Lost, delayed or damaged luggage: what to do step by step and how much compensation you can get
A PIR at the airport, 7 days to claim for damage, 21 days for a delayed bag and a limit of 1,519 SDR. What to do when your suitcase doesn't arrive or comes back broken.
Contents
- If your suitcase hasn’t arrived or is damaged, don’t leave the baggage reclaim hall – fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airline’s baggage desk.
- Send the airline a written claim: within 7 days of collecting a damaged bag, or within 21 days of receiving a delayed one.
- On flights within the UK and EU and most international flights, the airline is liable for up to 1,519 SDR per passenger – about £1,545 or €1,850 (IMF rates, 13 November 2026).
- A bag that hasn’t turned up within 21 days can be treated as lost.
Checked: 15 November 2026. Sources at the end of the article.
What should I do at the airport straight away?
- Stay in the baggage reclaim hall. The baggage desk is usually right next to the belts. Once you’re through to arrivals, getting back is much harder.
- Fill in a PIR (Property Irregularity Report). You’ll get a reference number – without it, almost nothing else can be sorted out later.
- Show your bag tag receipt (the barcode sticker you were given at check-in) and your boarding pass.
- If the bag is damaged, take photos on the spot: the whole suitcase and close-ups of the damage, together with the airline’s bag tag.
- Get a copy of the report or photograph it. Note the reference number and the desk’s phone number and email address.
- If the bag is delayed, give an address where the airline should deliver it (your hotel, for example) and a phone number.
How long do I have to make a claim?
The deadlines come from the Montreal Convention, which applies to UK and EU airlines and to international flights between the countries that have signed it.
| Situation | At the airport | Written claim to the airline |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged suitcase or contents | PIR + photos | within 7 days of collecting the bag |
| Delayed bag | PIR | within 21 days of the day you receive it |
| Lost bag | PIR | as soon as the airline admits the bag is lost, or after 21 days from the day it should have arrived |
A PIR isn’t always treated as a formal claim. To be safe, send the airline a separate letter or use the claim form on its website, and keep proof that you sent it. If the airline refuses, you have 2 years to take it to court.
How much compensation can I get?
Since 28 December 2024 – in UK law since 7 February 2025 – the maximum airline liability for baggage has been 1,519 SDR per passenger (previously 1,288 SDR). The SDR is the International Monetary Fund’s unit of account. At IMF rates on 13 November 2026, that’s about £1,545 or €1,850.
- It’s a ceiling, not a fixed payment. The airline pays the loss you can prove: the cost of repair and the value of the suitcase and its contents. In practice, it may take their age and wear into account.
- The limit covers everything together: the suitcase, its contents and any expenses while the bag was delayed.
- You can raise the limit. If you’re carrying something valuable, declare a higher value at check-in at the latest. The airline may charge for this.
- For hand luggage that stays with you, the airline is only liable if the damage was its fault.
- A defect in the suitcase itself – a crack caused by faulty material rather than handling, for example – releases the airline from liability to the extent that the defect caused the damage.
Can I buy essentials while my bag is delayed?
Yes. You can buy essentials: toiletries, underwear, a charger, a change of clothes. The airline reimburses these as loss caused by the delay, within the 1,519 SDR limit. There’s no fixed daily amount, so:
- be reasonable and buy only what you need until your suitcase is delivered,
- keep every receipt and include them with your claim,
- ask at the baggage desk whether the airline offers an overnight kit or an advance for expenses.
How can I prepare my suitcase so a claim is easier?
- Photograph your suitcase from every side before you travel. It’s easier to prove the damage is new.
- Photograph the contents or write a list. Keep receipts for more expensive items.
- Put a card inside with your name, phone number, email and address. The tag on the outside can get torn off.
- Carry valuables, medication, documents and electronics in your hand luggage.
- Remove old bag tags. They confuse the scanners and the handlers.
- Pack a tracker, such as an AirTag. Many airlines – including British Airways, Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic – accept a link to the item’s location from an iPhone (the “Share Item Location” feature) and use it to trace bags.
What if the airline rejects my claim?
- Reply with evidence: the PIR, photos, receipts, a repair quote.
- UK: many airlines belong to an approved alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, which can review an unresolved complaint free of charge. The airline’s final response should tell you which scheme it uses.
- Ireland: for a claim against an airline based in another EU country, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Ireland can help free of charge. Claims of up to €2,000 can go to the Small Claims Court, where the fee is €25.
- The last resort is court, within 2 years of arrival.
What about the suitcase manufacturer’s warranty?
A suitcase warranty and airline compensation are two different things. At Eternitive, the warranty covers material and manufacturing defects that appear during normal use: 2 years on standard suitcases and 7 years on the E3 PRO line and on E and E+ suitcases. It doesn’t cover damage caused by an airline, during loading for example. The carrier is responsible for that, which is why the PIR at the airport matters so much. Details are on our Warranty page.
Sources
Checked 15 November 2026.
- Montreal Convention 1999, Articles 17, 19, 22, 31 and 35
- ICAO: 2024 Revised Limits of Liability under the Montreal Convention (in force from 28 December 2024)
- legislation.gov.uk: The Carriage by Air (Revision of Limits of Liability under the Montreal Convention) Order 2025 (in force from 7 February 2025)
- European Commission, Your Europe: Air passenger rights
- IMF: currency units per SDR, 13 November 2026 (1 SDR = £1.01802 = €1.21896)
- Courts Service of Ireland: What small claims are; European e-Justice Portal: small claims fees in Ireland
- MacRumors, 12 January 2026: airlines supporting AirTag Share Item Location
- Eternitive: Warranty, Complaints
Important: this article is for general information only and reflects the situation on the date it was checked (shown above). Airline, airport and government rules can change at any time. Before you travel, always check the latest information directly with your airline, the airport or the official source. This article is not legal advice, and Eternitive is not responsible for decisions made solely on the basis of it.
