Airline Lost Your Bag? What to Do, Including on an Overnight Layover

What to do at the airport, in order

1. Report it before you leave. DOT's advice is to report problems to the airline before leaving the airport and to insist the airline fill out a form and give you a copy, even if staff say the bag will be on the next flight (DOT Plane Talk). Some airlines let you file in their app.
2. Get the agent's name and a phone number for following up (not reservations), per DOT, and keep the file reference number from your report.
3. Give a delivery address for the night and for later in your trip. DOT suggests asking whether the airline will deliver the bag free when it's found.
4. Ask about expenses. DOT suggests asking about an advance or reimbursement for things you need to buy.
5. Keep your bag tag receipt and boarding pass. If the agent takes your claim checks, DOT says to make sure that is noted on your copy of the report.

Airlines set their own reporting deadlines. United, for example, says travelers in the U.S. must report a bag problem within 24 hours of arrival. Check your airline's page.

Your rights on U.S. flights

Situation	What the airline owes you	Rule
Bag delayed	Reasonable, verifiable, actual incidental expenses, up to the liability limit; no arbitrary daily cap	DOT baggage guidance
Bag significantly delayed	Refund of the checked-bag fee, if you filed a report	14 CFR 260.5
Bag declared lost	Value of the bag and contents (depreciated), up to the limit, plus a refund of the bag fee	DOT; 14 CFR 260.5
Liability limit, domestic	At least $4,700 per passenger	14 CFR 254.4
Liability limit, most international trips	1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger under the Montreal Convention (since Dec. 28, 2024)	ICAO

"Significantly delayed" has a fixed definition in federal rules: a bag not delivered within 12 hours of your last flight's arrival for domestic itineraries, 15 hours for international itineraries whose U.S.-to-foreign nonstop flight is 12 hours or less, and 30 hours when that flight is longer than 12 hours (14 CFR 260.2). The clock starts when you're given the chance to get off the plane at your final destination and stops when the bag is delivered to the place you agreed on or you pick it up.

The refund must be prompt: within 7 business days for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment types, and in the original form of payment unless you agree to something else (14 CFR Part 260).

If you're on an overnight layover

An overnight layover adds a few wrinkles:

• Your bag is usually checked to your final destination. Ask at check-in, and look at the destination code on your bag tag receipt. If it shows your final city, the bag will travel on without you needing to collect it, and you generally won't be able to get it for the night.
• Pack an overnight kit in your carry-on. DOT advises against packing small valuables and other items you can't do without in checked bags. For a planned overnight connection, add a change of clothes and toiletries.
• International trip into the U.S.? You normally collect your bags at the first U.S. airport, clear customs and recheck them. DOT says an airline doesn't owe a bag-fee refund for a delay caused by a passenger who didn't pick up and recheck bags at that first U.S. entry point.
• Separate tickets? If your flights aren't on one reservation, the first airline may only check your bag to the layover city. Pick it up there and check it again for the next flight.
• Bag missing when you finally arrive? File the report at your final destination with the airline that operated your last flight. Under the bag-fee refund rule, the report goes to the carrier that operated the last segment of a multi-airline trip.

While you wait

• Track the bag in the airline's app or with the file number.
• Buy only what you need, and keep itemized receipts. DOT says reimbursement covers reasonable, verifiable and actual expenses.
• Write down every call: date, time and the name of the person you spoke with.

When the bag is declared lost

DOT says most airlines declare a bag lost 5 to 14 days after the flight. At that point:

1. File the lost-bag claim the airline asks for, listing the contents and their value. DOT notes airlines may require receipts or other proof for valuable items, and compensation is subject to depreciation and the liability limit.
2. Expect the bag fee back. Airlines must refund fees you paid to transport a bag that was lost.
3. Check other coverage. Some credit cards and travel insurance policies cover delayed or lost bags. Read the terms before you file.

If you can't get anywhere with the airline, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation through its aviation consumer protection pages.

Prevent the next one

• Put your name and contact details inside the bag as well as on the tag.
• Take a photo of your bag and its contents before you check it.
• Leave longer connections in winter; our explainer on why deicing delays flights covers why snowy days break tight connections.