What to Do if Avianca Loses or Damages Your Baggage: An Expert Guide

Written By Joanna Teljeur

Last Updated: April 17, 2025

Has your baggage gone missing after an Avianca flight? Maybe it was damaged, and now you don’t know what to do. Can you relate? If you arrive at your destination to find your baggage missing or mishandled, you will need to follow certain steps. So, keep reading to learn exactly what to do if your luggage doesn't arrive or isn’t in the condition it was in when you checked it.

Avianca Delayed & Lost Baggage

If you’ve been waiting for your checked bags, but they don’t show up, you will need to report the situation while you’re still at the airport. 

1. Look for the Avianca Baggage Help desk, and ask to complete a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). You can also complete this step within 48 hours of arrival by using Avianca’s Baggage Self-Management Form.
2. Follow the prompts within the form to provide answers about your flight and what happened. You will also need to leave a delivery address if you want your belongings to be delivered, once they are located.
3. Finally, you will be given a number, usually called a PIR number. Keep this close by so you can track the status of your luggage.
4. If you need to purchase necessary items like clothing and toiletries, just remember to retain the receipts for reimbursement. 

Once your baggage has been returned to you, you have 21 days to make a reimbursement claim with Avianca. If your bags are missing for 21 days, they will be classified as officially lost, at which point you can file a formal complaint for compensation.

Avianca Damaged Baggage

If your checked luggage arrives damaged, you should make a report of your damaged luggage within 48 hours of arrival by using Avianca’s Damaged Baggage Report form. You should also take photos of the baggage damage so you have supporting evidence for your claim.

At the end of the reporting process, you’ll be given a number, usually called a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) number. Keep this as you will need it to file a successful baggage claim with Avianca. 

If you need to purchase essentials, just remember to keep track of the receipts.

Avianca Baggage Claim Filing Deadlines

Be sure to submit your compensation claim within the following timeframes to avoid having your claim rejected.

What are Your Passenger Rights for Mishandled Baggage?

If you’re flying internationally, your rights are protected by the Montreal Convention; an international treaty that requires airlines, like Avianca to compensate you up to roughly £1,600 (€1,920) in compensation, for delayed, lost, and damaged baggage.

How to Submit a Baggage Mishandling Claim with Avianca

Gather all your flight  and baggage documents, and file your baggage compensation claim via Avianca’s complaint form. Be sure to include as much information as possible, including:

1. Receipts for essentials and/or receipts from the purchase of your bags
2. Details about your trip, including the arrival and departure airports, flight number(s), copy of your boarding pass, and any other relevant information.
3. Bag tag(s)
4. A copy of the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) 
5. Photos of your damaged baggage (as applies)
6. A detailed list of the items in your bag if it has been lost

You should get a response from Avianca within 7-10 days, but you might have to wait up to 30 days to get a decision about your claim.

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How to Prevent Baggage Loss and Damage

Here are a few tips for avoiding lost and damaged baggage in the future.

1. Add baggage labels. Add your name, email, and phone number to both the outside and inside of your bags.
2. Remove old barcodes and tags from previous flights.
3. Take photos of your suitcases. Photograph the contents as well as the exterior. This will help the airline locate your items if they’re missing. If your luggage is damaged, you will have a way of proving what it looked like prior to checking it with the carrier. You will also have an account of what you packed, so you can better itemise the contents as part of your report and claim.
4. Don’t overpack! Overstuffed bags are more likely to be damaged during the loading process.
5. Leave enough time between connections. Ideally, you should allow between 1.5 and 2 hours so your bags have time to be loaded. 
6. Check-in early so your bags have time to make it to your aircraft.

AirAdvisor can Help

Need help with a baggage compensation claim? Let us help! We’ve been helping passengers since 2017 get the payouts they deserve. Our legal team can contact the airline and submit a claim on your behalf, so you don’t have to! Best of all, we only get paid if we win your case.