Air Canada delayed and lost baggage compensation
Use the verified report, tracking and claim routes below for delayed, damaged or lost baggage.
Air Canada asks you to report a delayed or damaged bag through its Baggage Recovery platform and keep the file reference. Reasonable interim expenses and reimbursement claims should be submitted within 21 days of receiving the bag. If a delayed bag is not located within 5 days, a declaration form with the Central Baggage Office is required.
Report the baggage problem first, keep the PIR or file reference, then use the relevant claim route below. BagClaim does not submit the form or send documents to the airline.
Where to report, claim and follow up
Report the baggage issue
Create the baggage report first and save the PIR/file reference.
Open official routeRequest reimbursement
The official page opens the appropriate online reimbursement form for the case.
Open official routeDeclare missing baggage
Declare the bag online where available or at the airport and retain the claim number.
Open official routePrepare these items before the form opens
- Baggage report reference
- Boarding pass
- Baggage tag
- Essential purchase receipts
A clean three-step handoff
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1
Report the baggage issue
Create the baggage report promptly and check that the passenger, flight and bag tag details are correct.
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2
Organise the evidence
Keep the report reference, travel proof, baggage tag, receipts, photographs and relevant airline messages.
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3
Submit and save confirmation
Use the official claim route, retain the exact submission date and keep every confirmation or case number.
Compensation and deadlines
Baggage compensation is based on documented loss, not a fixed tariff. For international journeys under the Montreal Convention, liability for delayed, damaged or lost luggage is normally capped at 1,519 SDR per passenger, roughly EUR 1,800 depending on exchange rates.
- Damaged baggage: written complaint within 7 days of receiving the bag.
- Delayed baggage: written expense claim within 21 days of the bag being returned.
- Lost baggage: usually treated as lost after 21 days, then claim the documented value of the bag and contents.
If no substantive reply arrives after about 21 days, send a written follow-up and ask for the exact basis of any refusal.
How to report and claim, step by step
No invented claim email
Air Canada handles baggage claims through its Baggage Recovery platform and Central Baggage Office, and does not publish a dedicated baggage-claim email on the verified pages.
Open Air Canada baggage guidanceAir Canada baggage claim questions
How long do I have to complain about baggage?
For an international journey under the Montreal Convention the written complaint is due within 7 days of receiving a damaged bag and within 21 days of a delayed bag being returned to you. A bag that has not arrived within 21 days can be treated as lost. Individual carriers often set shorter reporting windows on top of that, so the deadline that binds you is the earlier of the two.
Where do I report the problem first?
Air Canada asks you to report a delayed or damaged bag through its Baggage Recovery platform and keep the file reference. Reasonable interim expenses and reimbursement claims should be submitted within 21 days of receiving the bag. If a delayed bag is not located within 5 days, a declaration form with the Central Baggage Office is required.
Is there an email address for the claim?
Air Canada handles baggage claims through its Baggage Recovery platform and Central Baggage Office, and does not publish a dedicated baggage-claim email on the verified pages.
How much compensation can I expect?
Baggage compensation is documented loss, not a fixed tariff. The Montreal Convention caps the carrier's liability at 1,519 SDR per passenger, roughly EUR 1,800, and inside that ceiling you are paid what you can prove: receipted essential purchases for a delay, repair or replacement value for damage, and the evidenced value of the bag and its contents for a loss.
What if the airline never answers?
Silence is not a refusal and it does not stop the clock on your own rights. Send one written follow-up quoting the report reference and the date of the original claim, ask for a reasoned decision in writing, and keep every message. If the carrier still does not answer, the national enforcement body or the airline's listed dispute-resolution scheme is the next step, and court action stays open for two years from the date of arrival.
Put the timeline and evidence in one reviewable file.
BagClaim checks the case, drafts the letters and builds the PDF locally in your browser. You stay in control of the airline submission.
Check my claimLinks were automatically checked on 2026-08-26. Airline forms and requirements can change. Confirm the current instructions on the airline's own site before submitting. BagClaim is self-service software, not the airline and not legal advice.