Lost, delayed or damaged luggage
The airline owes you what it cost you. Not a favour: it is the Montreal Convention, and it comes with deadlines that start on day one. Here is how it works, how much you can realistically recover, and the letters to ask for it.
Free guide · baggage
We know how you feel.
You land and the belt stops. Three days in the same clothes. A desk that sends you to a website, a website that sends you to a phone line. And in the end, if you push, a "per kilo" offer or a voucher. Breathe: the law is on your side and clearer than the airline lets on.
Delayed bag
It arrives, but not with you.
Whatever you had to buy in the meantime: clothes, toiletries, a charger, nappies. With receipts.
100 – 600€
typical, depending on days without the bag and what you can show
Lost bag
After 21 days without it, it counts as lost.
The depreciated value of what was inside, plus the bag itself. With a credible inventory and whatever receipts you have.
up to ~1,900€
legal cap per passenger; typical settlements sit between 500 and 1,500€
Damaged bag or contents
Broken, opened, things broken inside.
The repair, or the depreciated value if it cannot be fixed. Photos and a quote.
50 – 300€
typical; more if the damaged contents are worth more
The deadlines, which are what the airline hopes you do not know
Everything starts at the airport, before you leave, with the PIR: the Property Irregularity Report. Without that paper the rest gets much harder.
PIR at the airport · Day 0
Before leaving the terminal, at the airline's baggage desk. Keep the number.
Damage: written complaint · 7 days
From receiving the damaged bag. Photos, quote and letter.
Delay: written complaint · 21 days
From the day the bag is handed to you. Receipts for what you bought and the letter.
No bag: it counts as lost · 21 days
From here you claim the contents, not the wait.
Last day to go to court
From arrival. After that, it expires.
Montreal Convention, arts. 17, 19, 31 and 35. Applies to every European airline through Regulation (EC) 889/2002.
How much you can recover, no fairy tales
- Delayed bag100€ – 600€
- Lost bag500€ – 1,500€
- Damaged bag or contents50€ – 300€
Unlike a flight delay, there is no fixed amount here: the airline pays the damage you prove, up to a cap. That is why receipts and the inventory are everything.
1,900€
1519 SDR
Legal cap: 1,519 SDR per passenger (about 1,900€ at current rates), since 28 December 2024. Montreal Convention, art. 22.2.
What the airline will try
"We pay per kilo"
That was the Warsaw Convention. In Europe Montreal applies: proven damage is paid, not weight.
A flight voucher
You can refuse it. You are entitled to money, transferred to your account.
"No receipts, nothing"
Receipts help, but a reasonable inventory, photos, card statements and current replacement prices also count as evidence.
Silence
If they do not answer within a month, go to the consumer arbitration board (free) or small claims court, which under 2,000€ needs no lawyer.
What to do, in order
- 01
At the airport: PIR
Before leaving. With your booking reference and the bag tag. Ask for a copy or a photo with the number.
- 02
Keep everything
Receipts for what you buy, photos of the damage, the check-in tag, the boarding pass. No exceptions.
- 03
Letter to the airline
Within the deadline (7 days damage, 21 delay). In writing, with the PIR number, the amount and your IBAN. Template below.
- 04
If they do not pay
Consumer arbitration board in your region, or small claims court. You have two years from arrival.
The letters, ready to print
Three free templates with the correct legal basis. Fill in, sign and send from your email or through the airline's form.
Frequently asked questions
What if I did not file a PIR at the airport?
Claim in writing anyway, as soon as possible, explaining why you could not. You will need to show the bag was on that flight (check-in tag) and that it arrived late or not at all. Harder, not impossible.
Does it cover the ruined holiday or the stress?
Generally no: Montreal covers provable material damage. Some courts have recognised moral damages for total losses, but do not count on it in the letter to the airline.
What if my travel insurance or card covers it?
You can claim from the insurer, which is usually faster, but not collect twice for the same thing. Many policies require the PIR and the airline claim first.
Does AESA handle this like flight delays?
No. AESA only decides claims under Regulation 261/2004. For baggage, the route is airline → consumer arbitration or court.
Will Tres Horas handle my baggage claim?
For now this guide and the letters are free. We are measuring how many people need it to decide whether to build the full tool, like the one for delays.
Did the flight also land 3 hours late?
That one does have a fixed amount by law: between 250€ and 600€ per passenger. Check for free in 20 seconds.