Lost, Delayed or Damaged Bag: What the Airline Owes You
Did the airline lose, delay or damage your checked bag? What it owes you under US rules or the Montreal Convention, whether you get the bag fee back, and the deadlines to claim.
Your bag is significantly delayed once it is more than 12 hours late (within the US): then the airline owes you the bag fee back, once you file a Mishandled Baggage Report. For your costs from the delay, the airline owes what you can prove, and may not cap it below $4,700 a passengerThe bag fee comes back only for a lost or significantly delayed bag, and only after a Mishandled Baggage Report with the airline that flew your last flight. Keep your receipts and the report’s number.
Your dates and steps
- Mishandled Baggage Report · file it with the airline that flew your last flight; without it there is no bag-fee refund
- Significantly delayed · more than 12 hours after you could leave the plane at your final airport
- Claim deadline · none in the federal rule; check your airline’s contract of carriage
The rules, in their own words
- The bag fee back (US flights): for a lost bag, or one delayed more than 12 hours within the US, 15 hours on an international trip with a nonstop US leg of 12 hours or less, 30 hours if longer — after a Mishandled Baggage Report.
- “Significantly delayed checked bag means a checked bag not delivered to or picked up by the consumer or another person authorized to act on behalf of the consumer within 12 hours of the last flight segment’s arrival for domestic itineraries, within 15 hours of the last flight segment’s arrival for international itineraries with a non-stop flight segment between the United States and a foreign point that is 12 hours or less in duration, and within 30 hours of the last flight segment’s arrival for international itineraries with a non-stop flight segment between the United States and a foreign point that is more than 12 hours in duration.” (14 CFR 260)
- “must provide a prompt refund to a consumer of any fee charged for transporting a lost bag or a significantly delayed checked bag” (14 CFR 260)
- “A covered carrier does not have an obligation to provide a refund of the fee for a lost or significantly delayed checked bag unless a passenger files a Mishandled Baggage Report (MBR) for the lost or delayed bag with the carrier that operated the flight, or for multiple-carrier itineraries, the carrier that operated the last segment of the consumer’s itinerary.” (14 CFR 260)
- “the length of delay is calculated from the time the passenger is given the opportunity to deplane from a flight at the passenger’s final destination airport (the beginning of the delay) to the time that the carrier has delivered the bag to a location agreed upon by the passenger and carrier” (14 CFR 260)
- “The amount of the refund issued to a consumer must be a value equal to or greater than the fee that the consumer paid to transport his/her checked bag.” (14 CFR 260)
- What the airline owes (within the US): what you can prove, and it may not cap it below $4,700 a passenger.
- “an air carrier shall not limit its liability for provable direct or consequential damages resulting from the disappearance of, damage to, or delay in delivery of a passenger’s personal property, including baggage, in its custody to an amount less than $4,700 for each passenger.” (14 CFR 254)
- “The Department of Transportation will review the domestic baggage liability limit prescribed in this part every two years.” (14 CFR 254)
- 14 CFR 260, refunds (eCFR)
- 14 CFR 254, domestic baggage liability (eCFR)
US rules: 14 CFR 254 and 260 (eCFR, read 2026-10-05). International: the Montreal Convention 1999 (EUR-Lex) with ICAO’s revised limit from December 28, 2024; dollars at ICAO’s indicative rate of October 18, 2024 — the SDR moves every day. This is what the rules say, not legal advice.
Quick answer: Within the US, an airline may not cap what it owes for a lost, damaged or delayed bag below $4,700 a passenger; internationally the Montreal Convention limit is 1,519 SDR (about $2,025). On US flights the bag fee comes back if the bag is lost or more than 12 hours late (15 or 30 internationally), after a Mishandled Baggage Report.
How to use it
Pick what happened (late, lost or damaged), your trip (within the US; to or from the US, with the longest nonstop leg 12 hours or less or more; or international without the US), the day you landed and, for a late bag, how many hours passed until you had it. Add the bag fee you paid. Pick your airline too (American, Delta, United or Southwest) and its own contract’s deadlines for your case are added. The answer says what the airline owes, whether the fee comes back, and the dates to keep; below it, the rules in their own words with links.
