Damaged baggage after air travel

Skadat bagage vid flygresa - Engelska

When your luggage is damaged during a flight, you can claim compensation from the airline. Report that your luggage is damaged or that the bag is broken directly in the arrival hall. Make your claim to the airline as soon as possible.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

Steps to take when you find your baggage is damaged

  • Document the damage immediately at the baggage claim if possible. You can, for example, take photos or videos. The images should show the damage, the baggage tag, and your location.

  • Report your damaged baggage to a representative of the airport or airline directly at the baggage claim.

  • Make sure you fill out a damage report form, known as a Property Irregularity Report (PIR).

  • If it is not possible to make a report at the airport, save your documentation of the damage. Also, take a picture showing that the baggage claim was closed, if that is the case.

  • Keep your flight tickets and a copy of your damage report form (PIR).

  • Send your claim to the airline as soon as possible, but no later than within 7 days.

Find out your rights and make a claim

  • The airline is responsible for all checked baggage that is permitted to bring on the flight. If your checked baggage has been damaged, has gone missing or is delayed during the air travel, you should report it directly at baggage pick-up.

    Make sure to fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) together with a representative of the airport or the airline company. The report is your proof that the baggage has been damaged during the air travel.

    If you leave the airport without making a report, it can be harder to prove that the baggage was damaged during the air travel.

    If there are no personnel on site so that you can make a report, you can instead photograph the baggage at the airport so that you have image evidence that the baggage was already damaged at baggage pick-up.

  • In order to claim compensation from the airline, you need to submit your claim to the airline no later than 7 days after receiving the baggage.

  • When your baggage gets delayed, missing or damaged during air travel, you may have a right to compensation. With our free tool, the Flight Calculator, you answer questions about your travel to find out what rights you have and if you can claim compensation. The Flight Calculator also guides you further to the website of the airline in question so that you can send in your demand through the website.

    The Flight Calculator

    Send the claim to the airline as soon as possible. If your case concerns delayed baggage that you got back, you must send the claim within 21 days of when you got the baggage back. If it concerns damaged baggage, you must send the claim to the airline no later than 7 days after you got your baggage.

    How to file a claim for airline compensation yourself

    If you can't submit the claim via the airline's website, you can send it via email or letter instead. The important thing is that you complain in writing. Find the airline's contact information on their website.

    Your claim should include:

    • Property Irregularity Report (PIR)
    • Receipts for purchases (send copies and keep the originals for yourself). If you don't have receipts, you need to estimate the value of the baggage.
    • Ticket/boarding card.
    • Pictures (if your luggage has been damaged).

    Save a copy of the claims you send to the airline.

  • How much compensation you can get

    The airline’s liability for damages for lost baggage is limited to SDR 1,519 SDRs (which is equivalent to around SEK 21,800) per passenger. SDR is a reserve currency used in international trade.

    See the current value of SDR on the Riksbank's website

    To have a right to more compensation, you must have declared that your baggage is extra valuable in connection with checking the baggage in. By making a so-called “special declaration”, you can get higher compensation if your baggage goes missing. Then, the amount you have stated to the airline applies instead. The company has a right to charge you a fee when you make a “special declaration”.

    When does the airline not need to compensate you?

    Some airlines have conditions that limit what you may pack in the checked baggage. This may be items such as valuable documents, keys, business documents, certain electronics and valuables. This may limit what you can get compensation for if the baggage goes missing.

    Sometimes you can get compensation through insurance

    Contact your insurance company to see if you can get compensation for the baggage through your home insurance or travel insurance.

    If you have paid for the travel with a card, you may also have an extra travel insurance through the card issuer. Check what applies with the card issuer. Compensation can be paid out from several companies. So, if you have several travel insurance policies, such as through both home insurance and a bank card, you can send a claim report to both of the companies.

