My luggage is lost, delayed or damaged — who pays?

Direct answer

The airline, under the Montreal Convention, up to about €1,600 per passenger — but only if you report before leaving the airport (the PIR form at the baggage desk) and claim in writing within 7 days for damage, 21 days for delay. Keep receipts for essentials you buy while waiting. If the airline refuses or ignores you, BAZL — Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt (bazl.admin.ch) supervises airlines in Switzerland; SECO — Unlauterer Wettbewerb (seco.admin.ch) helps against an airline based elsewhere in the EU; your travel insurer, and Ombudsman der Privatversicherung und der SUVA (044 211 30 90) if it refuses, covers the rest.

Call firstBAZL — Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt

Report toSECO — Unlauterer Wettbewerb

If that failsOmbudsman der Privatversicherung und der SUVA

🗣️ What to say

"Flight [number] on [date], PIR [number]. My bag [tag number] is [missing / delayed since / damaged: what]. Under the Montreal Convention I claim [the value of the contents and the bag / the cost of essentials / the repair], [amount], receipts attached, within the 7/21-day deadline."

🪜 Step by step

Before you leave the airportBaggage desk, PIR report, keep the reference and the bag-tag stub.
Buy essentials, keep receiptsReasonable: toiletries, underwear, a change of clothes. The airline reimburses.
Written claim within 7 / 21 daysDamage 7 days, delay 21 days from delivery. Lost = not returned after 21 days: claim the contents with a list and any proof.
Refusal: BAZL — Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt, SECO — Unlauterer WettbewerbThe aviation authority or the ECC for a foreign airline; the ADR body if the airline is a member.
InsurerTravel or contents insurance tops up above the airline's limit; Ombudsman der Privatversicherung und der SUVA decides if they refuse.

📇 All contacts

BAZL — Bundesamt für ZivilluftfahrtNational enforcement body for passenger rightsWhen the airline refuses or is silent for 6–8 weeks🔗 www.bazl.admin.ch/bazl/de/home/gutzuwissen/passagierrechte.html

SECO — Unlauterer WettbewerbReport unfair business practicesFor misleading ads, subscription traps, fake shops🔗 www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Werbe_Geschaeftsmethoden.html

Ombudsman der Privatversicherung und der SUVAFree mediation in disputes with insurersAfter the insurer's refusal📞 044 211 30 90 🔗 www.ombudsman-assurance.ch

Friedensrichter / SchlichtungsbehördeMandatory conciliation before court, cheapSimplified procedure up to CHF 30,000🔗 www.ch.ch/de/gerichte

❓ Frequently asked

What is the maximum?

About 1,288 SDR — roughly €1,600 — per passenger for all baggage, unless you declared a higher value at check-in. Above that, insurance.

They gave me a voucher

You can insist on money for a Montreal claim; vouchers are optional.

Damaged wheels and handles

Airlines like to exclude them; the Convention does not. Claim anyway and escalate.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

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“lost luggage compensation Switzerland”
“delayed baggage airline claim deadline”
“damaged suitcase airline claim”
“montreal convention baggage limit”
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🧳 My luggage is lost, delayed or damaged — who pays?