Lost, Delayed or Damaged Baggage: What Airlines Owe You

File a report with the airline as soon as you can. DOT says to report damage or missing items before leaving the airport and to insist on a written report. Note the date, time and the name of the person you spoke with.

To get a refund of your bag fee for a significantly delayed bag, you must file a mishandled baggage report.

• Bag fee refund: owed if the bag isn't delivered within 12 hours of a domestic flight's arrival, within 15 hours for international flights of 12 hours or less, or within 30 hours for longer international flights.
• Expenses: airlines must reimburse reasonable, verifiable, actual incidental expenses while you wait, up to the liability limit. DOT says airlines can't set an arbitrary daily cap (like $50 a day). Keep every receipt.

DOT says most airlines declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight, though it varies. Once it's lost, the airline must compensate you for the contents (subject to depreciation and the liability limit) and refund any bag fee. Airlines may ask for receipts for valuable items.

• Domestic U.S. flights: airlines may limit their liability to no less than $4,700 per passenger (14 CFR Part 254). DOT reviews this amount every two years.
• Most international flights (Montreal Convention): 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, which DOT estimates at about $2,175. The dollar value moves with exchange rates.
• Airlines may pay more, but aren't required to. On domestic trips, airlines can exclude items listed in their contract of carriage (often fragile items, electronics, cash and valuables), so keep those in your carry-on.
• Assistive devices lost or damaged on domestic flights aren't subject to the baggage limit; DOT says the airline is liable up to the original purchase price.

The EU says airlines are liable up to approximately €1,300 for lost, damaged or delayed checked luggage. File in writing with the airline within 7 days, or within 21 days of getting a delayed bag back.