A calm walkthrough of what you’re owed when an airline, train operator or coach company loses or damages your bag. Sorted explains the rules, drafts your claim, and tracks the deadlines. Nothing leaves your device.
Deadlines to know now: Damage = report within 7 days. Delay = claim within 21 days of bag returning. Lost (officially declared) = after 21 days the bag is presumed lost.
Pick one. The rules and amount differ.
The Montreal Convention (1999) covers nearly all international flights to/from the UK and most domestic flights. It makes the airline liable for “reasonable” replacement essentials while your bag is delayed.
What counts as “reasonable.” Toiletries, basic underwear and clothing, a charger, basic toiletries. Airlines push back on luxury items (e.g. designer clothes). Keep all receipts. Mid-trip replacements at high-street prices are usually paid; an £800 jacket bought at the airport is usually not.
If the airline refuses or lowballs: escalate free to the CAA Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (UK Civil Aviation Authority) or, for ADR scheme members, AviationADR or CEDR.
If a bag isn’t recovered, after 21 days it is presumed lost under the Montreal Convention. You can then claim for the full contents of the bag — not just essentials.
What you’ll need: the PIR reference, your boarding pass / bag tag, an itemised list of contents with replacement values, and receipts where you have them. For high-value items (laptops, jewellery, prescription medication) you’ll usually be asked for original purchase receipts or photographs of the items.
Beyond the cap: for losses exceeding ~£1,300 your route is travel insurance, your home contents “personal possessions away from home” cover, or, for credit-card-paid flights, your card’s purchase protection. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may apply if the ticket was £100–£30,000.
The airline is liable for damage to bags and contents under Montreal Convention Article 17(2), up to the same ~£1,300 cap per passenger.
Photographs are your most important evidence. Photograph the bag at the airport, in good light, with the tag visible. Photograph damaged contents next to a ruler or your hand for scale.
Wear and tear is excluded. Airlines often (legitimately) reject claims for scuffs and minor scrapes. Frame your claim around structural damage (broken wheel, torn fabric, smashed contents) and the specific airport handling that caused it.
If the loss was on a UK train service: file with the train operator within their stated deadline (usually 28 days). If they refuse, escalate free to the Rail Ombudsman. There is no fixed monetary cap but compensation is usually limited to actual loss with reasonable proof.
For coach (National Express, Megabus, FlixBus): file with the operator first; escalate to Bus Users UK if unresolved. The Passenger Rights Regulation (EU 181/2011, retained in UK law) provides limited cover for items checked into the hold.