Lost Luggage Is Getting Less Common. Here's How to Protect Yours.

The Department of Transportation's latest Air Travel Consumer Report, posted September 21, 2026, shows US airlines mishandled 0.55 of every 100 checked bags in July 2026, down from 0.61 in July 2025. For travelers, that means lost and delayed luggage is getting less common, not more. It still happened to roughly one bag in 190 across 2025, and what you get back depends on rules with tight clocks: 12 hours for a domestic bag-fee refund, 21 days for an international delay claim.

Key takeaways

Reporting US airlines mishandled 0.58 bags per 100 in 2023, 0.55 in 2024, 0.52 in 2025 and 0.50 in January–June 2026, according to DOT's own tables.
A bag not delivered within 12 hours of a domestic arrival (15 or 30 hours on international trips) earns a refund of the bag fee you paid, but only after you file a mishandled baggage report.
Domestic liability can't be capped below $4,700 per passenger; on most international trips the cap is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights, about $2,060 in October 2026.
International claims must be made in writing within 7 days for damage and 21 days for delay; domestic deadlines are set by each airline, and Delta's is 6 hours for visible damage.
Wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled at about twice the rate of bags in 2025, and on domestic flights they are covered up to their original purchase price, not the $4,700 cap.

What it means for you

Flying within the US

The odds are low and improving, but they vary more than twofold between the large airline networks and run higher in busy summer months. A bag more than 12 hours late earns a refund of any bag fee you paid, and documented expenses count toward a liability limit of at least $4,700.

International trips and connections

DOT's figures leave out most international itineraries, and transfers cause the largest share of mishandling worldwide. The treaty cap is lower than the domestic one, and its written deadlines are strict.

Wheelchairs and medical equipment

Mobility aids are mishandled about twice as often as suitcases, and the July 2026 rate rose from a year earlier, but they carry stronger rights, including delivery deadlines and loaner chairs. Part of the 2024 wheelchair rule is paused until April 2027.

Basic economy or separate tickets

A fare without a full-size carry-on pushes more into the hold, so medication, chargers and a change of clothes belong in the personal item. On separately booked tickets, a bag you fail to collect and recheck earns no fee refund.

Your bag is already late

File the mishandled baggage report before leaving the airport, keep every receipt, share your tracker's location with the airline, and note the claim deadline for your trip.

What the bag data actually show

DOT counts a bag as mishandled if it is lost, damaged, delayed or pilfered, per 100 bags enplaned. The data cover domestic nonstop flights of the US airlines large enough to report (those with at least 0.5% of domestic scheduled passenger revenue) and generally exclude bags on itineraries that also include an international segment. The table folds each airline's regional partners into its network.

Airline network	2023	2024	2025	Jan–Jun 2026	July 2026
Allegiant	0.19	0.20	0.09	0.12	0.12
JetBlue	0.52	0.35	0.31	0.31	0.46
Southwest	0.45	0.42	0.38	0.32	0.35
Delta	0.47	0.44	0.43	0.37	0.42
Spirit	0.53	0.44	0.43	0.47	n/a
Frontier	0.51	0.40	0.41	0.51	0.54
Alaska (incl. Hawaiian in 2026)	0.57	0.58	0.52	0.53	0.48
American	0.76	0.79	0.66	0.67	0.74
United	0.73	0.66	0.72	0.69	0.80
All reporting airlines	0.58	0.55	0.52	0.50	0.55

Mishandled bags per 100 enplaned. Sources: DOT reports issued February 2025 (2023–2024), February 2026 (2025), August 2026 (first half of 2026) and September 2026 (July 2026). Spirit is absent from the July table.

In 2025 that meant about 2.43 million mishandled bags out of 471 million checked. In the first half of 2026 the count fell to 1.12 million from 1.23 million a year earlier, and the rate to 0.50 from 0.53. The trend is not uniform: United's network rose from 0.66 in 2024 to 0.72 in 2025, and Frontier's first-half 2026 rate (0.51) was above its 2025 level. Busy months run higher: July 2025 came in at 0.61 and December 2025 at 0.62, against 0.52 for the year, and July 2026 (0.55) was above the first-half average.

