Frequently asked questions about delayed baggage

If you have not received your baggage by the time the baggage reclaim has ended, please report this immediately. At most airports it is best to do this online as well as at the baggage tracing desk.

Once you have reported your delayed baggage, you will receive written confirmation by email with a reference number (PIR no., e.g. FRALH12345). We recommend that you remain at the airport until your details have been successfully transmitted and you have received a reference number. Please retain this together with your flight documents, in particular your boarding pass and the baggage receipt. Your baggage will be sent on and delivered to you as quickly as possible. You can access the current status of your delayed baggage report at any time on the ​baggage status page. 

Make sure that you also subscribe to baggage status updates when you create a delayed baggage report to receive these directly via email. If you don’t receive any baggage status updates, you can also activate these later on the ​baggage status page.

You can check the progress in tracing your baggage online using your reference number (PIR no., e.g. FRALH12345). You can also amend your contact details. In particular, if the delivery address is incorrect or has changed, please be sure to update it here. We need this to deliver your baggage.

If you are unable to get the information you require or cannot amend your details using the link provided, you will find a contact telephone number on the written confirmation receipt of your missing baggage report. (You will receive the written confirmation of your delayed baggage report at the baggage tracing desk or attached to the confirmation email after you have reported your delayed baggage online.)

At certain times of the year, such as during the peak travel season, there may be delays with delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

In the rare case that your baggage cannot be found within five days of reporting the delay, we will require a detailed description of your baggage and its contents to initiate a detailed search.  The information you provide will help us find your bag among the bags that have not yet been identified and forward it to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete the list of contents on our baggage status page. You will be able to access this automatically five days after reporting your delayed baggage.

Please report delayed bags immediately, ideally while still at the airport and preferably online. If this is not possible, kindly report it at the local baggage tracing office. 

You can usually report delayed bags online up to three days after your arrival. Please note, however, that the burden of proof is reversed if you do not report the delayed bag immediately. You will then have to prove that the problem occurred during your flight. If you are unable to report your delayed bag online or if you encounter technical problems, please contact our local baggage tracing office in the airport arrivals hall. Check the contact details on the website of your arrival airport and visit the office in person.

The airline with which you arrived at your destination is always responsible for your baggage. If you did not arrive with Lufthansa, please report your delayed bag to the airline which brought you to your destination.

You can report your delayed bag online upon arrival at most airports. You can only use our online self-service if your arrival flight was operated by Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS, your arrival was no more than three days ago and you have not yet reported your delayed bag. Use of the online self-service is not permitted at some airports due to local customs regulations. If the online service is not available at your destination airport, please report your delayed bag directly to the local baggage tracing desk. You can also report your delayed bag at a later time within the notification deadlines, i.e. within seven days of your arrival. However, the burden of proof is then reversed and you are obliged to prove that the problems occurred during your flight. 

Please retain your flight documents, especially your boarding pass and the baggage receipt.

If you cannot report your delayed bag online or if you encounter technical problems, please contact the local baggage tracing desk in the airport arrivals hall. Check the contact details on the website of your destination airport and visit the office in person.

Yes. If you are missing several bags, please include all of them on one delayed baggage report by adding the additional bags with baggage tag numbers and baggage descriptions in the online service. Up to ten items can generally be reported in one delayed baggage report.

After you report your bag as delayed, we will search for it in the global baggage tracing system. The information you have provided will help us to match your bag and forward it to you as quickly as possible. This is why we also ask you to provide further information about your bag via the contents list, usually in case it has not been found after five days.

You can check the progress in tracing your baggage online using your reference number (PIR no., e.g. FRALH12345). You can also amend your details here if the delivery address or your contact details are incorrect or have changed.

If you are unable to get the information you require or cannot amend your details using the link provided, you can find a contact telephone number on the written confirmation receipt of your missing baggage report that you are given at the baggage tracing desk or in the attachment to the email  confirming your online report.

At certain times of the year, such as during the peak travel season, there may be delays with delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

You can always find the latest status of your delayed baggage report on the ​baggage status page. You will also receive notifications from us as soon as the status of your report changes, or if we require further information from you. We require your consent to send you status updates about your delayed bag. You can give this when you first report your delayed bag (at the baggage tracing desk or online). You can also give us your consent later via the ​baggage status page.

In the rare case that your baggage cannot be found within five days of reporting the delay, we will require a detailed description of your baggage and its contents to initiate a detailed search.  The information you provide will help us find your bag among the bags that have not yet been identified and forward it to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete the list of contents on our baggage status page. You will be able to access this automatically five days after reporting your delayed baggage.

You will be notified via email if the carriage of your bag has been planned for a specific flight. Your bag may be carried on a different flight than originally expected due to time restraints, aircraft weight limitations and restrictions on the amount of delayed baggage allowed to certain destinations. If this is the case, the carriage of the baggage will be postponed to another flight and you will be notified to that effect by email. You can always find the latest flight information on the ​baggage status page.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before we can either commission a courier service to deliver your delayed bag to you, or let you know via email when it is ready for collection.  If you have already been notified that your bag has been handed over to a courier service, the courier will contact you to arrange a delivery date. This might also take some time due to the number of bags to be delivered or the time of day. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly.

If you are unable to get the information you require on the ​​baggage status page, or cannot amend your details, you will find contact information on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report that you receive at the baggage tracing desk. This information is also attached to your confirmation email when you report delayed baggage online. 

However, please note that our Service Center & Social Media Management cannot assist in answering questions about the status of your baggage since they have the same information that is shown on the ​​baggage status page. We will get in touch with you as soon as we have any updates about your delayed bag.

