Baggage not on the belt? The PIR-first protocol
Not all missing baggage is lost — usually delayed. But without a PIR right after arrival your claim is legally crippled. Follow this order.
Baggage not on the belt is usually delayed (~95% recovered within 48 hours), but the odds shift quickly to "permanently lost" if you do not get a PIR. The legal clock starts at arrival at destination.
Step by step
1
Do NOT leave the baggage hall without a PIR
Go directly to the carrier's baggage / lost-and-found counter (at Schiphol: Aviapartner, Menzies or KLM's own). Request a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Note or photograph the PIR number — this is your legal evidence.
2
Keep your baggage tag + boarding pass
The baggage label (small paper that was stuck to your suitcase at check-in) contains the tracking number. Plus boarding pass + booking confirmation. Photograph everything now.
3
Buy necessary replacements on delay
On ≥24 hour delay you may make reasonable necessary purchases (clothing, toiletries) up to approximately €100-200. Keep ALL receipts — you can claim them back later. For luxury purchases: get pre-approval.
4
Complaint deadlines (Montreal Art. 31)
Damaged: written complaint within 7 days of receipt. Delayed: within 21 days of eventual receipt. Permanently lost: after 21 days untraced. Miss the deadlines and you lose your right.
5
File the formal claim (Montreal Art. 17 + 22)
Limit ~1,519 SDR (~€1,500) per passenger. Our baggage claim letter (€9.99) cites Art. 17, 19, 22, 31 Montreal and EU 889/2002 — send-ready PDF. Attach PIR, receipts, and photos.
6
No response? ILT + Geschillencommissie + cantonal court
Step 1: ILT complaint (free, online). Step 2: Geschillencommissie Luchtvaart (within 1 year). Step 3: cantonal court — 2-year limitation from arrival date (Art. 35 Montreal).
Ready to claim?
Lost or damaged baggage? Claim up to €1,500
We draft a formal damage-claim letter under the Montreal Convention (Art. 17, 19, 22). Send-ready PDF — limit ~€1,500 per passenger.
Start — €9,99People also search for
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