Lost or delayed luggage: what to do

Don't leave the baggage hall without a reference number.

The answer in 2 lines. Before you leave the baggage hall, go to the airline's baggage desk (or its handling agent's) and report the missing bag: you get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and a reference number. Buy only what you really need and keep the receipts. Then send a written claim to the airline: within 21 days of getting the bag back if it was delayed, within 7 days if it is damaged. A bag still missing after 21 days can be treated as lost. Under the Montreal Convention, the airline's liability is capped at 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger.

The first 3 steps

Stay in the baggage hall and go to the airline's baggage services desk (or its handling agent's).
Fill in the report (the PIR) with your bag tag, boarding pass and a description of the bag. Keep a copy and the reference number.
Give an address and phone number where the bag can be delivered, and ask what the airline will pay for while you wait.

The deadlines not to miss

Situation	Deadline for your written claim to the airline
Bag delayed, then delivered	21 days from the day you got it back
Bag or contents damaged	7 days from receiving it
Bag still not arrived	It can be treated as lost after 21 days: claim for its value (many airlines say to claim sooner, check their conditions)
Going to court	2 years from arrival (Montreal Convention)

The report at the airport is not always a claim in itself: send your written claim through the airline's online form or by email, and keep a copy.

What you can claim

Delayed bag: reasonable essentials (toiletries, a change of clothes, a phone charger), with receipts.
Lost bag: the value of the bag and its contents, with proof (receipts, photos, bank statements). Older items are usually paid at their value after wear, not as new.
Damaged bag: the repair, or a replacement if it cannot be repaired.
On international flights covered by the Montreal Convention, the airline's liability is capped at 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger since 28 December 2024. The SDR is an International Monetary Fund unit: its value in pounds changes every day.

What not to do

Leaving the airport without reporting it: proving the problem becomes much harder.
Buying a whole new wardrobe: only reasonable, justified purchases are paid back.
Missing the 7-day or 21-day deadline: the airline can then refuse your claim.

Valuables and other cover

Keep jewellery, electronics, cash, medicines and documents in your hand luggage: airlines often exclude them from checked baggage cover.
A special declaration of interest at check-in, sometimes for a fee, can raise the cap for a very valuable bag.
Your travel insurance, the cover on a bank account or credit card, or your home insurance ("personal possessions" cover) may pay for part of the loss: read their terms, and do not claim the same costs twice.

If the airline refuses or does not answer

Many airlines belong to an approved dispute resolution scheme (AviationADR or CEDR). After 8 weeks without a solution, you can take your case there, free. See the AviationADR quick guide about luggage and the CAA's list of ADR schemes.
If the airline is not in a scheme, use the CAA's complaint service.
For step-by-step help and template letters, see Citizens Advice: get airline compensation for lost or delayed luggage.

Good to know

Photograph your bag and what is in it before you travel, and put a label with your name and phone number outside and inside.
Pack a change of clothes and your medicines in your hand luggage.
A tracking tag in the bag can help find it; it does not replace the report.
The Montreal Convention applies to international flights. For a flight within the UK, check the airline's conditions of carriage for its deadlines and limits.

Landing at Manchester from Lisbon, Tom watches the carousel stop without his suitcase. He reports it at the baggage desk and notes the reference. That evening he buys a toothbrush, underwear and a charger, keeping the receipts. The bag is delivered two days later; that week, he sends his claim with the receipts through the airline's online form.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 1 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the deadlines and the liability cap set by the Montreal Convention (revised on 28 December 2024); medium for the amounts paid back, which depend on your proof and the airline's assessment; medium for flights within the UK, where you should check the airline's own conditions. This guide is information, not legal advice.