Your Bluetooth tracker (e.g. AirTag or SmartTag) can indicate the location of your baggage, but it is not linked to any airline systems. If your delayed baggage contains a Bluetooth tracker (e.g. Apple AirTag or Galaxy SmartTag), please activate the tracker’s "Lost mode" on your smartphone and add an email address. This will help us to identify your baggage if we find your Bluetooth tracker.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before it can be delivered to you or until it is ready for collection, depending on the option you have chosen. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly, as your baggage might be in an area that is not publicly accessible and therefore cannot yet be handed over to you.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, additional internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before it can be delivered to you or it is ready for collection. Depending on the option you have chosen, you will receive an email from us when your baggage is ready for collection or has been handed over to a courier service for delivery. The courier service will contact you as soon as possible to arrange a delivery appointment and will deliver your baggage to the delivery address you have provided. If you need to change your delivery address after submitting the initial delayed baggage report, you can do so on the ​​baggage status page. Please note that you can only change your address before we have commissioned a courier service to deliver your baggage to you.

Most delayed bags are found within the first 24 hours. When your baggage has arrived at the destination airport, please allow some extra time as your baggage may not be ready for delivery or collection immediately due to internal handling and customs clearance. You will receive an email when a courier service has been commissioned or when you can collect your baggage, if you have chosen this option. At certain times of the year, for example the peak travel season, there may be delays in delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

Please also note that, in some cases, an airport may no longer be able to offer in-person collection of baggage at short notice. You will also be notified accordingly if this is the case.

You can change your contact details including the delivery address on the baggage status page. Please note that you can only change your delivery address before a courier service has been commissioned. If you cannot amend your details, you will find contact information on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report that you will receive at the baggage tracing desk or attached to your confirmation email when you report delayed baggage online. As soon as we have commissioned a courier service we will notify you by email. The courier will contact you to arrange a delivery date with you.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before we can commission a courier service to deliver your delayed bag to you. If you have already been notified that your bag has been handed over to a courier service, the courier will contact you to arrange a delivery date. This might also take some time due to the number of bags to be delivered or the time of day. If it was not possible to deliver your bag, the courier service will contact you again to arrange a new delivery date. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly.

If your baggage arrives late at your destination, you can purchase essential items such as toiletries and clothes, and submit the receipts for reimbursement. Please keep all receipts so that you can make your claim later.

Important:

• We recommend that you carry valuables such as jewellery, money or medicines in your carry-on baggage.
• You are obliged to keep the cost of replacement items as low as possible in the event of a baggage delay (“duty to mitigate damages”). Lufthansa will contribute to the costs subject to proportionality.
• Replacement purchases made after your arrival back home will also be considered for reimbursement. Please note that as a passenger you are obliged to minimise the amount you claim in damages. Expenses for replacement purchases which can be assumed to be available at home will not be reimbursed.
• Items that you can continue to use (e.g. clothes) will be reimbursed at a rate of 50%, while toiletries or single-use items will be reimbursed at 100%.*
  
  * Exceptions apply to the USA and Canada due to local legislation (US DOT and CTA). 

Lufthansa will contribute to reasonable expenses for toiletries and clothes. Liability is regulated by the Montreal Convention. Please note that you are obliged under the Montreal Convention to minimise expenses if your bag is delayed.

After you have reported your delayed baggage (at the airport or online), please request a refund of verified costs by using this form to request reimbursement. Please keep all receipts so that you can make your claim.

You can apply for reimbursement of the costs of replacement items within two years of your flight, providing you have reported your baggage as delayed.

You are entitled to compensation for the loss of your item of baggage providing you have reported your baggage as delayed (at the airport or online) within the reporting deadlines, completed the contents list on the ​baggage status page, and your baggage has been delayed for more than 21 days. If this is the case, you must submit your claim for compensation for the loss of your baggage within two years. The postmark or automatic date of receipt of the email notification is the determining factor for compliance with reporting deadlines.

The maximum amount that can be refunded in the event of the complete loss of your baggage is regulated by the Montreal Convention.

Important:

• We recommend that you carry valuables such as jewellery, money or medicines in your carry-on baggage.
• You are responsible for your carry-on baggage.

The liability of airlines for travel baggage is regulated by law. The compensation entitlement is granted according to the Montreal Convention. The compensation itself is specified in so-called Special Drawing Rights (SDR). The Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an artificial accounting unit created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Currently, the maximum liability amount is 1,288 SDRs which currently equates to approx. €1,500. This amount is subject to exchange rate fluctuations and may therefore change.  

The Montreal Convention only applies if the following conditions are met:

The law applies both to domestic and international carriage between the contracting states. For checked baggage, the airline is liable for the baggage delay, irrespective of fault. This right only applies if the baggage delay report and the claim for compensation are submitted within the deadlines specified in the contract.

You are entitled to compensation for the loss of your item of baggage providing you have reported your baggage as delayed (at the airport or online) within the reporting deadlines, completed the contents list on ​the baggage status page, and your baggage has been delayed for more than 21 days. If this is the case, you must submit your claim for compensation for the loss of your baggage within two years. Please use this form to request a reimbursement.

If you notice that your delayed bag has been damaged, you must notify Lufthansa in writing or text form immediately. If you have accepted the checked baggage without reservation, it is presumed that it has been delivered in good condition and in accordance with the contract of carriage unless proven otherwise.

You can contact Lufthansa customer service to request reimbursement of proven costs using the reimbursement request form.

Please note that any claim is excluded by law if the person entitled does not report the damage immediately after it is discovered, or in the case of checked baggage, no later than seven days after acceptance of the bag.

Lufthansa is also not liable for damage caused by items in your baggage (including fragile, unsuitably packed and perishable items), unless we have caused such damage through gross negligence or wilful misconduct.