Your Checked Bag Is Late or Damaged: What to Do Before You Leave the Airport

Start here

You stand at the carousel, the belt stops, and your suitcase never comes out. Or it does come out, with a cracked shell and a broken wheel. Don't walk out. The report you file in the next half hour is the paper every later claim leans on.

Step one: report it before you leave

Head to your airline's baggage service office in the arrivals area and file a report. Ask for:

a written or emailed file reference number,

the name of the agent or desk,

how the airline will contact you and how it plans to deliver the bag.

If the bag is damaged, show it to the agent while you're still there. Take photos of the damage and of the bag tag. Airlines set deadlines for written damage claims, and those deadlines can be short.

Step two: understand the rules that protect you

For flights within the United States, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) sets a minimum amount airlines have to cover for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage. That minimum is currently $4,700 per passenger, and DOT adjusts it for inflation. Airlines can pay more, but they can't set a lower cap on domestic trips.

For most international trips, the Montreal Convention applies. It limits airline liability for baggage in Special Drawing Rights, an international unit of account. The current limit is 1,519 SDRs, and ICAO reviews it every five years.

Either way, the limit is a ceiling, not a payout. You get paid for what you can show you lost, so receipts matter.

Step three: claim the bag fee back if the delay is long

DOT rules require airlines to refund checked bag fees when a bag is significantly delayed. Under DOT's rule, that generally means a bag that isn't delivered within 12 hours of arrival for domestic flights, 15 hours for international flights of 12 hours or less, and 30 hours for longer international flights. To get the refund, you need to have filed a mishandled baggage report with the airline.

If your bag is declared lost, the airline also has to refund the bag fee, on top of compensating you for what was inside.

Step four: keep receipts for reasonable expenses

DOT says airlines should cover reasonable, verifiable interim expenses while a bag is delayed, like toiletries or a change of clothes. Airlines differ on what counts as reasonable. Ask the agent what the airline will reimburse, keep every receipt, and only buy what you really need.

Step five: follow up in writing

If the bag still hasn't shown up by the time the airline promised, follow up in writing and include your file number. If the airline declares it lost, you'll usually have to list what was in it and what each item was worth. Photos you took while packing help a lot here.

If you can't sort it out with the airline, you can file a complaint with DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.

Where those numbers come from

Domestic flights. Under 14 CFR Part 254, U.S. airlines' minimum liability limit for lost, damaged or delayed baggage on domestic flights is $4,700 per passenger. DOT raised it in a Federal Register notice published October 24, 2024, and the new limit applies to travel on or after January 22, 2025. DOT reviews the figure periodically for inflation.

International flights. For trips covered by the Montreal Convention, the baggage limit is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, effective December 28, 2024, after ICAO's periodic review. The dollar value of an SDR moves with exchange rates, so the exact amount in dollars changes from day to day.

These limits are a cap on what the airline must pay, not an amount you receive automatically. Airlines will usually depreciate older items and may exclude certain valuables, so check your airline's contract of carriage.

Damage versus normal wear

Airlines generally separate damage from normal wear and tear. Scuffs, small scratches and minor dents are often treated as wear and excluded, while broken wheels, handles, zippers and cracked shells are more likely to be covered. That is why photos taken at the airport matter: they show the condition when you received the bag, before anyone can argue it happened later.

Deadlines to watch

For international journeys, the Montreal Convention sets written complaint deadlines: seven days from receipt for damaged baggage and 21 days from the date the bag was placed at your disposal for delayed baggage. Many airlines use similar or shorter windows on domestic trips, so file in writing as soon as you can and keep a copy.

Other coverage you may already have

Before you buy extra insurance, check what you already hold. Some credit cards include baggage delay or lost luggage coverage when you pay for the ticket with the card. Travel insurance policies often cover delayed baggage expenses after a set number of hours. Homeowner's or renter's insurance may cover personal property stolen or lost while traveling, subject to your deductible. Each has its own claim process, and most will ask for the airline's report number, so getting that file reference at the airport helps with every claim, not just the airline's.

A simple claim file

Keep everything about the bag in one place, either a folder in your email or a note on your phone: the file reference number, the agent's name, photos of the bag and tag, every receipt for interim purchases, and copies of anything you send the airline. Write down the date and time of each call and what you were told. If the claim stalls and you file with DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, that record is what makes your complaint clear and quick to review.

A packing habit that pays off

Put medications, a phone charger, one change of clothes, and anything valuable or fragile in your carry-on. Snap a photo of the inside of your checked bag before you zip it shut. And put a card with your name, phone number, and email inside the bag, not just on the outside.