Montreal SDRKLM lost, delayed or damaged luggage: report, track and claim

Checked 15 Sep 2026·8 min read

A KLM lost luggage claim starts at the airport baggage desk, not online, if you land at one of 16 UK airports such as Heathrow or Manchester. Track the bag on WorldTracer from 24 hours later, claim essentials with receipts and put every complaint in writing. KLM’s terms limit baggage liability to 1,519 SDR per passenger, the Montreal Convention figure.

Source: KLM, delayed baggage; baggage compensation; lost and found items; conditions of carriage art. 20.1 — klm.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20.

#Montreal SDRHow do you report a delayed bag to KLM at a UK airport?

You currently cannot report a missing bag online if you arrive at one of 16 UK airports, London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol among them, the KLM delayed baggage page says. Go to the baggage desk before you leave the reclaim hall. KLM then issues a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) with a file reference number.

Source: KLM, delayed baggage; report missing baggage — klm.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20.

The 16 are Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Humberside, Inverness, Leeds Bradford, London City, London Heathrow, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton and Teesside. Land anywhere else and KLM’s online form takes the report with your booking code and last name. KLM says that in 90% of cases it locates the bag within 3 days.

KLM’s own timing rules disagree. The delayed baggage page and an FAQ on the same page give two different online windows, and article 20.1(a) of KLM’s conditions of carriage says missing baggage “must be declared to the Carrier as soon as the flight arrives”, with later declarations not taken into account. A desk report before you leave meets the strictest of the three.

Keep the PIR: its file reference is what the tracking system asks for, and the property irregularity report guide explains what the record does and does not do. A cancelled or badly delayed flight is a separate claim from the bag, covered in KLM refund and KLM delay compensation.

Photograph the PIR and note the file reference before you walk away from the desk.

#How do you track a delayed KLM bag?

From 24 hours after your declaration, KLM says, you can check the bag’s status in its baggage tracking system using your last name and the file reference number from the PIR. KLM’s “Check status of delayed baggage” link opens the KLM WorldTracer page, airline code KL.

Source: KLM, delayed baggage — klm.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20.

The WorldTracer page asks for your 10-character file reference and shows ATLXS13166 as an example of the format. Copy yours letter for letter from the PIR.

You can change your temporary address in the same system. That matters if you move hotels, or fly home, before the bag turns up.

Packed an AirTag or another tracker? If it shows the bag at the airport, KLM asks you not to come to the airport. Its delayed baggage page says “you will receive a notification when your baggage is ready for pickup or delivery”, and tracker owners have a separate KLM page at klm.co.uk/missing-baggage-claim/airtag.

Update the temporary address in WorldTracer on the day you change hotels.

#What can you claim while KLM has your bag?

KLM asks for an essentials claim within 21 days of receiving your delayed bag, with copies of the receipts for reasonable, essential purchases such as basic toiletries and replacement clothing. KLM’s page sets no fixed allowance and reviews each request; its FAQ “How much do airlines pay for lost baggage?” answers “We don’t have a set amount”.

Source: KLM, baggage compensation; delayed baggage — klm.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20; Montreal Convention 1999 art. 31(2) — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

KLM names four things it looks at: the length and purpose of your trip, the climate at your destination, how long you were without the bag and whether the items were immediately necessary. Those are KLM’s terms, not a legal scale.

The 21 days run from the day the bag is back with you, not from the day it went missing. That lines up with article 31 of the Montreal Convention, which sets the written complaint for a delayed bag at no later than 21 days from the date it is placed at your disposal.

Worked example: the bag reaches your hotel on 12 November 2026. The essentials request and the written delay complaint are both due by 3 December 2026. If the bag never comes back, there is no receipt date, and the lost-bag route in the next section applies instead.

Delay counts against the same 1,519 SDR limit as loss. The lost and delayed baggage guide explains how the Convention treats each.

Submit the claim at klm.co.uk/claim with a copy of every receipt, and keep the originals.

#When is a KLM bag lost, and how do you claim for damage?

KLM asks you to contact it if your bag is not back within 21 days of your flight’s arrival. Article 17(3) of the Montreal Convention treats a checked bag as lost once the carrier admits the loss or 21 days after the date it should have arrived, so both clocks point to the same day.

Source: KLM, baggage compensation; lost and found items — klm.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20; Montreal Convention 1999 art. 17(3), 31(2)-(4) — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15.

KLM describes the next step loosely: “We will work this out together. Please note that one of the outcomes may be that we recommend contacting your insurance company.” Make the claim to KLM in writing even if it points you to an insurer.

