Delayed or missing checked bag

Know what to do while the airline traces your bag.

A PIR starts the trace, but it is not the whole process. Keep the operating airline, delivery details, reasonable expenses, insurance and written-claim deadlines organized in one place.

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Delayed baggage action planner

Turn the airline report, tracing status, delivery details, receipts and claim deadlines into one prioritized checklist. Nothing is uploaded or saved.

What has happened?

Hours since the flight arrivedAn estimate is enough. Use 24 for about one day.

What kind of itinerary was it?This changes the deadline and U.S. checked-bag fee prompts. Confirm the rules for your carrier and route.

Where is the bag now?Choose returned even if you still need to claim expenses or damage.

PIR or baggage report filed?This is the report created by the operating airline or its baggage desk.

Airline tracer checked?Use the operating airline's own baggage-tracing page when available.

Operating airline contacted directly?Agency or recovery-service contact does not count for this answer.

Delivery details confirmed with the airline?Include the current address, local phone number and any hotel change.

Medication or an essential assistive device in the bag?Examples include prescription medicine, a CPAP machine, mobility equipment or another item needed for immediate health or daily function.

Are you away from home?Reasonable essential purchases can depend on the circumstances.

Essential-purchase receiptsKeep itemized receipts and ask the airline what it considers reimbursable.

Travel insurance or card benefitCheck for an early-notice requirement while the airline is tracing the bag.

Keep the airline trace moving and protect the claim.

Your next steps

Keep the airline trace moving and protect the claim.

The bag has been missing for about 24 hours. Complete the urgent actions first, then keep the evidence and deadline steps together.

Current day: 2
Actions to review: 6
Already covered: 2

Work through these in order

Do now: Contact the operating airline directly. Use the airline's baggage channel and give it the PIR and bag-tag details. Third-party assistance can continue in parallel, but it should not replace direct airline follow-up.
Do today: Open the airline's bag tracer. Check the airline's own tracking page with the PIR and bag tag. Save the current status and the baggage contact number.
Do today: Confirm where the bag should be delivered. Verify the address, local phone number, departure date and any hotel change with the airline. Update the airline again if your location changes.
Do today: Check travel-insurance and card deadlines. Review any travel-insurance or payment-card benefits now. Some policies require early notice even while the airline is still tracing the bag.
Keep: Keep one evidence pack. Store the PIR, bag tag, boarding pass, itinerary, airline messages, delivery updates, contents notes and purchase receipts together.
Plan for later: Mark the international-claim deadlines. If the bag is delivered late or made available for collection, send a written international delay complaint within 21 days and keep proof of when you sent it. If it still has not arrived after 21 days, follow the carrier's formal loss-claim process.

Already covered

A PIR or mishandled-baggage report has been filed.
Itemized receipts for essential purchases are being kept.

Entries stay in this page only and clear when you reload.

Preview airline follow-up

This preview contains placeholders only. Copy it, then replace each bracketed item in your own email or airline message before sending.

Subject: Follow-up on delayed checked baggage [PIR reference]

Hello,

I am following up on checked baggage that has been missing for about 24 hours.

Passenger name: [enter name]
PIR or baggage-report reference: [enter reference]
Bag-tag number: [enter bag tag]
Flight number and arrival date: [enter details]
Current delivery address: [enter address]
Local phone number: [enter number]
Departure or hotel-change date: [enter date]

Please confirm the current tracing status, the last recorded scan or location, whether my delivery details are current, and when I should expect the next update. If the bag is not recovered, please also confirm when your formal loss process begins and where I should submit the claim.

Thank you,
[enter name]

What this planner does not know

It does not read your airline file, locate the bag, decide what an airline must reimburse, submit a claim or determine which law applies to your itinerary. Airline procedures, insurance terms and legal deadlines can differ.

Use the operating airline's current baggage instructions and confirm deadlines for your route. This checklist is general travel information, not legal advice.

Protect the follow-up

The airline trace and the expense claim are related, but separate.

Keep checking the operating airline's current instructions. If another service is helping, let it work in parallel instead of waiting to contact the airline directly.

Keep the operating airline in the loop

A booking agency or recovery service may assist, but the airline's baggage report, tracer and claim process still matter.

Protect expenses and possible fee refunds

Keep purchases proportionate to the delay, save itemized receipts and check whether current U.S. rules require a checked-bag fee refund.

Keep every reference together

The PIR, bag tag, boarding pass, delivery updates, contents notes and claim confirmation form one useful evidence pack.

Official references

Confirm the rules that apply to your itinerary.

Sources checked September 21, 2026. They explain common rights and deadlines, but the carrier, route, treaty coverage, insurance policy and type of expense can change the answer for an individual claim.

Keep the rest of the itinerary flexible while you follow up.

Plan a trip

Know what to do while the airline traces your bag.

Delayed baggage action planner

Keep the airline trace moving and protect the claim.

Work through these in order

Already covered

The airline trace and the expense claim are related, but separate.

Keep the operating airline in the loop

Protect expenses and possible fee refunds

Keep every reference together

Confirm the rules that apply to your itinerary.

European Union air passenger rights

U.S. Department of Transportation baggage guidance

United Nations Treaty Series text of the Montreal Convention

Keep the rest of the itinerary flexible while you follow up.