How do I get reimbursed for my lost luggage?

Usually, the staff will tell you a figure that the airline will refund you for - don't forget to keep all receipts for these expenses, as you'll need them to claim the refund. Simply ask the staff politely and they should be able to tell you how much the airline is willing to cover.



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According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, you are entitled to compensation for reasonable incidental expenses you incur because of your delayed baggage, up to the maximum liability limits, set by statute. For U.S. domestic flights, this is $3,800 per passenger.

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Contact a Baggage Claim Desk As soon as you notice your baggage is missing, contact the Baggage Claim Desk, which is located within the airport (usually near the baggage carousels) and inform the staff about the situation. If there is no desk around, get in touch with the airline whose aircraft you were on.

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File a missing baggage report Ensure the report has your local address and contact information, and be sure to get the phone number of the lost luggage desk and a reference or tracking number. Many airlines have everything in the system for easy tracking.

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When it came to airlines that lost the most baggage, that same study found that Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines came in ninth out of 17 major airlines. “Of all national airlines, American Airlines lost the most bags in 2022, losing 850 bags per 100,000.

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Under the Convention, passengers whose luggage is delayed, damaged, or does not arrive at all are entitled to compensation. The amount of this compensation is around 1,385 euros maximum per person, regardless of the number of pieces of luggage.

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For most INTERNATIONAL flights, a treaty called the Montreal Convention applies to the carriage of baggage. The maximum baggage liability for flights covered by the Montreal Convention is currently 1,288 Special Drawing Rights (approximately $1,700.00 US) per passenger.

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Consider filing a lawsuit against the airline in small claims court. Small claims courts handle a wide variety of property-related lawsuits which include lawsuits for lost luggage by an airline. Small claims court is also an affordable and user-friendly way for you to sue an airline for lost or delayed luggage.

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U.S. airlines aren't required to compensate passengers for flight delays. Refunds are only guaranteed for entirely canceled flights (assuming the passenger opts not to be rebooked by the airline). There's also no legal requirement for airlines to offer additional flight delay compensation.

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In this case, you can file a lost baggage claim with the airline. This claim may be separate from the original report you filed; it depends on the airline's policy. The silver lining is that you'll often avoid luggage fees in this case. Most airlines will reimburse the baggage fee for checked luggage.

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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).

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To file a EU261 claim, you must have a valid ticket and booking confirmation. Although revenue and award tickets qualify for compensation, free or reduced fares that are not available to the public are excluded from compensation.

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JFK leads the list of worst airports for lost luggage and damaged bags with the most property loss claims (1.93 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) and property damage claims (1.48 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) between 2013 and 2022.

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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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This is called “denied boarding compensation” or “DBC” for short. Most bumped passengers who experience short delays on flights will receive compensation equal to double the one-way price of the flight they were bumped from, but airlines may limit this amount to up to $775.

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