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Travel · Finland
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, Kuluttajariitalautakunta (kuluttajariita.fi) supervises airlines in Finland; Euroopan kuluttajakeskus Suomi (ecc.fi) helps against an airline based elsewhere in the EU; your travel insurer, and FINE — Vakuutuslautakunta (09 6850 120) if it refuses, covers the rest.

Call firstKuluttajariitalautakunta
Report toEuroopan kuluttajakeskus Suomi
If that failsFINE — Vakuutuslautakunta

🗣️ 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: Kuluttajariitalautakunta, Euroopan kuluttajakeskus SuomiThe 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; FINE — Vakuutuslautakunta decides if they refuse.

📇 All contacts

KuluttajariitalautakuntaRecommendations in flight compensation disputes, freeWhen the airline refuses or is silent for 6–8 weeks🔗 www.kuluttajariita.fi
Euroopan kuluttajakeskus SuomiFree help with sellers in other EU countriesSeller in another EU country, Norway or Iceland🔗 www.ecc.fi
FINE — VakuutuslautakuntaRecommendations in insurance disputes, freeAfter the insurer's refusal📞 09 6850 120🔗 www.fine.fi
Finanssivalvonta — varoituslistaSupervision; warnings on unauthorised firmsUnauthorised firms📞 09 183 51🔗 www.finanssivalvonta.fi

❓ 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 Finland”
  • “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.

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