Lost or Damaged Baggage in India Flights: Compensation and Claim Guide

Updated: June 04, 2025

Lost or Damaged Baggage in India Flights: Compensation and Claim Guide

If your checked bag is missing, delayed, broken, or arrives with damaged contents, report it before leaving the arrival area. The first report, usually called a Property Irregularity Report or PIR, is often the document that proves the issue happened while the bag was under airline control.


Compensation is not automatic. Airlines can ask for your baggage tag, boarding pass, photos, repair estimates, purchase receipts, and proof of reasonable expenses. Acting quickly gives you the strongest chance of a successful claim.

Table of Contents

Quick Answer: What to Do First

Do not leave the airport without reporting missing or damaged checked baggage. Go to the airline baggage desk, file a Property Irregularity Report, take photos, keep your boarding pass and baggage tag, and ask for the PIR or reference number in writing.

Problem First Step Key Evidence
Bag does not arrive Report it at the airline baggage desk PIR, baggage tag, boarding pass, delivery address
Bag arrives damaged Show the damage before leaving arrivals PIR, photos, repair estimate, baggage tag
Contents are damaged or missing Report the issue immediately Photos, list of items, receipts where available
Bag arrives late File a delayed-baggage report PIR, delivery timeline, essential-purchase receipts
Lost or damaged baggage claim process at an India airport

Lost, Delayed and Damaged Baggage: What Is the Difference?

These terms are often used loosely, but the claim process can differ depending on what happened to your checked bag.

Baggage Problem What It Usually Means What You Should Do
Delayed baggage The airline expects to locate and deliver the bag later File a PIR and keep receipts for reasonable essentials
Lost baggage The bag cannot be located or is treated as lost under applicable rules Submit a detailed contents and value claim
Damaged baggage The suitcase, wheel, handle, shell, zip, lock area, or contents were damaged Report immediately and obtain a repair estimate
Missing contents The bag arrived but items appear absent or damaged inside Report before leaving and list every missing item

Report the Problem Before Leaving the Airport

Inspect your checked bag as soon as it reaches the baggage belt. Check the shell, wheels, handles, zip, lock area, straps, seams, and visible contents damage before exiting the arrival area.

Air India and IndiGo both direct passengers with delayed, lost, or damaged checked baggage to report the issue at the arrival airport baggage desk. IndiGo states that baggage received without a complaint is treated as delivered correctly and in good condition.

Do not wait until you reach home or your hotel. The airline may later argue that the bag was accepted without complaint or that the damage happened after delivery.

At the baggage desk, ask for

  • A Property Irregularity Report or PIR.
  • A written reference number.
  • The baggage tracing or tracking link.
  • The airline contact channel for follow-up.
  • Confirmation of your delivery address and phone number.
  • Instructions for submitting a repair, replacement, or expense claim.

What Is a Property Irregularity Report?

A Property Irregularity Report, usually called a PIR, is the airport report created when checked baggage is delayed, missing, damaged, or mishandled.

The PIR is not an automatic approval of compensation. It is evidence that you notified the airline promptly and gave it the information needed to trace the bag or assess the damage.

Keep the PIR number safe. You may need it for baggage tracking, airline follow-up, travel insurance, credit card insurance, and any later complaint.

Damaged Baggage Claims

Airlines may consider a claim when a checked bag was damaged while under airline control. Stronger claims usually involve major structural damage such as a cracked hard-shell case, broken frame, torn suitcase body, or damage that makes the bag difficult to use.

Airlines often distinguish serious damage from ordinary wear and tear. A broken wheel or retractable handle may be treated differently depending on the airline’s conditions of carriage, the bag’s age, the type of luggage, and the cause of damage.

Damage worth reporting immediately

  • Cracked or split hard-shell suitcase.
  • Broken suitcase frame.
  • Torn exterior or broken seam.
  • Broken zip that prevents the bag from closing.
  • Damage that exposes the bag contents.
  • Water damage caused by mishandling.
  • Damaged contents caused by a broken bag.
  • Missing parts that make the bag unusable.

Damage an airline may treat as normal wear

  • Minor scratches and scuffs.
  • Small dents or marks.
  • Soiling from ordinary baggage handling.
  • Damage caused by overpacking.
  • Damage to fragile or poorly packed items.
  • Damage to items excluded from checked baggage coverage.

Delayed Baggage Claims

When a checked bag does not arrive, the airline may classify it as delayed while it searches and arranges delivery. Air India says passengers should report delayed baggage in the arrival hall and file a PIR. It also says reasonable essential expenses may be considered, subject to its terms and conditions.

Keep receipts for necessary purchases caused by the delay. Reasonable essentials can include basic toiletries, underwear, simple clothing, baby items, or other immediate needs when you are away from home.

