Lost luggage compensation

Which rules apply to lost luggage?

Airline liability for baggage is set by the Montreal Convention 1999, an international treaty to which the UK, the European Union and its Member States, and most other aviation states are parties. Within the EU, Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 (as amended by Regulation 889/2002) applies the Convention's baggage rules to every EU airline, including on domestic flights. The UK kept the same arrangement after Brexit, so UK airlines are bound in the same way.

The well-known EU and UK compensation schemes – EU261 and UK261 – do not cover baggage. They pay fixed sums for delays, cancellations and denied boarding. For baggage there is no fixed sum: the airline reimburses your actual, proven loss, up to a ceiling. Our Montreal Convention guide explains the treaty in more depth.

When does a bag count as lost?

Article 17(3) of the Convention lets you enforce your rights as for a lost bag in two situations: when the airline admits the loss, or when checked baggage has not arrived 21 days after the date on which it ought to have arrived. Until then the bag is legally delayed, and you claim the costs of the delay instead.

The airline is liable for loss of checked baggage simply because the loss happened while the bag was in its charge (Article 17(2)). You do not have to prove the airline was careless. The only defence the Convention gives it is that the damage resulted from the "inherent defect, quality or vice" of the baggage – which is relevant to damage, not to a bag that has vanished. For unchecked baggage (your cabin bag and personal items), the airline is liable only if the loss resulted from its fault or that of its staff or agents.

How much compensation for lost luggage?

The Convention limits the airline's liability for destruction, loss, damage or delay of baggage to a fixed number of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger (Article 22(2)). The SDR is a unit of account defined by the International Monetary Fund, valued against a basket of five currencies (US dollar, euro, Chinese renminbi, Japanese yen and pound sterling). ICAO reviews the limits every five years for inflation (Article 24).

What 1,519 SDR is worth changes every day. On 10 November 2026 the IMF published rates of €1.209120 and £1.009910 per SDR, which makes the ceiling about €1,837 or £1,534. If a court awards you damages, the conversion is made at the rate on the date of the judgment (Article 23). Official guidance often quotes older rounded figures – the CAA and Citizens Advice say "around £1,000", Your Europe "approximately €1,300" and ECC-Net "about €1,800" – so do not be put off if an airline quotes a lower figure: the binding limit is the SDR amount.

Three points from the case law matter in practice:

• It is a ceiling, not a flat payment. In SL v Vueling Airlines (C-86/19, 9 July 2020) the Court of Justice confirmed that the baggage limit is the maximum amount, not a sum paid automatically to every passenger whose bag is lost. You need to show what you lost.
• The limit covers all your losses together. In Walz v Clickair (C-63/09, 6 May 2010) the Court held that "damage" in Article 22(2) includes both material and non-material damage, and the one limit applies to the combined total.
• Each passenger has their own limit. In Espada Sánchez v Iberia (C-410/11, 22 November 2012) the Court held that a passenger can claim for their belongings lost in a bag checked in by another member of the group, as long as they can show their items were in it.

Breaking the limit

The ceiling does not apply if you made a special declaration of interest in delivery when you checked the bag in and paid any supplement the airline asked for; the airline is then liable up to the declared sum, unless it proves your real interest was lower (Article 22(2)). Not every airline offers this, so ask at check-in if you are carrying something valuable. The limit also falls away if the loss resulted from an act or omission of the airline's staff done with intent to cause damage, or recklessly and with knowledge that damage would probably result (Article 22(5)) – a high bar that is rarely met.

How airlines value a lost-luggage claim

The Convention does not say how to value lost items; that is left to the court and, in practice, to the airline's claims team. Expect the following:

Airlines are not required to pay "new for old" – Citizens Advice makes the same point. Many conditions of carriage also say the airline will not pay for valuables or fragile items packed in checked baggage. Whether such a clause holds up is a legal question: Article 26 of the Convention makes void any contract term that tends to relieve the carrier of liability or to fix a lower limit than the Convention's. In practice the safest course is to carry laptops, cameras, jewellery, documents and medicines in your hand luggage.

Step by step: claiming for lost luggage

1. Report the missing bag before you leave the baggage hall. Go to the airline's or handling agent's baggage desk and ask for a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Keep the file reference. The Court of Justice has accepted that a complaint recorded in the airline's system with the passenger's knowledge can satisfy the "in writing" requirement (Finnair v Fennia, C-258/16, 2018) – but do not rely on the PIR alone.
2. Keep your documents: boarding pass, bag tag stub, booking confirmation and the PIR.
3. Track the bag with the PIR reference on the airline's tracing page. Update the airline with a full description of the bag and its contents; it helps the search.
4. Claim delay costs while you wait. Buy only reasonable essentials and keep receipts. See delayed baggage.
5. After 21 days, send a written claim for the loss. Use the airline's baggage claim form, or e-mail or post a letter, stating that you are claiming under the Montreal Convention. Include the PIR reference, an itemised list (item, when bought, price paid, current value), receipts or other proof, and your bank details.
6. Keep copies of everything you send and note the date. Send copies, not originals, of receipts.
7. Chase and escalate if you get no answer or a low offer – see If the airline refuses.

Our complaint letter template is written for delay claims, but its structure (facts, legal basis, amount, deadline for reply) works for a baggage claim too: cite Articles 17 and 22 of the Montreal Convention instead of EU261.

Deadlines for lost luggage claims

The Convention sets no special complaint deadline for a bag that never arrives, but ECC-Net notes that airlines may set their own internal deadlines, and some ask for a written claim within 21 days. Claim in writing as soon as the 21 days are up. The 2-year court deadline in Article 35 is strict; it is much shorter than the limitation periods for EU261/UK261 delay claims (see our time limits guide).

Which airline do you claim from?

