
Despite reliable automated systems, a technical glitch or reading error can send a bag to the wrong destination.
If torn or illegible, automated systems may no longer recognize the destination. Adding your contact details inside the bag helps.
Heavy rain, snow, fog or storms can slow down loading and unloading operations for safety reasons.
When an additional check is needed, the bag may be temporarily held for inspection to ensure passenger and crew safety.
When a bag has no way to identify its owner, searches become much harder. A permanent ID solution makes restitution far easier.
A bag missing on arrival isn't necessarily lost. In most cases it was simply delayed by a connection, a sorting incident, or an operational constraint. A prompt report and precise identification greatly improve the chances of a fast return.
The good news: in most cases, a bag reported missing is simply delayed. It's found within hours or days and then rerouted to its destination — sometimes delivered directly to your address without needing to return to the airport.
Yes. If you're away from home, the airline may reimburse reasonable, justified expenses such as:
Keep it reasonable — excessive or unrelated purchases can be refused.
For any reimbursement request, keep your receipts, detailed invoices, proof of payment, the PIR report, and all correspondence with the airline. Without proof, it's often difficult to justify the amount claimed.
There's no universal deadline — it depends on the reason for the delay and the flight's itinerary. Most delayed bags are returned within hours or days of being reported. Before signing the delivery receipt, check the bag is really yours, inspect its condition, and report any damage immediately.
No. Each request is reviewed by the airline based on the circumstances and the proof provided. Keep every receipt, limit spending to what's strictly necessary, and submit a complete file within the deadline.
A delayed bag is not a lost bag. In most situations it's found and returned to its owner. To protect your rights: report the incident immediately, keep your PIR report and every receipt, and only buy what's truly necessary until your bag arrives.
Most delayed bags are found and returned. Occasionally, though, the search doesn't succeed. When a bag can't be located after a certain period, it's generally considered lost and a compensation process can begin.
For flights covered by the Montreal Convention, a bag is generally considered lost when it hasn't been delivered 21 days after it should have arrived, or when the airline officially acknowledges the loss earlier. Many bags are still found in the first few days thanks to international tracking systems.
If searches remain unsuccessful, you'll generally need to file a compensation claim. Prepare a file including your boarding pass, baggage tag, PIR report, booking confirmation, a detailed list of the bag's contents, and any proof of purchase or expenses. The more precise your file, the faster it can be processed.
Certain items face particular restrictions: cash, jewelry, high-value watches, official documents, artwork, and expensive professional equipment. These are generally best kept in your cabin bag.
A bag is rarely lost from the moment it's missing on arrival. In most situations it's simply delayed. If searches don't succeed, a compensation claim can be filed. A complete file, carefully kept proof, and a good understanding of your rights will speed up your claim.
Getting your bag back is a relief — but sometimes it arrives with a cracked shell, a broken wheel, a torn handle, or damaged contents. Airlines have specific procedures for reporting damage and reviewing compensation requests.
Check the shell, handles, wheels, zippers, and locks. The sooner damage is noticed, the easier it is to prove it happened during transport. If you spot anything, go straight to the airline's baggage desk — a report will be created, and it's worth taking photos of the damage before any repair.
Depending on the extent of the damage, the airline may offer a repair, a replacement with an equivalent bag, financial compensation, or a contribution to repair costs. Superficial scratches, minor scuffs, or normal wear are generally excluded from coverage — check your airline's terms of transport for specifics.
For flights under the Montreal Convention, a written claim must generally be sent to the airline within 7 days of receiving the bag. Meeting this deadline is essential to protect your rights.
If your bag is damaged, don't leave the airport without reporting it. Take photos, keep every relevant document, and respect the claim deadline. A complete file lets the airline review your request under the best conditions.
To improve baggage traceability and reduce mishandling, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) adopted Resolution 753 — an international standard requiring airlines to track checked bags at key points of their journey.
Thanks to this tracking, airlines can identify a bag's last known location, detect a sorting or loading error faster, speed up searches when there's a delay, and reduce the overall number of mishandled bags. For travelers, the benefits are concrete: faster location of a delayed bag, better information during searches, and a lower risk of permanent loss.
Resolution 753 doesn't eliminate every incident — a bag can still be delayed by a missed connection, a handling error, or bad weather. But it generally allows these situations to be detected and handled faster.
Resolution 753 marks an important step in modernizing air travel. By tracking bags at four key moments, it improves traceability, speeds up searches, and helps reduce mishandled baggage — one of the main tools airlines use today to secure your bag's journey.
Important: this chapter mainly covers international flights subject to the Montreal Convention. Rules can differ for some domestic flights, notably in the United States, where national regulation and the airline's own terms of transport may apply instead.
When a bag is delayed, lost or damaged, one question comes up often: what are my rights against the airline? For most international flights, the answer lies in an international treaty called the Montreal Convention, adopted in 1999 under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). It modernized airline liability rules and set a common framework to protect travelers.
You may claim reimbursement of certain necessary expenses incurred while waiting, subject to applicable conditions.
If the bag isn't found after the expected search period, you can request compensation within the limit set by the convention.
You can request repair or compensation, provided the reporting deadlines are respected.
The Montreal Convention sets a liability limit for baggage, expressed not in euros or dollars but in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), an accounting unit used by the International Monetary Fund. The applicable limit can evolve over time. The amount actually obtained depends on the situation, the evidence provided, the value of the items, and the rules applicable to your trip.
The Montreal Convention doesn't mean automatic reimbursement of a bag's full declared value. The airline may request proof to assess the loss: purchase invoices, proof of payment, photographs, a detailed content list. A precise file makes the review easier.
When carrying high-value items, you may, under certain conditions, make a special declaration of value with the airline before travel — this can raise the applicable liability limit, usually for an extra fee. Conditions vary by airline.
The Montreal Convention is today the main international framework protecting passengers when something goes wrong with their bags. It doesn't guarantee full automatic reimbursement, but it gives travelers a clear legal framework. Report incidents promptly, keep your PIR report and every document, respect the claim deadlines, and provide evidence to support your claim.
This is probably the most useful section of this guide. Here's a quick summary of what to do, and by when, depending on your situation.
These deadlines are general guidelines under the Montreal Convention framework and may vary by airline and route. Always check your carrier's own terms of transport.
A written claim to the airline formalizes your request and creates an official record. A complete file improves the chances of a fast response.
Always keep a copy of the letter sent, its attachments, all correspondence with the airline, and the date you sent it — they can be useful if you need to follow up or contest a decision.
Even with today's reliable tracking systems, a few simple precautions can make a real difference in identifying and recovering a bag.
A found bag is only useful if it can quickly be matched to its owner. Combining a permanent ID tag with your contact details and a Bluetooth-based tracking solution significantly increases the chances that a found bag is identified and returned quickly — even when its owner is far away. The goal isn't just to find a bag, but to make sure it finds its way back to the right person as fast as possible.