KLM damaged luggage has a shorter clock. KLM says it is not liable for scratches, marks, minor dents and other signs of use from regular handling, and asks you to report more serious damage at the airport baggage desk as soon as possible. Found it only after leaving? KLM’s page says you still have 7 days from the day you received the bag to submit a request.

Something missing from inside the bag has its own line: KLM asks you to reach out within 7 days after arrival. Its page does not say whether that means your arrival or the bag’s, so count from your flight’s arrival, the earlier date.

Article 20.1(b) of KLM’s conditions sets the damage and delay deadlines and says “every complaint must be made in writing”; a KLM lost luggage claim goes through the same klm.co.uk/claim form. Under article 31 of the Convention, if no written complaint about damage or delay arrives within those times, no action lies against the carrier, save in the case of fraud.

Photograph any damage at the desk, then file the written claim at klm.co.uk/claim the same day.

#How much can KLM pay, and where do you complain?

1,519 SDR per passenger is the limit in KLM’s conditions of carriage, last updated 15 April 2026, for a delayed bag and for a destroyed, lost or damaged one. KLM’s liability notice puts that at approximately EUR 1,880, its own conversion rather than a legal amount. The Montreal Convention limit has been 1,519 SDR since 28 December 2024.

Source: KLM, conditions of carriage arts. 17.3, 19.2, 20; air carrier liability — klm.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20; Montreal Convention 1999 art. 22(2), 22(5), 35(1) — eur-lex.europa.eu; ICAO, 2024 revised limits — icao.int, checked 2026-09-15; CAA, passenger complaints data FY26 — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-22.

The limit is a ceiling, not a fixed payment, and two things lift it. KLM’s conditions raise it after a special declaration of a higher value under article 10.2.3(a). Article 22(5) of the Convention removes it where the damage resulted from an act done with intent to cause damage, or recklessly and with knowledge that damage would probably result.

Article 17.3 of KLM’s conditions lets you claim against the carrier that performed the leg, or against “the first and last Carrier” of the journey.

The CAA’s tables list Air France / KLM complaints as handled by AviationADR (CDRL), an alternative dispute resolution body, which opened 2,848 cases against them from April 2025 to March 2026 and upheld 52.1%. That covers every complaint type, 2,328 of them under Reg 261, not baggage alone.

Under article 35(1) of the Convention, the right to damages is extinguished unless you sue within two years of arrival, of the date the aircraft ought to have arrived or of the date carriage stopped. KLM’s conditions (article 20.2) repeat the two years, and the Montreal Convention page shows how the same periods work on other airlines.

Write the two-year date down on the day you file the KLM lost luggage claim.

General information, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA or a consumer-rights adviser.

#Sources

Sources checked 2026-10-20 unless dated otherwise.

• KLM, delayed baggage — klm.co.uk
• KLM, report missing baggage — klm.co.uk
• KLM, baggage compensation — klm.co.uk
• KLM, lost and found items — klm.co.uk
• KLM, conditions of carriage (last updated 15 April 2026) — klm.co.uk
• KLM, air carrier liability — klm.co.uk
• WorldTracer, KLM delayed-bag status — worldtracer.aero
• Montreal Convention 1999, arts. 17, 22, 31, 35 — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-09-15
• ICAO, 2024 revised limits of liability — icao.int, checked 2026-09-15
• CAA, passenger complaints data FY26 — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-22

#FAQ

Can I report a missing KLM bag online at Heathrow?

No. KLM says you currently cannot report a missing bag online if you arrive at 16 UK airports, including London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol. Report it at the baggage desk at the airport before you leave and keep the Property Irregularity Report, because its file reference is what you track the bag with.

How do I track a delayed KLM bag?

From 24 hours after your declaration, KLM says, you can check the status in its baggage tracking system with your last name and the file reference number from your report. The link opens WorldTracer, which asks for a 10-character reference, and you can change your temporary address there if you move hotels.

How much does KLM pay for essentials while my bag is delayed?

There is no fixed amount: KLM reviews each request. You can request compensation for reasonable, essential purchases such as basic toiletries and replacement clothing; KLM looks at trip length and purpose, destination climate, time without the bag and whether the items were immediately necessary. Send receipt copies within 21 days of receiving the bag.

What is the most KLM pays for lost luggage?

KLM’s conditions of carriage limit its liability for a delayed, lost, destroyed or damaged bag to 1,519 SDR per passenger, the Montreal Convention limit since 28 December 2024; KLM’s own notice puts this at approximately EUR 1,880. A special declaration of a higher value raises the limit, and every complaint must be in writing.