How to fill in a PIR at the airport baggage desk

Before you write anything

A PIR is only useful if it matches your journey and your bag. Before you start filling it in, gather the few documents the desk agent will ask for so you are not guessing from memory. A rushed, half-remembered form is the main reason a report later fails to match the airline's records.

Have your boarding pass or booking confirmation, the baggage tag receipt (usually stuck to your boarding pass or passport), and a phone with your address and a photo of the bag ready. If the bag arrived damaged, keep it with you at the desk so the agent can describe the exact fault.

• Boarding pass or booking reference for the affected flight.
• Baggage tag number from the sticker issued at check-in.
• A delivery address and a phone number you will actually answer.
• For damage, the bag itself and a photo of the fault.

Fill in the PIR field by field

Most airport systems ask for the same core fields in roughly the same order. Complete them one at a time and say each answer out loud so the agent enters it correctly. If a field does not apply, ask the agent to mark it rather than leaving it blank.

The bag description matters more than people expect. Colour, type (hard shell or soft), brand and any distinctive feature help a tracing team match a found bag to your report. Vague entries like "black suitcase" slow everything down.

• Passenger name exactly as printed on the ticket, plus contact phone and email.
• Flight number, date and full routing, including any connecting flights.
• Baggage tag number, copied digit for digit from the sticker.
• Bag type, colour, brand and distinctive marks, straps or stickers.
• The problem: delayed and not on the carousel, or damaged with the exact part affected.
• A delivery address valid for the next few days and a reachable phone number.

Describe damage precisely, not generally

When the bag is damaged, the wording on the PIR should point to the specific fault: a cracked shell, a snapped wheel, a torn seam, a bent frame or a broken zip. A general note that the bag is "broken" gives the later reviewer nothing to assess against your photos.

Ask the agent to record the damage in the same terms you will use in the written claim, and take your own photographs at the desk with the tag in shot. Do not let anyone take the bag away for repair before you have the report and the images.

Read it back, then keep the reference

Before you sign, read the whole report back. Airport desks are busy and a mistyped flight number, wrong bag colour or transposed address will surface later as a mismatch that delays your claim. Corrections are simple while you are still at the desk and awkward once you have left.

Save the tracing reference exactly as issued, letters and numbers in the right order. A single wrong character can make the online status search fail. Photograph the paper report and the baggage tag so you still have the details if either is lost.

• Check the flight, date, name, bag description and address line by line.
• Note the file or tracing reference and confirm how to check it online.
• Ask which portal, form or address must receive the later written claim.
• Photograph the PIR and the baggage tag before you leave.

The PIR is the start, not the claim

Filling in the PIR opens the tracing file and records the incident, but it is usually not the same thing as the written compensation claim. Airlines generally require a separate submission through their official form or correspondence route, with receipts or value evidence attached.

Mind the deadlines while the file is fresh. EU passenger guidance and the Montreal Convention set a written complaint period of 7 days for damaged baggage and 21 days from delivery for delayed baggage. Use the operating airline's official baggage claim route and keep every confirmation. For the carrier-specific report, claim and appeal links, start from the BagClaim airline claim guides.