Global industry data from SITA, which runs baggage-tracing systems for airlines, point the same way. Its 2025 report put the 2024 rate at 6.3 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, down from 6.9. Its June 29, 2026 report says the rate fell 23% in 2025: 24 million bags among 5 billion passengers, roughly 5 per 1,000. SITA counts per passenger and DOT per bag, so the series aren't directly comparable. Transfers caused 39% of mishandling in 2025, SITA found.

Your rights when a bag is late

The automatic bag-fee refund

DOT's refund rule, 14 CFR part 260, has required airlines to refund checked-bag fees for significantly delayed bags since a compliance date of October 28, 2024. A bag counts as significantly delayed if it is not delivered or picked up within:

12 hours of the last flight's arrival on a domestic itinerary;
15 hours on an international itinerary whose nonstop US–foreign flight lasts 12 hours or less;
30 hours if that flight lasts more than 12 hours (these clocks also cover domestic legs of international trips).

The clock runs from the moment you can deplane at your final destination until you pick up the bag or it reaches the address you agreed with the airline. The refund equals the fee you paid for that bag, so a bag that flew free under a fare allowance, status or card perk earns nothing here. It goes to your original form of payment and is owed only after you file a mishandled baggage report with the carrier that operated your last flight. It is not owed if you failed to collect and recheck the bag at your first US entry point, if you left the bag uncollected (for example on a "hidden city" ticket or before catching a separately booked flight), or if you agreed to fly without the bag after checking in late or flying standby. DOT's 2025–2026 enforcement pauses on the refund rule cover only renumbered flights, not bag fees.

Expenses and liability caps

Question	Domestic US trip	Most international trips
Minimum liability limit	$4,700 per passenger since January 22, 2025	1,519 SDR per passenger since December 28, 2024 (about $2,060 on October 9, 2026)
Rule	14 CFR part 254	Montreal Convention, Article 22
Damage claim deadline	Set by the airline's contract	Written complaint within 7 days of receiving the bag
Delay claim deadline	Set by the airline's contract	Written complaint within 21 days of the bag being returned
Excluded valuables (electronics, jewelry)	Airline may exclude them in its contract	Covered if the airline accepted the bag

The domestic floor rose from $3,800 to $4,700 under an October 2024 final rule, and part 254 applies to flights on aircraft with more than 60 seats or ticketed together with one. The international cap comes from ICAO's 2024 revision. A Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an International Monetary Fund unit worth about $1.35 at the IMF's October 9, 2026 rate, which puts the cap near $2,060. DOT's baggage page still gives about $2,175, based on a different conversion; the dollar value moves with exchange rates. These are caps, not payouts: you get your provable loss, after depreciation, up to the limit.

The treaty deadlines are in Article 31 of the Montreal Convention; domestic deadlines come from the airline's contract of carriage. Delta's domestic contract, for example, requires visible damage to be reported in person within 6 hours of arrival. Hidden damage, or damage to a bag returned after a delay, gets 24 hours.

This is general information, not legal advice; your ticket, airline contract and card or policy terms decide individual claims.

A delayed-bag claim, worked out

Illustrative example. A traveler pays a $40 checked-bag fee on a domestic nonstop. The bag reaches the hotel 26 hours after the plane landed. While waiting, the traveler buys toiletries ($28), a change of clothes ($95) and a phone charger ($22).

delay_hours  = bag delivered (or picked up) − time you could deplane
refund_due   = bag fee, if delay_hours > threshold AND a report was filed
threshold    = 12 (domestic) | 15 (intl, flight ≤ 12 h) | 30 (intl, flight > 12 h)
cap_in_usd   = 1,519 × SDR rate   (international trips)

Bag fee: 26 hours is more than 12, so the $40 fee is refunded once the report is on file.
Expenses: $28 + $95 + $22 = $145 in receipts, well inside the $4,700 cap. DOT says airlines must cover reasonable, verifiable and actual expenses.
Total from the airline: $40 + $145 = $185.

Change one fact and the result changes. A bag 14 hours late after a nine-hour flight from Europe misses the 15-hour threshold, so no fee refund is due, though receipts still count. If a bag with $3,000 of contents (after depreciation) were lost on that international trip, the cap of about $2,060 would leave roughly $940 uncovered. Domestically, the $4,700 cap would cover it, subject to depreciation and exclusions.