• One airline: claim from the airline that carried you (on a codeshare, usually the airline that operated the flight and handled your bag; its name is on the bag tag and PIR).
• Several airlines on one ticket: under Article 36(3) you can claim from the first airline, the last airline, or the airline that operated the leg on which the loss happened; they are jointly and severally liable. Citizens Advice suggests usually claiming from the last airline, which normally holds the PIR.
• Separate bookings: each ticket is a separate contract; claim from the airline on whose flight the bag went missing (often the one at whose airport you reported it).

If you need to go to court, Article 33 lets you sue in the country where the airline is domiciled or has its principal place of business, where it has the place of business through which the contract was made, or at your destination.

If the airline refuses or offers too little

1. Reply in writing with the missing evidence or a short explanation of why the offer is too low (for example, depreciation applied to new items). Give a deadline, such as 14 days.
2. UK airlines and flights: if the airline belongs to an approved ADR scheme such as AviationADR or CEDR, you can refer the dispute there after 8 weeks or a final response; AviationADR's scope includes luggage. If it does not, the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team handles Montreal Convention complaints – see complaining to the CAA.
3. EU, EEA and Swiss flights: the national enforcement bodies deal mainly with EU261, not baggage, so after the airline's own complaint route use an ADR or consumer dispute body where the country has one (our country guides list them – for example Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden or Poland). The European Consumer Centre in your country gives free advice and can contact the airline in cross-border cases.
4. Court: in the EU, a court allowed by Article 33 or the European Small Claims Procedure for cross-border claims; in the UK, after a letter before action, small claims in England and Wales or Simple Procedure in Scotland – always within the 2-year limit.

Travel insurance and other cover

Travel insurance and some home contents policies cover lost baggage, often with single-item limits and an excess. Insurers normally expect you to claim from the airline first and will want the PIR and the airline's decision. You cannot be paid twice for the same loss, so tell each party what the other has paid. If you paid for the flight by credit card, card protection may also be relevant, but it is aimed at the purchase, not at your belongings.

Airline baggage guides

Claim forms and contact routes differ by airline: easyJet · British Airways · Ryanair · Jet2 · TUI · Wizz Air · Aer Lingus · Emirates.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation do you get for a lost suitcase?

There is no fixed amount. On international flights covered by the Montreal Convention (and on all flights by EU and UK airlines) the airline must pay your proven loss – the value of the bag and its contents – up to a ceiling of 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger. At the IMF rate on 10 November 2026 that ceiling was worth about €1,837 or £1,534. Airlines usually deduct depreciation for older items, so the payout is often well below the ceiling.

How much money do you get if an airline loses your luggage on an international flight?

The same rule applies: actual, documented loss up to 1,519 SDR, unless you made a special declaration of interest when you checked the bag in and paid any supplement, in which case the limit is the declared value. The Court of Justice of the EU has confirmed that 1,519 SDR (formerly 1,131 and then 1,288 SDR) is a maximum, not a sum paid automatically (Vueling, C-86/19, 2020).

When is my bag officially lost?

Under Article 17(3) of the Montreal Convention you can treat checked baggage as lost if the airline admits it is lost, or if it has not arrived 21 days after the date it should have arrived. Until then it is legally a delayed bag – see our guide to delayed baggage compensation.

How can I track my baggage?

Use the file reference on your Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Many airlines use the WorldTracer system, and their baggage pages link to a tracing tool where you enter that reference and your surname. Keep your bag tag stub as well: the tag number is how the bag is identified in the system.

How do I file a baggage claim with Ryanair, easyJet or British Airways?

Every airline has its own online baggage claim form, linked from its help or contact pages. The legal rules are the same for all of them: report the missing bag at the airport, get a PIR reference, then send a written claim with your itemised list and evidence. Our airline guides cover the details, for example Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways.

Can I claim for things in my partner's suitcase?

Yes, if you can show they were yours. In Espada Sánchez v Iberia (C-410/11, 2012) the Court of Justice held that each passenger's limit applies even when family members packed into a shared bag checked in under one name – provided the lost bag really contained that passenger's belongings.

Does EU261 or UK261 pay anything for lost luggage?

No. EU261 and UK261 cover delays, cancellations, denied boarding and downgrading – not baggage. Baggage is governed by the Montreal Convention. If your flight was also delayed by 3 hours or more, the fixed delay compensation is a separate claim; see flight delay compensation.

Does AirHelp handle lost luggage claims?

AirHelp focuses on compensation for delays, cancellations and denied boarding. For lost luggage it is usually simplest to claim from the airline yourself with your PIR, receipts and itemised list, and from your travel insurer for anything the airline does not pay.

This guide explains the general rules. It is not legal advice, and we are not a law firm. We are an independent guide and an affiliate partner of AirHelp; see our affiliate disclosure.

Sources

1. Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 1999) – Articles 17, 22, 31, 33, 35, 36 – EUR-Lex
2. 2024 Revised Limits of Liability under the Montreal Convention 1999 – ICAO
3. The Carriage by Air (Revision of Limits of Liability under the Montreal Convention) Order 2025 (SI 2025/123) – legislation.gov.uk
4. SDR valuation – currency units per SDR – International Monetary Fund
5. Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 on air carrier liability (as amended by Regulation 889/2002) – EUR-Lex
6. Lost, delayed or damaged baggage – UK Civil Aviation Authority
7. Get airline compensation for lost or delayed luggage – Citizens Advice
8. Air passenger rights – baggage – European Consumer Centres Network
9. Judgment C-86/19 SL v Vueling Airlines (9 July 2020) – Court of Justice of the EU
10. Judgment C-410/11 Espada Sánchez v Iberia (22 November 2012) – Court of Justice of the EU
11. Judgment C-63/09 Walz v Clickair (6 May 2010) – Court of Justice of the EU

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