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.
Delayed or missing checked bag
See all free tools 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.
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.
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 returned late, an international delay claim generally must be made in writing within 21 days after the bag is returned. 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.
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.
Protect reasonable expenses
Ask what the airline considers reimbursable, keep purchases proportionate to the delay and save itemized receipts.
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 18, 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.
European Union air passenger rights
EU guidance on lost, damaged and delayed checked baggage and written-claim timing.
U.S. Department of Transportation baggage guidance
U.S. guidance on airline responsibility, delayed-bag expenses, critical items and assistive devices.
ICAO passenger consumer protection
ICAO's current overview of Montreal Convention baggage and delay liability.
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