The bag fee back on US flights
Since 2024, 14 CFR 260.5 says an airline “must provide a prompt refund to a consumer of any fee charged for transporting a lost bag or a significantly delayed checked bag”. The clock runs from “the time the passenger is given the opportunity to deplane” at the final airport until the bag is delivered or picked up, and the refund depends on one step: no refund “unless a passenger files a Mishandled Baggage Report (MBR)”. The refund must be at least “the fee that the consumer paid to transport his/her checked bag”.
| Your trip | Significantly delayed after |
|---|---|
| Within the US | 12 hours |
| To or from the US, nonstop US leg 12 hours or less | 15 hours |
| To or from the US, nonstop US leg over 12 hours | 30 hours |
The 15- and 30-hour standards also cover the domestic legs of an international trip. There is no refund when the delay came from not rechecking your bag at the first US entry point as Customs requires, from ending the trip early, or from agreeing to fly without your bag.
What the airline owes for the bag itself
Within the US, 14 CFR 254.4 says an airline “shall not limit its liability for provable direct or consequential damages resulting from the disappearance of, damage to, or delay in delivery of a passenger’s personal property, including baggage, in its custody to an amount less than $4,700 for each passenger”; the DOT reviews the figure every two years. On international trips the Montreal Convention applies, and ICAO’s 2024 review raised its baggage limit “from 1,288 SDRs to 1,519 SDRs (about US$2,000)” from December 28, 2024. At ICAO’s rate of $1.33318 per SDR on October 18, 2024 that is about $2,025, but the SDR moves daily. You can have more covered only by declaring a higher value when you check the bag and paying if the airline asks.
The deadlines on an international trip
Article 31 of the Montreal Convention gives you 7 days “from the date of receipt” to complain about damage and 21 days “from the date on which the baggage or cargo have been placed at his or her disposal” for a delay, and “Every complaint must be made in writing”. Under Article 17, a bag that “has not arrived at the expiration of 21 days after the date on which it ought to have arrived” can be claimed as lost. Under Article 35 a court claim must be brought “within a period of two years”. Within the US, 14 CFR 254 sets no claim deadline; your airline’s contract does (below).
Your airline's own deadlines
The law says what an airline owes; each airline's contract of carriage says how fast you must tell it. Pick your airline above and the tool adds its rules for your case. Side by side, for a trip within the US (read October 2026; an airline can change its contract at any time):
| Airline | Report a late or lost bag | Report damage | Then, for a lost bag | Its limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American | Before you leave the airport, within 4 hours of arriving at your final destination | Before you leave the airport, or within 6 hours of receiving your bags | The Passenger Property Questionnaire within 30 days of your first report, if you want compensation | The provable value up to $4,700 a passenger, or up to $5,000 if you declare excess value |
| Delta | At the airport, at the Delta Baggage Service Office; keep the file reference number. Its contract sets no hour limit for a late bag | In person at a Delta Baggage Service Office, with the bag, within 6 hours after arrival; within 24 hours for damage you could not see from outside, or of getting back a bag that came late | A Potential Property Loss Claim from day 6; after 21 days Delta treats the bag as likely lost and contacts you about a settlement | Proven damage or loss, never more than $4,700 a passenger |
| United | Within 24 hours after your flight arrived (United calls it a preliminary notice of claim) | Within 24 hours after your flight arrived (United calls it a preliminary notice of claim) | Its written claim form must reach United within 45 days after the flight date | $4,700 a ticketed passenger, and you prove the value |
| Southwest | And get a Baggage report number within 4 hours after your flight arrived | In person at the airport, with a Baggage report number within 24 hours after the flight arrived or you received the bag | The Property Loss Claim form, within 30 days of the date Southwest issues it | The proven amount, never more than $4,700 a fare-paying passenger; excess valuation up to $5,950 in all |
Sources: American's conditions of carriage and its delayed or damaged bags page, Delta's contract of carriage (Rule 17) and its baggage page, United's Contract of Carriage (Rule 28) and Southwest's Contract of Carriage. The shortest clocks are American's and Southwest's: 4 hours from arriving to report a late bag, so do it before you leave the airport. United asks for a preliminary notice within 24 hours and then its written claim form “within 45 days after the flight date”.
What they pay while the bag is late. None of the four contracts prints a daily amount. American: “We will reimburse you for the reasonable and necessary items you need immediately while away from home without your bags.” Delta: “Reimbursement is generally intended to cover basic interim needs during a baggage delay while you are away from home and are awaiting delivery of your bag.” United: “For baggage claims, reimbursement for any expenses will be based upon proof of claim acceptable to UA.” Southwest: “Southwest will compensate the Passenger for reasonable, documented damages incurred as a direct result of the loss of, damage to, or substantially delayed delivery of such Baggage up to the limit of liability, provided the Passenger has exercised reasonable efforts and good judgment to minimize the amount of damage.” Buy only what you need, and keep every itemized receipt.
