There is no fixed payout for delayed, damaged or lost luggage. The airline compensates documented loss, and the Montreal Convention caps baggage liability at 1,519 SDR per passenger, roughly EUR 1,800 depending on exchange rates. Claim the proven cost of essential purchases, repairs or lost contents, and keep every receipt.
There is no fixed payout table
Airline baggage compensation works differently from flight-delay compensation. EU Regulation 261/2004 sets fixed amounts for cancelled or heavily delayed flights, but baggage claims fall under the Montreal Convention, which compensates proven damage rather than paying a flat rate.
That means two passengers on the same flight can receive very different amounts. The claim value comes from what you can document: essential purchases during a delay, repair or replacement of a damaged bag, or the inventory of a lost one.
What the 1,519 SDR cap means in euros
ICAO raised the Montreal Convention baggage liability limit to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger with effect from 28 December 2024. The SDR is an international reserve unit whose value moves with exchange rates, so the cap converts to roughly EUR 1,800.
The cap applies per passenger, not per bag, and it covers destruction, loss, damage and delay together. It is a ceiling on airline liability, not an entitlement: you still need to prove the loss underneath it.
What counts toward the amount
The recoverable amount depends on the type of disruption. Keep the categories separate, because they use different evidence and different deadlines.
- Delayed: reasonable essential purchases while the bag was missing, claimed in writing within 21 days of the bag's return.
- Damaged: repair costs, or a realistic depreciated replacement value if repair is not possible, claimed in writing within 7 days.
- Lost: the documented value of the bag and its contents, accounting for age and use, once the bag is lost after 21 days or the airline admits the loss.
- Not recoverable: items excluded by the airline's conditions, ordinary wear, and amounts you cannot support with any evidence.
How to support the number you ask for
Reviewers approve amounts they can verify. Build the total from itemised lines, each backed by a receipt, an order history, a bank statement or a photograph, and state the total in one currency.
BagClaim assembles exactly this structure: an itemised schedule, the matching evidence and a claim letter that states the requested amount and its legal basis, ready for the airline's official route.
Primary sources
We use primary and official material for the deadlines and liability framework in this guide. Airline conditions and the facts of an individual journey still need to be checked.
Turn the checklist into a reviewable claim.
Check the timeline, organise the receipts and build the letter before opening the airline's official filing route.
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