What do I do in the first 24 hours if the airline loses my luggage?
File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport baggage desk before you leave, keep the PIR reference, and buy immediate essentials — most airlines reimburse reasonable interim costs (clothing, toiletries) up to roughly €100–€150 per day against receipts.
The PIR is non-negotiable: without it, no compensation and no tracker. File it at the airport baggage service desk before you exit the terminal, even if the queue is long. You will receive a reference (usually a 10-character alphanumeric code) — this becomes your handle for every follow-up.
Under the Montreal Convention the airline is liable up to roughly €1,780 (1,519 SDR) per passenger for delayed, damaged, or lost baggage. 'Delayed' becomes 'lost' after 21 days. Buy what you actually need in the meantime and keep every receipt; airlines typically reimburse toiletries, one change of clothing per day, and basic essentials.
An Apple AirTag or Tile in the bag is the single highest-leverage prevention step for 2026: airlines increasingly accept device location data as proof and often act on it faster than their own tracking.
Lost luggage — the first 24 hours
- File the PIR before you leave the airport — Go to the airline’s baggage service office in arrivals. Get the 10-character WorldTracer reference and photograph the PIR plus your bag-tag stub before leaving.
- Track the bag via WorldTracer — Enter the reference at worldtracer.aero or the airline tracker. Refresh every 6–12 hours; “Located” means the bag has been scanned and delivery usually follows within 24 hours.
- Buy reasonable essentials and keep every receipt — Toiletries, one change of clothes per day, medication. Buy from ordinary pharmacies or department stores — itemised receipts only.
- Update the delivery address if your plans change — Update via the airline tracker or local baggage office phone. Give a mobile number the courier can reach on the delivery day, and confirm remote hotels accept courier drops.
- File the full claim after 21 days if not returned — After 21 days the bag is officially “lost” under Montreal. Submit the airline’s claim form with the PIR, bag-tag stub, and an itemised contents list to claim up to the SDR 1,519 cap.
Related reading
Last verified 2026-07-29.