What to Do When American Airlines Loses or Damages Your Baggage

Joanna Teljeur

By:  Joanna Teljeur

Last Updated:  20 November 2025

Reviewed by:  Anton Radchenko

American Airlines passengers have rights that protect them if their luggage gets lost or damaged. For domestic flights, the US Department of Transportation requires airlines to compensate you for mishandled luggage, including reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses.

To find your belongings or to qualify for baggage compensation, you must take certain steps within particular time frames, or any claim you make will most likely be denied.

The First Thing to Do When Your Bags are Lost or Damaged

If your bags don’t arrive on the carousel or if they arrive damaged, make a report immediately. Don’t skip this step. American Airlines provides passengers with several ways to report and track their cases, both at the airport and online. 

At most U.S. airports, you’ll find an American Airlines baggage help desk with a QR code. If an agent is there to help you, ask to complete a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Otherwise, scan the QR code or go to the American Airlines site where you can begin the reporting process. Just enter your last name and your flight confirmation code or bag tag number to start.

When to File Your Baggage Report

For delayed baggage, make sure you file your PIR within the following time frames:

For domestic flights make your PIR within 4 hours of your arrival, or within 12 hours if you used Bags VIP Luggage Delivery (a third-party service that delivers checked baggage to a final address).

For international flights, you should report delayed baggage immediately upon arrival and before leaving the airport.

Timeframes for reporting damaged baggage

Domestic Flights - As soon as possible when you land while you’re still at the airport or within 24 hours of getting your baggage

International Flights - As soon as possible at the airport or within 7 days of getting your bags

What to Do If Your Baggage Is Delayed

Once you complete a PIR, you’ll get a file reference number, also called a PIR number or “file ID”. You can use this to track the bag’s progress or submit a formal compensation claim later.

If 5 days pass from the time you make your report, and your baggage still hasn’t been found, you can submit a lost baggage claim using their online form.

How to Make an American Airlines Reimbursement Claim

Once your baggage is returned to you, you can request reimbursement for any essentials you had to buy because your baggage was missing.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Submit a claim to American Airlines using their online form
2. Make this claim within 30 days from the time your baggage was delayed
3. Include the following documents in your claim

Documents you’ll need for your delayed baggage claim:

• Original receipts from your purchases
• Baggage claim checks
• Ticket receipts
• The file ID given to you when you made the report

How to Submit a Lost Baggage Claim with American Airlines

If your delayed luggage hasn’t been returned to you after 5 days of making the report, then the airline will classify it as lost. Next, you should complete the American Airlines claim form within 30 days of the incident.

Documents you’ll need to file a lost checked baggage claim

• Airline ticket receipts
• Baggage claim checks
• Copy of the delayed baggage report with the ID number
• Original receipts for any essential items you had to buy because your luggage was missing
• Receipts for excess value (if this applies to your situation)
• Receipts for anything over $100 that was part of your bag’s contents
• A copy of an official photo ID (passport or driver’s license)

American Airlines’ baggage services team will review the claim and assess their liability according to their Conditions of Carriage and US laws. For international travel, compensation limits are set under the Montreal Convention, which governs airline liability for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage worldwide.

Airlines make a fortune in baggage feesIf they lost your checked luggage, they owe you! Get up to $4,700 in compensation.Start your claim today!

If Your Baggage is Damaged

After you file a report about your damaged belongings, you can submit your compensation claim within 30 days from the date of your flight. Just visit the baggage problems section of the American Airlines website and enter your name and basic flight information to begin. 

You’ll be prompted to add supporting information, so be prepared to add:

• Airline ticket receipts
• Baggage claim checks
• Copy of the delayed baggage report with the ID number
• Original receipts for any essential items you had to buy because your luggage was missing
• Receipts for excess value (if this applies to your situation)
• Receipts for anything over $100 that was part of your bag’s contents
• A copy of an official photo ID (passport or driver’s license)
• Photos of the damage

What American Airlines will not cover in a damaged baggage claim

If you plan to travel with fragile, irreplaceable, or high value items, you should keep them with you in your carry-on baggage. American Airlines has very specific guidelines about what they will not cover in damage compensation.

If you’re thinking of traveling with any of the following items, you might want to either keep them with you or, if possible, leave them at home.

Other damages that American Airlines will not cover in compensation claims include:

• Carry-on baggage
• Minor scrapes, stains, cuts, and other normal signs of wear
• Inappropriately packed items that aren’t in a hard case
• Damaged bag contents if the outside of your suitcase is not damaged
• Damage or loss of the wheels, handles, pockets, straps, etc.

If TSA damages your baggage

Sometimes, during a security check, your baggage will be damaged by the TSA. You’ll know if this happens because they will either leave a notice inside your bag or a seal on the outside of your luggage. In this case, American Airlines is not liable for damage.

Instead, you’ll need to contact the TSA at 866-289-9673.

Which American Airlines Airports See the Most Mishandled Baggage?

Independent studies that combine TSA complaint data with airport passenger volumes suggest that some of the worst airports in the US for baggage issues include large hubs that are key gateways for American Airlines. This is because the larger hubs handle huge volumes of connecting passengers and checked bags. Also, industry data consistently shows that baggage is mishandled most often during transfers rather than on direct flights.

You’re more likely to run into baggage problems:

• On complex itineraries that involve a connection through a major hub. 
• If you have a tight layover or are arriving on a busy international flight before connecting to a domestic service. 

Treat long-haul and multi-leg journeys through hubs like DFW, Charlotte, Miami, or Chicago O’Hare as higher-risk for delayed or misrouted luggage.

And whatever your route, keep essentials in your carry-on and take clear photos of your checked bag and baggage tag before you fly. That way, if your luggage does go missing, you will have everything you need to report it quickly and support your claim.

Compensation for Mishandled Baggage

If your checked luggage has been delayed, damaged, or lost, American Airlines is required to compensate you.

1. If you had a domestic flight, you could get back as much as US $4,700. 
2. If you claimed excess value during check in, then you could be reimbursed up to US $5,000.
3. If you had an international flight, you could get up to US $2,080

If American Airlines Doesn’t Respond to Your Baggage Claim

If American Airlines still hasn’t responded or refuses to pay you, you can escalate your case directly to the airline’s Customer Relations department, especially if their decision seems incomplete or unfair.

Remember, the airline is legally bound by its Conditions of Carriage, the Montreal Convention for international flights, and U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for domestic travel, so you have every right to challenge an unjust denial.

Keep copies of every email, receipt, and form you’ve submitted to them as these records are your strongest evidence if the dispute continues.

If the process feels stalled or overwhelming, you don’t have to handle it aloneAirAdvisor can step in to manage your baggage claim from start to finish, ensuring it’s sent correctly, escalated effectively, and resolved with the compensation you’re legally owed.Start your claim now!

Author:

Joanna Teljeur

Job/Position: Senior Editor & Content Lead

Joanna Teljeur is a senior editor and writer with 15+ years of experience in editorial leadership, journalism, and content development with a focus on consumer rights, aviation law, and public-interest reporting. Her work centers on transforming complex regulatory and legal topics into clear, accurate, and accessible content for international audiences.

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