Wheelchairs and medical devices

DOT data show mishandled wheelchairs and scooters at 1.26 per 100 in 2024, 1.09 in 2025 and 1.17 in July 2026, about twice the bag rate. Unlike bags, the July figure rose from a year earlier (1.12 in July 2025). Assistive devices, defined in 14 CFR 382.3 as equipment that helps a passenger with a disability cope with its effects, including medical devices, are covered on domestic flights up to the original purchase price, under 14 CFR 382.131, not the $4,700 cap; on international flights the treaty limit applies.

DOT's December 2024 wheelchair rule took effect January 16, 2025. Under section 382.130, a delayed wheelchair or scooter must reach the passenger within 24 hours of a domestic or short international arrival (30 hours after flights over 12 hours). Passengers can pick their own repair vendor, and the airline must make best efforts to provide, and pay for, an adequate loaner. Four provisions are under an enforcement pause extended to April 30, 2027: the presumption that a damaged device was mishandled, pre-departure notices of claim rights, fare-difference reimbursement and yearly refresher training.

Trackers, cards and insurance

Apple's Share Item Location, added in iOS 18.2, creates a link to an AirTag's or other Find My accessory's position that an airline agent can open; it expires after seven days or when you recover the item. Apple's November 2024 announcement named Delta, United, Air Canada, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas and 11 other airlines that planned to accept the links, and SITA built support into WorldTracer, a tracing system used by more than 500 airlines and ground handlers. SITA says the integration cut permanently lost luggage by 90% in its first year. Ask the baggage desk how it accepts links.

Card and travel-insurance benefits are product-specific. As one example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve lists baggage-delay reimbursement of up to $100 a day for up to 5 days once a bag is more than 6 hours late. It also lists lost-luggage reimbursement of up to $3,000 per covered traveler; Chase says these benefits apply when you use your card, with restrictions and exclusions. Other cards differ or offer nothing; the guide to benefits sets the conditions and deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Can an airline limit me to a fixed amount per day while my bag is delayed?

On domestic trips, no. DOT says airlines may not set an arbitrary daily amount for interim expenses, such as $50 a day; reasonable, documented costs count up to the liability limit.

When does an airline treat a delayed bag as lost?

Policies differ; DOT says most airlines declare a bag lost between 5 and 14 days after the flight. On international trips the Montreal Convention lets you claim for loss once the bag has not arrived 21 days after it should have, or earlier if the airline admits it is lost; a court claim under the treaty must be brought within two years of the date the flight arrived or should have arrived (Article 35). A lost bag's checked-bag fee must also be refunded.

Are laptops and jewelry covered if they were in my checked bag?

On domestic flights, airlines may exclude items such as electronics, cash, jewelry and fragile goods in their contracts of carriage, and many do. On international trips, including the domestic leg of an international itinerary, DOT says the airline is responsible for such items once it accepts the bag, up to the treaty limit.

Will the airline pay for a broken wheel or handle?

DOT says airlines cannot exclude liability for damage to wheels, handles, straps and other parts of a checked bag, though they need not pay for normal wear and tear. Report the damage before leaving the airport if you can, since some contracts require visible damage to be shown in person within hours.

Can I raise the liability limit for an expensive bag?

On trips covered by the Montreal Convention, Article 22 lets you make a special declaration of value when you check the bag, sometimes for an extra fee. The airline is then liable up to the declared amount unless it shows the bag was worth less. It must be made when you hand the bag over.

Before and after you land

Choose a nonstop where you can; transfers caused 39% of mishandled bags worldwide in 2025, according to SITA.
Avoid tight connections in peak months, and allow time to recheck bags on separate tickets and at your first US entry point.
Pack medication, chargers, documents and one change of clothes in your carry-on or personal item.
Put a tracker in the bag, label it with your phone and email, and photograph the bag and its contents.
If the bag is missing or damaged, file the report at the airport, note the time you could deplane, and get a reference number.
Keep receipts, send a tracker link, and write down your deadline: the airline's contract on domestic trips, 7 or 21 days on international ones.
Check your card statement for the bag-fee refund after 12, 15 or 30 hours, and file any card or insurance claim in parallel.