Airline Lost or Broke Your Bag? How to Claim Up to ₹20,000 (and More on International Flights)

Under DGCA norms, if your checked-in baggage is lost, delayed or damaged on a domestic flight, the airline’s liability is capped at ₹20,000 per passenger.

For international flights, the cap is much higher — up to 1,131 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger, which typically works out to over ₹1 lakh depending on currency rates.

Real passengers have had to fight hard to get what they’re owed: one traveller reportedly won ₹2.74 lakh after a six‑year legal battle for lost baggage, while others on Reddit talk about airlines initially offering just ₹2,450 or ₹200 for bags worth tens of thousands.

The process always starts at the airport: you must file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airline’s baggage desk as soon as you realise your bag is missing or damaged, and keep your boarding pass and baggage tag safe.

In some recent cases, like missing luggage at Lucknow, even judges have had to invoke these rules — which tells you how important it is for regular passengers to know the compensation limits and insist on them.

I cover baggage rights, documentation, timelines and sample email formats in my Passenger Rights playlist.

And if you’re checking in a lot of luggage, your seat choice (first off the plane vs last) can decide how quickly you reach baggage claim — watch this before your next flight: [How to Choose the Best Seat on a Flight]