Baggage Claim: Identify Your Bag and Document a Problem

At baggage claim, check the correct carousel, match the bag tag to your receipt and inspect the bag before leaving. If it is missing or damaged, report promptly to the airline and retain the reference. A tracing report is not an automatic compensation claim or payment approval.

Before and at the carousel

Photograph the bag and keep its handover receipt. Add reachable contact details and a distinctive marker; identification still requires checking the actual tag. Remove old routing labels before the next journey.

Follow airport screens for the arrival belt and leave room for others to collect their bags. Match identifying features and tag number before taking a bag. Do not rely on a universal 20–40-minute wait, a priority label or gate checking to guarantee unloading order. For a gate-checked item, confirm the collection point at handover; it need not be the aircraft door.

Missing bag: collect a useful report

1. Contact the airline’s baggage service promptly, preferably while still at the airport.
2. Give the tag number, booking, route, description and reachable contact/delivery details.
3. Retain the missing-bag report/PIR reference and submission confirmation.
4. Ask which tracing channel, delivery arrangements and written-claim procedure apply.

If a desk is closed or you have already left, contact the airline promptly through its stated channel. Do not assume leaving the hall extinguishes every legal claim. Delivery costs, tracing systems and response times are not identical worldwide.

Damaged bag: preserve the condition

Take clear photos of the damage and retain the bag until the airline explains the inspection/repair process. Describe the actual defect and keep any written acknowledgement, repair estimate and value evidence. A PIR does not guarantee acceptance. Repair, replacement or a value-based settlement depends on the applicable liability and the claim, with depreciation potentially relevant.

Keep the claim separate from tracing

The Montreal Convention’s baggage rules are separate from EU261 flight-disruption rights. Where Montreal applies, Article 31 requires a written damage complaint immediately on discovery and at latest seven calendar days after receipt; a delay complaint at latest 21 calendar days after the bag is placed at your disposal. Do not apply that returned-bag delay clock to all permanent loss cases.

Under Article 17(3), admitted loss or non-arrival after 21 days from the expected arrival permits enforcement of the loss rights. Report immediately rather than waiting. Article 35 separately limits legal actions to two years from actual/expected arrival or the end of carriage as applicable, calculated under the court’s law; it does not extend the short notice deadlines.

Reimbursement is based on evidence

Retain receipts for reasonable necessary replacement purchases and explain why you needed them. DOT requires actual, verifiable incidental expenses subject to liability limits and prohibits arbitrary daily caps. Neither EU261 nor this guide promises a universal essentials kit or daily allowance.

The ordinary Montreal baggage limit is 1519 SDR per passenger, effective 28 December 2024. It is not a fixed currency amount or automatic payment per bag. DOT permits a $4700 per-passenger liability limit for US domestic baggage; international carriage may use Montreal or another treaty. Check the route and applicable regime. A paid-bag-fee refund under DOT loss/significant-delay rules has separate conditions and exceptions.

Keep claim correspondence and value evidence. Insurance has its own exclusions, deadlines and excess; do not assume immediate full replacement or faster settlement. The gate-handover guide and custody guide cover those narrower situations.