Lost, Delayed or Damaged Luggage: What Airlines Owe You (US Rules 2026)

The category decides what you can claim. Airlines treat all three as "mishandled baggage", but the money works differently for each.

• Delayed bag.The bag did not arrive on your flight but is still being traced. You can claim incidental expenses (toiletries, clothes, a phone charger) while you wait, plus a bag fee refund once the delay passes 12 hours domestic or 15 to 30 hours international.
• Lost bag.The airline has officially declared it lost. Most US airlines do this 5 to 14 days after the flight. Under the Montreal Convention, a bag still missing after 21 days is treated as lost. You can claim the depreciated value of the bag and its contents, plus a full bag fee refund.
• Damaged bag.The bag arrived broken, torn, wet, or with damaged contents. The airline must repair it, replace it, or pay depreciated value. Airlines can refuse normal wear and tear, but they cannot exclude damage to wheels, handles, straps, or other parts of the bag.
• Pilfered bag.Something was taken from inside. Treated like partial loss. Report it before leaving the airport and list the missing items.

There is a ceiling on what an airline must pay, and it depends on where you flew. Airlines can pay more but are not required to. The ceiling is a maximum, not a payout: you are reimbursed for your proven, depreciated loss up to that number.

Two details matter more than the headline numbers. First, the limit is per passenger, not per bag. A family of four on a domestic trip has four separate $4,700 ceilings. Second, international travel is actually better for valuables. On domestic flights, airlines can refuse to pay for electronics, jewellery, cash and fragile items listed as exclusions in their contracts. On international itineraries, they are liable for those items if they accepted the bag, even if you did not declare them at check-in.

The SDR (Special Drawing Right) is an International Monetary Fund currency unit. Its dollar value moves daily, so the international cap has ranged from roughly $2,050 to $2,200 since the limit was raised on December 28, 2024. The DOT currently lists it at approximately $2,175.

Since the DOT's refund rule took effect in late 2024, you no longer have to argue for your bag fee back. If the bag is "significantly delayed", the refund should be issued automatically once you have filed a mishandled baggage report.

The clock stops when you pick the bag up at the airport or when it is delivered to the address you agreed with the airline. Three exceptions let the airline skip the refund: you failed to collect and recheck your bag at your first US entry point on an inbound international trip, you left the airport without collecting a bag that arrived on time, or you voluntarily agreed to fly without your bag (for example, after a late check-in or a standby change).

On a $40 bag fee each way, that is $40 back per delayed bag. Small on its own, but it is separate from, and in addition to, your expense claim.

The DOT requires airlines to reimburse reasonable, verifiable, and actual incidental expenses while your bag is delayed, up to the liability limits above. The key word is verifiable: keep every receipt.

• Usually approved:toiletries, a change of clothes and underwear, phone and laptop chargers, prescription refills, baby supplies, rental of essential gear (skis, a suit for a wedding) when your trip depends on it.
• Often disputed:designer replacements for basic items, purchases made after the bag was delivered, items you bought and kept that were already in the bag once it arrived.
• No arbitrary daily caps.The DOT is explicit: an airline cannot have a policy of paying, for example, "up to $50 per day" for a delayed bag. Many airlines still quote a daily figure at the desk. Treat it as a guideline, not a limit, and claim your real, reasonable costs.

• Report it before you leave the airport.Go to the airline's baggage service office in the arrivals hall. Get a written Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a file reference number. This report is the trigger for the automatic bag fee refund.
• Photograph everything.Your bag tag stub, boarding pass, the damaged bag from every angle, and the PIR itself. If the bag is damaged, do not throw anything away.
• Track it.Use the airline app and your file reference. If you packed an AirTag or similar tracker, iPhone users can share the item's location with participating airlines through Apple's Share Item Location feature.
• Buy only what you need and keep receipts.Reasonable and receipted is the standard. Photograph receipts the same day.
• Submit your written claim inside the deadline.See the deadline table below. The PIR is a report, not always a claim: many airlines require a separate online claim form with itemised values.
• List contents with value and age.Airlines pay depreciated value, not replacement cost. A two-year-old $300 jacket will not be valued at $300. Original receipts, order emails and card statements raise your number.
• Escalate if stalled.If the airline refuses to declare a bag lost after an unreasonable time, or lowballs the claim, file a complaint with the DOT at airconsumer.dot.gov. For international trips, a court claim must be filed within 2 years.

More claims fail on timing than on merit. These are the windows to know:

The safest rule: report at the airport, submit a written claim within 7 days for anything damaged, and within 21 days for anything delayed, regardless of route. That timing satisfies every major US airline and the treaty.

The DOT ranks itineraries by baggage risk. From safest to riskiest: nonstop, direct (stops but same plane), online connection (change of plane, same airline), and interline connection (change of plane and airline). Every handoff is a chance for a bag to miss its flight.

• Book nonstop or same-airline connections.On separate tickets with different airlines, your bag may not be transferred at all. See our guide to positioning flights and hacker fares before you self-connect.
• Avoid tight connections.A 45-minute connection may work for you and fail for your bag. Give checked bags at least 75 to 90 minutes at large hubs.
• Check in before the cut-off.If you miss the airline's bag check-in deadline, it may not assume liability for a delayed bag.
• Never check valuables or essentials.Medication, passports, keys, cash, jewellery, laptops and cameras go in your carry-on. On domestic flights these are usually excluded from compensation anyway.
• Go carry-on only when you can.No checked bag means nothing to lose. Our carry-on only packing guide shows how for trips of 1 to 2 weeks.
• Label inside and out.Name, phone and email on the outside tag, and a printed copy of your itinerary inside the bag.
• Check your credit card.Some travel cards include baggage delay insurance that reimburses essentials after a 6 to 12 hour delay, on top of what the airline pays. Our trip-delay credit card guide covers which cards include it.

• What to Do When Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled (US Rules 2026)
• Every Airline's Carry-On and Bag Fees, in One Table (US 2026)
• Travel Insurance: Do You Actually Need It? (2026 Decision Guide)
• How to Pack Carry-On Only: The Complete 2026 Guide