The rules BagBack uses, cited

Airlines owe you for a lost, late or damaged bag because a treaty and two federal rules say so, and because each airline’s own contract sets deadlines on top. These are those rules, with the numbers, where each one comes from, and worked examples with real arithmetic.

Rules last checked on November 5, 2026 against the official texts linked below.

The ceilings

Trip	Rule	The ceiling	Since
International (to or from the US, or between two treaty countries)	Montreal Convention, Article 22(2)Since 28 December 2024	1,519 SDR per passenger, about $2,060 at 1.3559 US dollars per SDR (the IMF rate on 10 November 2026). It was 1,288 SDR before.	28 December 2024
Within the United States	14 CFR 254.4 (US DOT)Since 22 January 2025	The airline may not limit its liability below $4,700 per passenger, for loss, damage or delay.	22 January 2025

An SDR (Special Drawing Right) is a basket of currencies the IMF prices every day. We convert at the IMF’s rate on 10 November 2026, 1.3559 US dollars per SDR; the letter states the rate it used and its date, and a case keeps the rate it was opened with.

The deadlines in the law

• Damage or missing contents, international: written complaint within 7 days of getting the bag back. Montreal Convention, Article 31(2).
• Delay, international: written complaint within 21 days of the day the bag was handed back. Article 31(2).
• When a late bag counts as lost: 21 days after it should have arrived. Article 17(3).
• Going to court, international: within 2 years of arrival. Article 35.
• Within the US: the law sets no claim deadline of its own, so the airline’s contract of carriage sets it (the table below).

The bag fee comes back on top

Under the DOT’s 2024 refund rule the airline must refund the checked-bag fee once you have filed a mishandled-bag report and the bag is “significantly delayed”: not delivered within 12 hours of the last flight’s arrival within the US, 15 hours on an international trip whose nonstop flight to or from the US is 12 hours or less, and 30 hours when that flight is longer. 14 CFR 260.2 (the definition) and 260.5 (the refund). The refund is separate from the ceiling above.

Worked through the engine, $35 fee	Threshold	Refund owed?
Within the US, bag 9 hours late	12 hours	Not yet
Within the US, bag 13 hours late	12 hours	Yes, $35.00
New York to London (7-hour flight), bag 14 hours late	15 hours	Not yet
New York to London (7-hour flight), bag 16 hours late	15 hours	Yes, $35.00
New York to Singapore (18-hour flight), bag 29 hours late	30 hours	Not yet

What you bought while you waited

Reasonable purchases while the bag is missing are claimed at what you paid. The DOT has fined airlines for paying a flat amount per day or half of the cost of clothing: Delta in 2010, Lufthansa and Emirates in 2011.

Each airline’s own windows

On top of the law, each airline’s contract of carriage says how fast you must report a problem at the airport and how long you have to claim in writing. A person checks each one against the airline’s own pages; the date of the last check is beside it.

Spirit Airlines is out of business. It wound down on 2 May 2026 and its claim pages no longer open, so it is not in our airline list and we do not offer it as a live carrier.

Worked example 1: a late bag within the US Sample

Delta, Atlanta to Seattle, landed September 15, 2026, bag back three days later. Purchases while waiting: toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, razor $23.40; phone charger $24.99; underwear and socks for three days $38.97; shirt and trousers for a client meeting $86.50.

$23.40 + $24.99 + $38.97 + $86.50 = $173.86, under the $4,700 ceiling, so all of it is claimed. The bag was more than 12 hours late, so the $35.00 bag fee is refunded on top: $208.86 in all. See the letter and the dates.

Worked example 2: a lost bag, New York to London Sample

Six things in the bag at replacement cost: Laptop (14") $1,300, Suit, two shirts, tie $640, Running shoes $140, Toiletries kit $85, Noise-cancelling headphones $300, Hard-shell suitcase $280, which is $2,745. Plus $251 bought while waiting. Total documented loss: $2,996.

The Montreal ceiling is 1,519 SDR × 1.3559 = $2,060. The loss is above it, so the claim is the ceiling, $2,060, plus the $75 bag fee: $2,135. The $936 above the ceiling goes to a card benefit or travel insurer, if there is one. The full letter, annotated.

Sources

• Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 1999), United Nations Treaty Series vol. 2242 Articles 17, 19, 22, 31 and 35. The 1,519 SDR figure is ICAO’s revision of the limits under Article 24, in force from 28 December 2024.
• 14 CFR Part 254, Domestic Baggage Liability (eCFR, current text) Section 254.4.
• 14 CFR Part 260, Refunds and Other Consumer Protections (eCFR, current text) Section 260.2 defines a significantly delayed bag; section 260.5 is the refund.
• Refunds and Other Consumer Protections, final rule, 89 FR 32760 (Federal Register, 26 April 2024)
• DOT consent order 2010-10-23, Delta Air Lines (domestic baggage liability, 14 CFR Part 254)
• DOT consent order 2011-6-18, Deutsche Lufthansa AG (delayed-baggage reimbursement under the Montreal Convention, docket DOT-OST-2011-0003)
• DOT consent order 2011-8-24, Emirates (baggage compensation under the Montreal Convention)

BagBack is a document-preparation and claim-tracking service, not a law firm. Nothing on this page is legal advice. You file the claim in your own name.

Common questions

The airline lost my bag. How much can I actually get?

What you can show you lost, up to a ceiling. On a trip within the US the ceiling is $4,700 per passenger. On an international trip it is 1,519 SDR, about $2,060. The ceiling is not a payout: you claim the contents at what they cost to replace, plus what you had to buy, plus the bag fee.

My bag came back after three days. Can I still claim?

Yes. Claim what you had to buy while it was missing, at what you paid, and the bag fee if it was late enough. The sample on this page is exactly that case. Keep the receipts.

They offered me $100 and some miles. Is that it?

You do not have to take it. The rules entitle you to money for what you can show, not to a voucher. Ask in writing for the reason behind any deduction, item by item.

My claim was denied. Now what?

Ask the airline to put the reason in writing. A US traveler can file a complaint with the Department of Transportation at any time, and the airline has to answer it. BagBack is not a law firm; if you want to go to court, talk to a lawyer.

I threw the receipts away. Is it hopeless?

No. List each thing at what it costs to replace today. Photos, card statements and order emails all help show what you had. Receipts make it easier; they are not the only proof.

I flew Spirit. Who do I claim from?

Spirit Airlines is out of business: it wound down on 2 May 2026, and its claim pages no longer open. It is not in our airline list and we do not offer it as a live carrier. A claim can still be made against the company or its insurer, but do not expect a normal reply.