If the airline refuses your demands

  • Travel with a Swedish airline or an airline not registered within the EU
    The Swedish Consumer Agency

    If you need guidance, you can contact our national information service. We can provide information on your rights and what options you have to make progress. We provide independent guidance and therefore cannot assess your individual matter, resolve disputes or contact companies for you.

    Contact us

    Municipality's Consumer Guidance

    Many municipalities provide consumer guidance where you can seek free information and support. The assistance offered may vary from one municipality to another.

    Travel with an airline form another country within the EU, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom If you are residing in Sweden and the airline you have issues with is registered in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom, you can receive free advice from ECC Sweden. ECC Sweden is part of a network of consumer offices within the EU. In some cases, ECC Sweden may share the case with a sister office in another country to attempt to reach a solution through mediation.

    Contact ECC Sweden

    Before contacting ECC Sweden you need to have lodged a claim with the airline first.

    To ECC Sweden, you need to submit a description of the problem and documentation showing what has happened. Documentation is necessary if your case is to be shared with any sister office in another country. Remember to keep your originals and only send copies to ECC Sweden.

    Send your case via email to: konsumenteuropa@konsumentverket.se

    The email should include:

    • your contact information and the airline's name
    • your ticket or boarding card
    • a copy of your complaint and the claims you have made
    • receipts
    • the airlines reply
    • the Property Irregularity Report

    Once you have submitted your case, you will usually receive a response within approximately a couple of weeks.

    ECC Sweden cannot

    Force a company to act according to the law. The work is based on the company being willing to cooperate with the ECC network to reach a resolution.

    • Mediate in a case if we cannot identify the seller or if the seller refuses to cooperate with the ECC network.
    • Act as legal representation or assist when the consumer has already initiated legal proceedings.
    • Assist in purchases between businesses or purchases between individuals.
    If you have any questions

    ECC Sweden is part of the Swedish Consumer Agency. Do you need help clarifying your rights or want to discuss if and how you can proceed with your case? Then you can contact us at the information service.

    Contact us

  • Contact the National Board for Consumer Disputes

    If you and the company cannot reach an agreement, you can file a complaint to the public authority the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

    ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

    A normal processing time is approximately six months.

    What does it cost to file a complaint with ARN?

    It costs SEK 150 to file a complaint with ARN. When you submit your complaint, you can request that the company compensates you for the cost if ARN makes a recommendation in your favor.

    Requirements for ARN to consider your case
    • The company has either rejected your claims or has not responded within a reasonable time.
    • The amount you and the company are in dispute about is SEK 1000 or more. You cannot include the application fee to ARN.
    • You file the complaint within one year from the first time you complained to the company.

    Submit a complaint on ARN's website

    If you need help with your complaint

    Sometimes, the municipal consumer advisors can assist you in making a complaint to ARN.

    Settle the dispute in court

    If you have gone through the steps in this process but still have a dispute with the company, you can take the dispute to court. In that case, you should contact the district court (tingsrätten). It costs money to submit a complaint to court.

    Are you unsure whether you should go to court or do you need help with your case? Then you can seek assistance from a lawyer.

    Before seeking legal assistance, you can contact your insurance company. Many home insurance policies include what is called legal protection. It can cover certain costs associated with legal proceedings.

    How much does it cost?

    For a dispute involving a claim of up to 28,650 Swedish kronor (half a price base amount in 2024), known as a simplified litigation or small claim, the application fee is 900 kronor.

    If the claim exceeds 28,650 kronor, or if the dispute does not concern a specific amount, the application fee is 2,800 kronor.

    If you lose the dispute, you may be required to pay both your and the company's legal costs. However, in small claims, the costs you may have to pay are limited.

    Learn how a lawsuit is handled in the district court on the website of the Swedish Courts (in Swedish)

Skadat bagage vid flygresa

Proofread: 17 February 2022

The content is presented in collaboration with ECC Sweden, which is part of the ECC network and the Swedish Consumer Agency's information service. ECC Sweden is part-financed by the European Union.

The content of this website represents the views of the author only and it is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

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