Keep delayed-baggage spending reasonable. A simple replacement item with a receipt is easier to justify than luxury shopping, expensive electronics, or purchases unrelated to the delay.

Keep a simple delayed-baggage record

  • Date and time you filed the PIR.
  • PIR number and baggage tag number.
  • Every airline phone call, email, or message.
  • Date and time the bag was delivered.
  • Receipts for essential replacement purchases.
  • Photos of damaged contents or the suitcase after delivery.

When Is Baggage Treated as Lost?

A delayed bag is not always lost. Airlines may continue tracing it through baggage systems and partner airports before formally treating it as lost.

Under the Montreal Convention framework, passengers may enforce rights relating to baggage after 21 days from the date the bag should have arrived. Airlines may also have internal tracing and claim procedures, so continue following the operating carrier’s instructions.

Once a bag is treated as lost, the airline may ask for a detailed contents list, approximate purchase dates, item values, receipts, bank details, and supporting photographs.

Compensation Limits for India and International Flights

Compensation depends on the route, airline, applicable law, proof of loss, excluded items, and whether you made a special declaration of value before travel. A liability limit is not a guaranteed payout.

Flight Type General Framework What It Means for Passengers
Domestic India flight Indian law and airline conditions of carriage Airline liability may be capped and can be lower than the full value of your bag contents
International flight under Montreal Convention Convention-based liability in Special Drawing Rights Maximum limits can change and claims still require proof
High-value baggage Special declaration or insurance may be needed Do not expect standard baggage liability to cover expensive valuables
Delayed baggage Reasonable proven losses and airline terms Keep receipts for essentials bought because of the delay

Air India’s current conditions of carriage state a domestic checked-baggage liability limit of ₹25,000 for loss, delay, or damage, unless a higher legal limit applies or a higher value was declared and the applicable fee was paid. Its international Montreal Convention terms state a checked-baggage limit of 1,288 Special Drawing Rights, subject to the applicable law and claim circumstances.

Do not pack cash, jewellery, passports, important documents, fragile items, or expensive electronics in checked baggage. Airlines often exclude or limit liability for valuables and other restricted checked items.

Baggage Claim Deadlines

Report the problem at the airport immediately, then submit a written claim promptly. Airlines can impose strict notice periods, and waiting too long can weaken or block a claim.

Claim Type Best Action Common Written-Claim Deadline
Damaged checked baggage Report at arrival and submit written claim Often within 7 days of receiving the bag
Delayed checked baggage File PIR immediately and submit expense claim Often within 21 days after the bag is made available
Lost baggage Follow airline tracing and formal loss-claim process Check the operating carrier’s current instructions

Air India’s conditions of carriage state that a written complaint for damage must be made within seven days of receipt and a written complaint for delayed baggage within 21 days after the baggage is made available. Your operating airline may have additional requirements, so do not wait until the last day.

Documents Needed for a Claim

Keep every record until the airline has resolved the claim and any insurance reimbursement is complete.

Document Why It Matters
Boarding pass Confirms that you travelled on the flight
Baggage tag Connects the claim to your checked bag
PIR or baggage report Shows the issue was reported at the airport
Booking confirmation Shows the route, airline, date, and ticket details
Photos and video Documents damage, baggage condition, and contents
Repair estimate Supports a damaged-baggage claim
Suitcase receipt Helps establish the bag’s value and age
Contents list Supports a lost-baggage claim
Essential-purchase receipts Supports delayed-baggage reimbursement
Airline emails and messages Shows the claim timeline and follow-up record

Air India and IndiGo Claim Process

Air India

Air India asks passengers with delayed baggage to report the issue at the arrival hall and file a PIR. It provides baggage tracking through WorldTracer and lets passengers generate a Mishandled Baggage Statement for expense or insurance claims.

For damaged, delayed, or lost baggage, use Air India’s baggage support process, keep the PIR number, and submit supporting documents through its customer support channel.

IndiGo

IndiGo directs passengers to report lost, delayed, or damaged checked baggage at the arrival airport baggage desk. It states that baggage received without a complaint is considered delivered correctly and in good condition.

Use the baggage desk reference, IndiGo’s lost or mishandled baggage pages, and its customer support channels to continue the claim after leaving the airport.

Connecting Flights and Codeshare Baggage Claims

For a connecting itinerary, report the missing or damaged bag at your final arrival airport. The last carrier may handle the initial report, even when another airline operated the segment where the problem occurred.

Codeshare flights can be more complicated because the marketing airline and operating airline may have different baggage rules. Check the operating carrier’s conditions of carriage and keep your entire itinerary, not only the final boarding pass.

For a connection, keep

  • Every boarding pass from the itinerary.
  • All baggage tags and tag stubs.
  • The full booking confirmation.
  • The operating airline details for each flight.
  • The PIR filed at the final arrival airport.
  • Any delivery or baggage-tracking updates.