Worked examples
Within the US, the bag came 20 hours late, $35 fee. Significantly delayed (over 12 hours): the $35 comes back once you file the Mishandled Baggage Report, and the airline may not cap your provable costs below $4,700.
Back from Europe on a 9-hour nonstop, bag 14 hours late, $70 fee. Within the 15 hours, so no fee refund; complain in writing by October 26, 2026 for your costs, up to 1,519 SDR.
A damaged suitcase after a 14-hour flight from Tokyo, landed October 5, 2026. Complain in writing by October 12, 2026; the airline owes the damage up to 1,519 SDR.
A bag still missing after a flight from Cancún on October 5, 2026. If it has not turned up by October 26, 2026, you can claim it as lost, up to 1,519 SDR; a court claim must start by October 5, 2028.
United lost your bag on a flight within the US that landed October 5, 2026. Tell United within 24 hours after the flight arrived, then get its written claim form to United within 45 days after the flight date: November 19, 2026 for a flight that left and landed that day. Its limit is $4,700, and you prove the value.
Your bag did not arrive on a Southwest flight within the US. Report it and get a Baggage report number within 4 hours after the flight arrived; after 12 hours the bag fee comes back too, under the federal rule.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the airport without a Mishandled Baggage Report. On US flights there is no bag-fee refund without it.
- Waiting on a damaged bag abroad. Under the Montreal Convention the written complaint is due within 7 days of getting the bag.
- Quoting an old limit. The domestic floor is $4,700 since October 2024, and the international limit 1,519 SDR since December 28, 2024.
- Counting from the wrong moment. The 12, 15 or 30 hours run from when you could leave the plane at your final airport.
- Throwing away receipts. The airline owes what you can prove.
- Going home before you report it. American and Southwest give you 4 hours from arriving for a late bag, United 24; Delta wants damage shown in person within 6 hours after arrival.
Plan the rest of the trip
Read the flight delay compensation you may be owed, the carry-on packing list (what to keep with you in case the bag is late), cabin crews’ favorite luggage and the long-flight survival guide. For the flight itself, see Delayed Flight Rights, Cancelled Flight Rights and the missed connection checker; for the fee before you fly, the Baggage Fee Calculator.
FAQ
What is the delayed baggage compensation?
On US flights, the bag fee back once the bag is more than 12 hours late (15 or 30 hours internationally) and you have filed a Mishandled Baggage Report, plus your provable costs from the delay: with no cap below $4,700 within the US, up to 1,519 SDR internationally.
How much is lost luggage compensation?
Within the US, what you can prove, which the airline may not cap below $4,700 a passenger; on an international trip, up to 1,519 SDR (about $2,025 at ICAO’s October 2024 rate) unless you declared a higher value. On US flights the bag fee comes back too.
What is the Montreal Convention?
The 1999 treaty that sets an airline’s liability on most international trips. For bags: up to 1,519 SDR a passenger since December 28, 2024, a written complaint within 7 days for damage and 21 days for a delay, a bag missing 21 days counted as lost, and two years to go to court.
How do you file a lost luggage claim?
File a Mishandled Baggage Report with the airline that flew your last flight, keep its number and your receipts, then claim in writing; internationally, a bag still missing 21 days after it should have arrived can be claimed as lost.
What to do if the airline loses your luggage?
Report it before you leave the airport if you can, so there is a Mishandled Baggage Report, ask for the bag fee back, keep receipts for what you have to buy, and write to the airline within the deadlines above.
Does the airline pay for damaged luggage?
Yes: within the US what you can prove, with no cap below $4,700; internationally up to 1,519 SDR, if you complain in writing within 7 days of receiving the bag.
Do you get the bag fee back if your bag is delayed?
On flights within, to or from the US, yes when it is significantly delayed: more than 12 hours within the US, 15 or 30 hours on international trips, counted from when you could leave the plane, and after a Mishandled Baggage Report.
What are the deadlines for an AA, Delta, United or Southwest lost baggage claim?
Report it first: American and Southwest within 4 hours of arriving, United within 24 hours, Delta at the airport. Then American’s questionnaire within 30 days of your first report, United’s claim form within 45 days after the flight date, and Southwest’s lost-bag form within 30 days of the day it issues it. For damage: American within 6 hours of receiving the bag, Delta within 6 hours after arrival and in person, United and Southwest within 24 hours.