A checked bag that arrives late on an international flight makes the airline liable for what you reasonably had to buy, up to 1,519 SDR per passenger — approximately US$2,080 at the IMF rate of 4 September 2026. Article 31 of the Montreal Convention gives you 21 days from the day the bag came back to complain in writing.
[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Email]
[Phone]
[Today's date]
[Airline name] — Baggage Claims
[Airline claims address or online claim form]
Re: Delayed baggage claim, Montreal Convention 1999, Article 19
Flight [Flight number]
Route [Departure airport] to [Final destination airport]
Date of flight [Flight date]
PIR reference [PIR reference]
Booking reference [Booking reference]
Bag tag number [Bag tag number]
Dear Sir or Madam,
My checked baggage on flight [Flight number] was not delivered when I
landed at [Final destination airport] on [Date you landed]. I reported it
before leaving the airport and was given Property Irregularity Report
reference [PIR reference]. The bag was returned to me on
[Date bag returned], [Days late] days late.
Under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention 1999 the carrier is liable
for damage occasioned by delay in the carriage of baggage. While I was
without my belongings I had to buy essential replacement items. I claim
reimbursement of the following necessary and reasonable expenses, with
receipts enclosed:
[Item] [Currency] [Amount]
[Item] [Currency] [Amount]
[Item] [Currency] [Amount]
Total [Currency] [Total]
This sum is within the per-passenger limit in Article 22(2) as revised
with effect from 28 December 2024. This letter is sent within the 21-day
period in Article 31(3).
Please reimburse [Currency] [Total] within 14 days to: [Payment details].
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Your full name]
How to use it
- Get the Property Irregularity Report at the airport. Without it the airline will argue you never reported the bag.
- Buy essentials, not a wardrobe, and keep every receipt with the date visible.
- Count 21 days from the day the bag was handed back and send well inside it.
- Attach the PIR, the bag tag, the boarding pass and the receipts in one message.
- Send it in writing even if you already used the airline’s app — Article 31 requires a written complaint.
The deadlines tool counts the 21 days for you from the date you enter, so you are not doing the arithmetic at the airport.
The 21-day clock is strict. Article 31(3) requires a written complaint within 21 days of the bag being placed at your disposal, and Article 31(4) says that if no complaint is made in time, no action lies against the carrier except in the case of fraud. Damaged bags get only 7 days — see the damaged baggage letter. You then have two years from arrival to sue under Article 35.
How much can I actually claim?
Your proven, reasonable outlay, capped at 1,519 SDR per passenger. The cap comes from Article 22(2) as revised with effect from 28 December 2024, published by ICAO; the SDR is an IMF unit, so its value in your currency moves daily. Toiletries, underwear, a change of clothes appropriate to the trip and a charger are the normal shape of a successful claim.
The airline offered a fixed daily amount. Do I have to take it?
No. Some carriers pay an interim daily sum while a bag is missing. That is a goodwill payment against your costs, not a legal cap: your entitlement under Article 19 is what you reasonably spent, up to the Article 22(2) limit. Accept the interim payment, keep claiming the balance, and say in the letter that you treat it as a part payment.
Does this work on a US domestic flight?
No. The Montreal Convention governs international carriage. On a purely domestic US itinerary the airline’s tariff applies, with a minimum liability set by 14 CFR 254.4, currently $4,700 per passenger — see US passenger rights. Bag fees on a very late bag are separately refundable under the DOT refund rule.
Background on the limits, the SDR and the two-year deadline is in the Montreal Convention baggage guide. If the airline refuses, or answers with a flat offer and no reasoning, escalate with the PIR, the receipts and this letter attached in one file.