Travel Insurance and Credit Card Coverage

Travel insurance can provide additional protection when airline compensation is limited. Depending on the policy, it may cover delayed baggage essentials, lost baggage, damaged contents, stolen items, and emergency purchases made while your bag is missing.

Some credit cards also offer baggage-delay or lost-luggage coverage when the trip was paid for with that card. Read the policy wording before relying on it because per-item limits, exclusions, deductibles, claim deadlines, and airline-first claim requirements can apply.

Insurance claim rule: most insurers want the PIR, airline claim reference, baggage tag, boarding pass, receipts, and proof that you first reported the problem to the airline.

Travel Insurance Guides

What Airlines May Refuse to Pay For

Airlines can reject or limit claims where the bag was accepted without complaint, the item was excluded from checked baggage coverage, the damage was ordinary wear, or the passenger cannot show a reasonable loss.

Common exclusions or weak claims

  • Minor scratches, dents, scuffs, and ordinary wear.
  • Old luggage with pre-existing damage.
  • Damage caused by overpacking.
  • Fragile items packed without adequate protection.
  • Cash, jewellery, watches, documents, passports, and negotiable instruments.
  • Valuable electronics packed in checked baggage.
  • Perishable items, food, or liquids that leak.
  • Claims filed after the airline deadline.
  • Losses without receipts, photos, or supporting proof.

How to Write a Strong Baggage Claim

Keep the claim factual and easy to verify. Do not write a long emotional story without dates, bag details, and evidence.

Include these details

  • Your full name and contact information.
  • Flight number, date, route, and booking reference.
  • Baggage tag number and PIR number.
  • Clear description of the loss, delay, or damage.
  • Photos of the bag and contents where relevant.
  • Repair estimate, replacement cost, or essential-purchase receipts.
  • The amount you are requesting and why.
  • Your bank details only through the airline’s official process.

Use Complaint Letter Example: Damaged Baggage in India Flights or Complaint Letter Example: Lost Baggage in India Flights for a starting format.

Mistakes to Avoid

  • Leaving the airport before reporting the problem.
  • Throwing away boarding passes or baggage tags.
  • Accepting a verbal promise without a PIR number.
  • Waiting days before taking damage photos.
  • Repairing or discarding the bag before documenting the damage.
  • Submitting no receipts or repair estimate.
  • Buying expensive non-essential items during a baggage delay.
  • Ignoring the airline’s written-claim deadline.
  • Putting jewellery, cash, passports, or expensive electronics in checked baggage.
  • Using an unofficial website or unknown agent to submit personal claim documents.

Bottom Line

Your best chance of recovering a missing bag or receiving baggage compensation starts at the airport. File a PIR before leaving, keep your baggage tag and boarding pass, take photos, and submit a written claim with receipts before the airline deadline.

For domestic India flights, baggage liability can be limited. For international flights, the route may be governed by the Montreal Convention or another applicable framework. Keep valuables out of checked baggage and use travel insurance for items that airline liability may not fully cover.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if an airline damages my luggage in India?

Report the damage at the airline baggage desk before leaving the airport. File a PIR, take photos, keep your baggage tag and boarding pass, and submit a written claim with a repair estimate or supporting receipts.

What is a PIR for baggage?

A PIR is a Property Irregularity Report. It records that your checked baggage was delayed, missing, damaged, or mishandled and gives you a reference number for tracking and claims.

Can I claim compensation for a delayed bag?

You may be able to claim reasonable essential expenses caused by the delay. Keep receipts for toiletries, basic clothing, and other necessary purchases, then submit them through the airline’s baggage claim process.

How long do I have to claim damaged baggage?

Report the issue at the airport immediately. Airlines can set strict written-claim deadlines. Air India’s current conditions require a written damage complaint within seven days of receiving the bag.

How long do I have to claim delayed baggage expenses?

File the PIR immediately and submit your written claim promptly. Air India’s current conditions state that delayed-baggage complaints must be made within 21 days after the bag is made available.

How much compensation can I get for lost baggage in India?

The amount depends on the airline, route, evidence, excluded items, and applicable law. Air India’s current domestic conditions state a checked-baggage liability limit of ₹25,000, subject to its terms and any applicable higher legal limit.

Will airlines pay for broken wheels or handles?

They may consider the claim, but airlines can treat wheels, handles, zips, scuffs, and other exterior parts as ordinary wear and tear depending on the circumstances and their conditions of carriage.

Can I claim for jewellery or electronics inside checked baggage?

Usually not reliably. Airlines often exclude or limit liability for cash, jewellery, documents, fragile items, and expensive electronics placed in checked baggage.

What happens if I leave the airport before reporting baggage damage?

Your claim becomes harder. The airline may say the bag was accepted in good condition or that the damage happened after you left the arrival area.

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