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Travel · Germany
Updated September 2026

🧳 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, Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) — Fluggastrechte (lba.de) supervises airlines in Germany; Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland (+49 7851 991480) helps against an airline based elsewhere in the EU; your travel insurer, and Versicherungsombudsmann (0800 3696000) if it refuses, covers the rest.

Call firstLuftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) — Fluggastrechte
Report toEuropäisches Verbraucherzentrum Deutschland
If that failsVersicherungsombudsmann

🗣️ 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

  1. Before you leave the airportBaggage desk, PIR report, keep the reference and the bag-tag stub.
  2. Buy essentials, keep receiptsReasonable: toiletries, underwear, a change of clothes. The airline reimburses.
  3. 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.
  4. Refusal: Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) — Fluggastrechte, Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum DeutschlandThe aviation authority or the ECC for a foreign airline; the ADR body if the airline is a member.
  5. InsurerTravel or contents insurance tops up above the airline's limit; Versicherungsombudsmann decides if they refuse.

📇 All contacts

Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) — FluggastrechteNational enforcement body, complaint formWhen the airline refuses or is silent for 6–8 weeks🔗 www.lba.de/DE/Passagiere/Fluggastrechte/Fluggastrechte_node.html
Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum DeutschlandFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller is in another EU country, Norway or Iceland📞 +49 7851 991480🔗 www.evz.de
VersicherungsombudsmannFree dispute resolution with insurers, binding up to €10,000After the insurer's refusal📞 0800 3696000🔗 www.versicherungsombudsmann.de
Allgemeine VerbraucherschlichtungsstelleOut-of-court dispute resolution, free for consumersWhen advice did not help🔗 www.verbraucher-schlichter.de

❓ 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

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “lost luggage compensation Germany”
  • “delayed baggage airline claim deadline”
  • “damaged suitcase airline claim”
  • “montreal convention baggage limit”
  • “airline refuses luggage claim”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

✈️Flight compensation→🏨Hotel complaint→🏖️Package holiday→

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