Start with the airline's baggage team, not a flight-compensation form. Baggage claims usually concern documented loss or reasonable expenses, not an automatic payment for inconvenience. A delayed flight and a delayed bag are separate claims.
Current limit: for baggage covered by the Montreal Convention, the ordinary liability limit is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger, effective from 28 December 2024. It is not a fixed euro payout or a separate allowance for each suitcase. ICAO's revised limits.
The Three Types of Baggage Problems
Delayed
Report the missing bag immediately. Record necessary replacement purchases while the airline searches.
Damaged
Photograph the bag and contents. Keep it available for inspection and obtain repair or value evidence.
Lost
Under Montreal Article 17(3), pursue loss rights when the airline admits loss or the bag has not arrived after 21 days from when it should have arrived.
Which Law and Liability Test Apply?
Montreal coverage depends on the agreed itinerary and applicable treaty or implementing law. Do not infer it from an ECAA label alone. EU airline liability rules extend relevant Montreal protections to passenger and baggage carriage, including domestic carriage. Other domestic journeys can follow different rules.
- Checked baggage: Montreal Article 17 covers loss or damage while in the carrier's charge, subject to defences such as an inherent defect.
- Cabin baggage: it is not automatically excluded; carrier or staff fault must be established.
- Delay: Article 19 allows a defence where the carrier proves all reasonably required measures were taken, or were impossible.
- Passenger contribution: fault contributing to the loss can affect liability under Article 20.
Sources: Montreal Convention text, Schedule VI, Articles 17, 19 and 20; EU air-carrier liability regulation.
Valuables are not a blanket treaty exclusion. Keep essential medication and valuables with you where permitted, but do not assume every airline exclusion defeats an accepted international-baggage claim. US DOT distinguishes domestic contract exclusions from accepted items on international carriage. DOT baggage guidance.
What Can You Claim?
Prepare an itemised loss calculation: repair costs, the evidenced value of a lost bag and its contents, and necessary purchases caused by delay. Account for age and condition; replacing an old item with a new one does not establish the recoverable value. Keep receipts and explain why each purchase was needed.
SDR is an accounting unit, not a currency promise. Its value against euros and pounds changes. The ordinary 1,519 SDR ceiling is subject to applicable exceptions, such as a valid special declaration of interest made when handing over checked baggage. Insurance may cover other losses, subject to policy terms; do not recover the same loss twice.
For US domestic flights, DOT currently lists a separate $4,700 per-passenger baggage liability limit. US baggage-fee refunds are another question, distinct from compensation for contents or expenses. See our US refund guide and DOT's domestic/international distinction. Mobility equipment can have special protection; seek route-specific assistance rather than assuming the ordinary bag limit applies.
Complaint Deadlines Are Not Court Deadlines
| Situation | Written complaint | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged checked baggage | Complain immediately on discovery and no later than 7 days after receipt. | Report missing contents promptly too. Save photos and proof of dispatch. |
| Delayed baggage | No later than 21 days after the bag is placed at your disposal. | Do not wait 21 days to report that it is missing. |
| Bag remains missing | Report now and pursue loss rights on admission of loss or after the Article 17(3) waiting period. | The 21-day rule is not permission to postpone contact. |
| Montreal court action | A separate 2-year action period under Article 35. | Runs from arrival, expected arrival or when carriage stopped; calculation follows the court's law. |
A PIR is not a substitute for checking written-complaint requirements. Keep the report and send an itemised written claim in time. Missing an Article 31 deadline can bar action, subject to its limited fraud exception. Do not assume airline correspondence pauses the separate court deadline. Obtain qualified advice for a disputed or approaching deadline.
Source: Montreal text, Schedule VI, Articles 17(3), 31 and 35. The CAA's practical claim guidance also separates the airport report from the written claim; its approximate currency figure is not used here.
What to Do at the Airport
Report promptly and keep a reference
Ask the airline or its handling agent for a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). If the desk is closed or you already left, contact the airline immediately through its reporting channel and document the attempt. Do not assume leaving automatically ends every claim.
Record the actual problem
Keep bag tags, flight details and photographs of damage or missing contents. An empty-carousel photo alone does not establish the contents or value of a bag.
Buy only what you reasonably need
Ask about essential-purchase reimbursement and retain itemised receipts. Explain your circumstances, particularly whether you were away from home.
Confirm delivery and tracking
Use the airline's own tracing channel and supply a reachable contact and delivery address. Save status messages and the time the bag becomes available.
Send the written claim and diary deadlines
Identify the flight, report reference, items and amounts. Keep the submission receipt. If rejected, request reasons and check a competent dispute-resolution or court route.
Documentation Checklist
Build an evidence file
- Booking confirmation and all flight legs.
- Bag tag and PIR or other report reference.
- Photos and evidence of purchase, age and condition.
- Itemised emergency-purchase receipts.
- Delivery messages and date of receipt.
- Claim, airline replies and proof of sending within the relevant deadline.
Baggage Claims on Balkan and Other Routes
Check the whole ticket, operating carrier and applicable baggage law. ECAA flight-disruption guidance does not prove identical Montreal coverage for every Balkan route. For Tirana, Belgrade or Pristina, start with the airline/handling agent's actual baggage reporting channel and confirm the complaint route in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1,519 SDR an automatic baggage payout?
No. It is the ordinary Montreal liability ceiling per passenger, effective from 28 December 2024. Payment depends on proven loss, applicable liability and any exception.
Does a PIR complete my compensation claim?
Do not assume so. Keep the airport report, then send the airline your written claim and evidence within the relevant complaint deadline.
Should I wait 21 days before reporting a missing bag?
No. Report it immediately. The 21-day missing-bag provision concerns enforcing loss rights, not when to start tracing the bag.
Is the two-year limit the deadline to report damage?
No. Montreal's court-action period is separate. Written damage complaints are due immediately on discovery and at the latest within seven days after receipt; delayed-bag complaints have a separate 21-day rule.
Can I use the flight checker for a baggage-only problem?
Start a baggage-only claim with the airline's baggage team. The optional partner flight checker is for checking a separate flight disruption, not a promise to handle a baggage claim.