My Bag Didn’t Make It to Lisbon : What I Actually Got Back Under the Montreal Convention

For lost or delayed luggage on an international flight, airlines are liable for up to roughly 1,288 Special Drawing Rights (about $1,750–$1,900 depending on exchange rates) under the Montreal Convention. File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport before leaving, keep every receipt for interim purchases, and know that a bag isn’t officially declared “lost” (versus delayed) until 21 days have passed. On domestic US flights, DOT rules cap airline liability at $4,700.

Every lost or delayed luggage guide tells you to “file a report and keep receipts.” What almost none of them tell you is what actually happens after that: how much you’re realistically entitled to, how long the process takes, and what I actually got back when my bag didn’t make a connection in Lisbon.

The person at the baggage service desk hands you a reference number and sends you on your way. The liability caps, the 21-day rule, and the receipt requirements are things you have to already know or dig up yourself, under stress, in an unfamiliar airport.

Lost or Delayed Luggage: What You’re Actually Entitled To

For international flights, the Montreal Convention caps airline liability at 1,288 Special Drawing Rights per passenger; roughly $1,750–$1,900 depending on current exchange rates.

For domestic US flights, the Department of Transportation sets a separate liability cap of $4,700 per passenger.

What Actually Happened in Lisbon

A tight connection in Madrid meant my checked bag didn’t make the same flight I did. Here’s exactly what I did, in order, and what came of each step:

1. Filed a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage service desk before leaving the airport. This took about 20 minutes and is the single non-negotiable first step. No PIR generally means no claim.
2. Received a reference number and the airline’s promised delivery window (48 hours, in my case): worth writing down or photographing immediately, since it’s easy to misplace a small printed slip in the chaos of an unfamiliar airport.
3. Bought a change of clothes, a toothbrush, and basic toiletries that first night: kept every receipt, which turned out to matter a lot. I photographed each receipt with my phone the same evening, since faded thermal-paper receipts are a real, common problem by the time a claim actually gets filed.
4. The bag arrived on day 2, within the promised window, but many delays run longer, and the interim-expense reimbursement process is the same either way.
5. Submitted the interim-expense receipts through the airline’s online claims portal within their stated window (varies by airline, commonly 7–21 days).
6. Received reimbursement for the interim purchases about 3 weeks later; not instant, but a real, working process.

The PIR felt like a formality at the time. It’s not, it’s the one document that makes everything after it possible. Skip it, and there’s effectively no claim to make. – Leslie Nics, Founder & Lead Travel Writer, TravelValueFinder.com

Delayed vs. Lost: The 21-Day Line That Changes Everything

This distinction matters more than most people realize going in. A bag is officially considered delayed for the first 21 days after it goes missing, during which airlines typically reimburse reasonable interim expenses (toiletries, a change of clothes) but not the bag’s full contents.

Only after 21 days without recovery does a bag become officially lost, triggering the full liability-cap claim process for the bag and its contents.

Filing the Claim, Step by Step

7. At the airport, before leaving baggage claim: file the PIR with the airline’s baggage service desk, and get a reference number and copy of the report.
8. Keep every receipt for interim purchases (toiletries, a change of clothes, essential medications). Photograph them immediately in case a physical receipt fades or is lost.
9. Check the specific airline’s claims window. Most require submission within 7–21 days of the PIR, and missing that window can void the claim entirely.
10. For a bag that crosses into “lost” status at 21 days, submit an itemized list of the bag’s contents with reasonable value estimates such as photos of packed items before the trip, if you have them, genuinely help here.
11. If the airline’s response feels inadequate, escalate through the DOT’s complaint portal for domestic issues, or the equivalent aviation authority for international carriers.

What Airlines Don’t Advertise: Exemptions That Can Reduce Liability

The Montreal Convention’s liability cap isn’t unconditional. Airlines can limit or deny compensation for fragile or perishable items, valuables like jewelry or electronics packed in checked luggage rather than carried on, and damage attributable to the item’s own inherent defect rather than airline mishandling.

There’s also a lesser-known option worth knowing about: excess valuation declaration, where you can declare a higher value for specific checked items at check-in for an additional fee, raising the effective liability cap above the standard amount. This is genuinely useful for anyone checking a bag with contents worth more than the roughly $1,750–$1,900 standard cap.

• Never check irreplaceable valuables, medications, or electronics; the standard liability cap almost never covers their real replacement value, and some airlines exclude them from compensation entirely.
• Ask about excess valuation declaration at check-in if you’re checking a bag with contents genuinely worth more than roughly $1,800.
• Keep a basic itemized packing list (even a phone note) for any checked bag carrying anything of real value. It becomes the backbone of a claim if needed.

Credit Cards That Cover This Automatically

I didn’t even think to check my card’s benefits until after the trip. It turned out the card I’d used to book the flight would have covered the same interim purchases without needing airline reimbursement at all. – Leslie Nics, Founder & Lead Travel Writer, TravelValueFinder.com

What I’d Do Differently

I’d also check my credit card’s baggage delay benefits before traveling, not after. Knowing which coverage kicks in fastest changes which receipts to prioritize and which claims process to start first.

Prevention: What Actually Reduces the Risk

• Pack essential medications, a change of clothes, and chargers in your carry-on, not checked luggage; this doesn’t prevent a delay, but it neutralizes most of its impact.
• Choose longer layovers over the tightest legal connection time when booking a multi-leg international itinerary. Tight connections are the single biggest driver of misconnected bags.
• Remove old baggage tags from previous trips before checking in; a leftover tag occasionally causes routing errors.
• Add a AirTag or similar tracker inside checked luggage; it won’t prevent a misroute, but it turns “the airline says it’s somewhere” into an actual location you can see yourself.
• Choose a distinctive bag or a bright luggage strap; genuinely reduces the odds of another passenger accidentally grabbing a similar-looking bag off the carousel, a surprisingly common cause of “lost” luggage that’s really just mis-delivered.
• Book direct flights when the cost difference is reasonable. Every additional connection is another opportunity for a bag to get misrouted.

Find Out More About Travel Planning

• Travel Insurance Guide
• Best Travel Credit Cards
• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card
• Europe Packing List
• Travel Packing List
• Lisbon vs Porto Cost Comparison

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People Also Ask

How much compensation do you get for lost luggage?

Up to roughly $1,750–$1,900 on international flights under the Montreal Convention, or up to $4,700 on domestic US flights under DOT rules; these are caps, and airlines typically reimburse actual documented value, not the cap amount automatically.

What is the difference between delayed and lost luggage?

A bag is considered delayed for the first 21 days after going missing, during which airlines typically cover reasonable interim expenses. After 21 days without recovery, it’s officially considered lost, triggering a full contents claim.

What should I do immediately if my luggage is lost?

File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airline’s baggage service desk before leaving the airport. This is required for any later claim, and get a reference number and copy of the report.

Do credit cards cover lost or delayed luggage?

Many travel rewards credit cards include baggage delay and lost luggage insurance as a built-in benefit, often triggering faster than an airline’s own process. Check your specific card’s benefits guide before traveling.

FAQ

Sources

• U.S. Department of Transportation – Fly Rights: Baggage