Does EU261 cover lost luggage?

Lost, Damaged, or Delayed Luggage If your baggage is lost, delayed, or damaged on flights that are covered under EU261, there are protections in place. If your baggage is delayed or lost, you can claim damages up to ?1,300 ($1,728 CAD).



No, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU261) does not cover lost, delayed, or damaged luggage. EU261 is strictly focused on passenger rights regarding flight disruptions, such as cancellations, overbooking (denied boarding), and significant delays (typically over 3 hours). Compensation for luggage issues is instead governed by the Montreal Convention, an international treaty. Under the Montreal Convention, you can claim compensation for "essential" items (like toiletries and basic clothing) if your bag is delayed, or for the value of the contents (up to a specific limit, currently around €1,300–€1,600) if it is officially declared lost after 21 days. While both regulations protect travelers, you must file separate claims under the correct legal framework: EU261 for your time and inconvenience, and the Montreal Convention for your physical property.

People Also Ask

Travelers who lose their luggage during a domestic flight can claim up to $3,000 per person. In the case that a luggage piece contains the belongings of two air passengers, then the maximum compensation amount will be $6,000.

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Low Odds. Odds are slim your airline will lose your luggage. According to the Air Travel Consumer Report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation, you face less than a 1 percent chance that a major airline will misplace your bags; in 2022, there were only about 7 reports of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

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WorldTracer is an international baggage location system used in 2,000 airports and by 360 companies. It enables airlines to locate lost baggage by tracing an electronic tag that is placed on your luggage when checked in.

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In the case of checked baggage, the airline is liable, regardless of fault, for the delayed baggage. The right applies only if the Delayed Baggage Report and the claim for compensation have been submitted within the time limits specified in the agreement.

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Similar to flight delay compensation amounts, you are entitled to reimbursement when a EU261-covered flight is canceled of up to 600 euros ($645). If your flight is canceled, the airline will also offer you three options, which are: Rerouting you to your final destination.

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If this is a simple issue of delayed baggage, it should show up in the next three days. FAA data shows that delayed baggage usually arrives within 3-7 days. However, if the bag is truly lost, your chances of finding lost luggage after 30 days are cut in half.

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After 90 days, if no one claims the luggage, it's sold to an unclaimed baggage center where the items inside are resold.

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The leading cause of lost luggage is the mishandling of the bags between flights or from the sorting office to your airplane. Depending on the airport you fly out of, the actual sorting of luggage is done by a robot or workers.

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What airlines lose the most luggage Europe? And if you've flown in Europe, we probably don't even need to tell you who it was. That's right: Ryanair. It led the pack of damaged luggage claims by a considerable margin, nearly tripling those made against second-place Emirates.

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During the first three months of 2023, over 721,000 bags checked on domestic flights were mishandled out of 113 million checked bags in total—an average of 0.64 bags per 100 checked bags, per the U.S. Department of Transportation. That's up from 2019, when 0.59 bags were mishandled per 100 checked bags.

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American Airlines is the number one worst airline for losing or damaging your luggage, with 5.34 incidents per 1,000 bags. Although it's a low percentage compared to the total number of bags checked, American Airlines still takes the dubious distinction of being the airline most likely to lose your luggage.

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Start by searching your airline's name with EU261.
You'll need to file the claim with the operating airline responsible for the flight delay or cancelation. It can take some time to get a response from an airline, so give it a few weeks to a month or so before following up if you don't get a response.

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Fortunately, thanks to a regulation known as EU261, it's possible for passengers on disrupted flights to claim compensation. In fact, you could be entitled to up to €600 per person after a Ryanair flight cancellation compensation or flight delay compensation.

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