It happens to almost every frequent flyer eventually: you’re standing at the carousel long after everyone else has grabbed their bags and walked away, and yours simply never shows up. The moment is disorienting, partly because most people have no idea what rights they actually have or what steps to take first.
The good news is that airlines are legally required to help you, and the rules covering baggage problems have changed noticeably over the past two years. Knowing exactly what to do, and in what order, can mean the difference between a smooth reimbursement and weeks of frustrating back and forth.
Report the problem before you leave the airport
The single most important thing you can do is file a report at the airport before heading home or to your hotel. This is usually called a Property Irregularity Report, or PIR, and every airline’s baggage service office can generate one on the spot. Passengers should file a baggage claim with their airline as soon as possible.[1]
Waiting even a day weakens your case, since airlines often ask for documentation that ties the missing bag to a specific flight and timestamp. Get a copy of the report, note the reference number, and photograph your baggage tag and boarding pass before you toss them.
Understand when a bag counts as delayed versus lost
These two categories trigger different rights, so it’s worth knowing the difference. Airlines have to refund the checked bag fee to passengers whose bags aren’t delivered within 12 hours of the arrival of a domestic flight or 15-30 hours of arrival of an international flight.[2]
Lost is a separate designation entirely. Most airlines will declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight, but this can vary from one airline to another.[1] If an airline unreasonably refuses to consider a bag lost after it has been missing for an excessive period of time, the airline could be subject to enforcement action by the DOT.[1]
Know the current dollar limits for domestic flights
The compensation ceiling for checked bags on domestic U.S. flights isn’t unlimited, and it recently went up. The liability limit U.S. carriers may impose for mishandled baggage in domestic air travel increased from $3,800 to $4,700, with the revised amounts becoming effective January 22, 2025, applying to all flights on or after that date.[3]
This figure is adjusted periodically for inflation rather than being a fixed number forever. Under this rule, airlines must assume liability for up to $4,700 per passenger for checked baggage, covering the depreciated value of the bag and its contents, and this is a per passenger, per incident limit rather than a per bag one.[4] Airlines are allowed to set their internal cap lower, but not higher than that federal ceiling.
International flights follow a different treaty entirely
If your trip crosses borders, domestic DOT numbers don’t apply. Instead, compensation is governed by an international treaty, and that treaty’s limits were also revised recently. The Montreal Convention liability limits for death, injury, delays, baggage and cargo issues increased on 28 December 2024, in line with the Convention’s built-in review mechanism, which adjusts for inflation every five years.[5]
The baggage-specific number moved from roughly $1,700 to a slightly higher figure under the new rate. Limits on liability for lost or damaged luggage increased from 1,288 SDRs to 1,519 SDRs[6], which converts to a little over 2,000 US dollars depending on the exchange rate at the time of the claim. It’s a modest bump, but it matters if you’re trying to estimate what an airline is actually obligated to pay you.
You may be owed a bag fee refund automatically
One of the more consumer-friendly changes to land in the past couple of years involves the fee you paid just to check the bag in the first place. A consumer is entitled to a refund if the consumer paid a baggage fee and his or her baggage has been declared lost by the airline or has been significantly delayed.[7]
This isn’t something you have to fight for in theory, though in practice you often still need to ask. To receive a refund of the baggage fee for a significantly delayed bag, you must file a mishandled baggage report with the airline, and you’re encouraged to file the report as soon as you learn that your bag did not arrive with you at the destination.[7] Keep the confirmation email as proof once you submit the claim.
Keep every receipt while you wait for the bag
If your suitcase is delayed rather than permanently gone, you’re generally entitled to reimbursement for reasonable purchases made in the meantime. This typically covers items like a change of clothes, toiletries, or a phone charger if that was packed away. Airlines are required to compensate passengers for reasonable, verifiable, and actual incidental expenses that rack up while they wait for their bag to arrive, up to a certain limit.[2]
The key word there is verifiable. Save physical and digital receipts for anything you buy, note the date and location, and avoid extravagant purchases since airlines will scrutinize anything that looks disproportionate to the delay.
Don’t pack irreplaceable items in a checked bag
This is less about what to do after the fact and more about limiting how bad the fallout can be. Though less than 1% of bags are mishandled, it’s wise to avoid packing irreplaceable or highly valuable items in checked bags, and if you need medicine for your trip, you should carry it with you instead.[8]
The mishandling rate genuinely is small. According to the DOT’s most recent air travel consumer report, airlines mishandled less than 1% of baggage in the first three months of the year.[8] Still, when it does happen to you, the compensation caps mean high-value electronics, jewelry, or medication rarely get fully reimbursed, so carrying those items on board remains the safer bet.
Damaged bags follow a slightly different process
Damage claims work differently from lost or delayed ones, mostly because airlines want to inspect the bag itself before agreeing to anything. Airlines are responsible for repairing or reimbursing a passenger for damaged baggage and its contents when the damage occurs while the bag is under the airline’s control during transportation, subject to maximum limits on liabilities.[1]
Not every scuff or scratch qualifies, however. Airlines are not responsible for pre-existing damage to the bag or if the damage was caused by improper packing, and when the damage to the bag cannot be repaired, airlines will negotiate a compensation amount based on the value of the bag and its depreciation.[1] Take photos of the damage immediately at the airport, before you leave the baggage claim area if possible.
File your written claim promptly and follow up in writing
Verbal complaints at a counter rarely go anywhere on their own. Once you have your PIR number, submit a formal written claim through the airline’s baggage claims portal or by mail, attaching receipts, photos, and a clear itemized list of contents if the bag is lost. Airlines generally have internal timelines for responding, though these vary by carrier and by the nature of the claim.
If the airline denies your claim or offers a low settlement, you’re not necessarily stuck. Airlines must not require you to waive your right to a refund of the bag fee if your baggage is lost and must not require you to waive your right to reimbursement of incidental expenses arising from delayed bags beyond the agreed upon delivery date or from lost, damaged baggage.[7] Keep every piece of correspondence, since a paper trail is your best leverage if the dispute escalates.
Escalate to the Department of Transportation if you hit a wall
Most baggage disputes resolve directly with the airline, but not all of them do. If a carrier is stalling, lowballing you, or refusing to acknowledge a bag as officially lost well past its own stated window, you have a formal complaint channel available through the DOT’s aviation consumer protection division.
This step tends to get results precisely because airlines don’t want a pattern of unresolved complaints on record. If an airline unreasonably refuses to consider a bag lost after it has been missing for an excessive period of time, the airline could be subject to enforcement action by the DOT.[1] Filing a complaint costs nothing and takes only a few minutes online, making it a reasonable last resort before considering small claims court.
