Ethiopian Airlines delayed, lost or damaged baggage claims
Report Ethiopian Airlines baggage trouble before leaving the arrival area, obtain a Property Irregularity Report and then submit the required written claim. Under the Montreal Convention, damage notice is normally due within seven days after receiving the bag and delay notice within 21 days after it is made available. The current liability limit is 1,519 SDR per passenger, not per bag and not an automatic payout. A court action is generally subject to a two-year limit.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Ethiopian currently describes a 25-day tracing process for missing bags. That operational search period does not extend the Convention's written-notice deadlines or replace the legal rule under which checked baggage can be treated as lost after 21 days if it has not arrived.
Report the irregularity at the destination airport
Go to the Ethiopian or handling-agent baggage desk before leaving customs where possible. Show the baggage tag and boarding pass, describe the bag accurately and obtain a PIR reference. Check that the passenger name, route, bag number, delivery address and contact details are correct.
Ethiopian also provides online delayed-baggage reporting and status tools. Save the submitted form and status screenshots. An online trace is useful, but do not assume it is the complete written compensation claim.
For visible damage, photograph the bag on the carousel and at the desk from several angles. Include the baggage tag and a scale reference. Do not discard the bag or arrange an irreversible repair before the carrier can inspect it unless urgent safety or necessity requires action.
PIR and written claim perform different functions
The PIR records that the baggage failed or arrived damaged. The written claim states what compensation or reimbursement is requested and includes evidence. Complete both.
| Problem | Immediate action | Montreal written deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Visible damage | Report before leaving; photograph; PIR | Within 7 days of receipt |
| Delayed baggage | PIR and trace; keep essential-purchase receipts | Within 21 days after the bag is delivered |
| Lost baggage | Keep tracing record and inventory | Treat legal loss and two-year action limit carefully |
| Missing contents | Report promptly; preserve bag and evidence | Damage rules may apply |
Send early rather than waiting until the last day. Local law can affect procedure, but cannot safely be assumed to enlarge the Convention notice period.
Delayed baggage pays proven reasonable loss
The Montreal Convention does not award a fixed daily allowance. A passenger away from home can claim reasonable necessary purchases caused by the delay, such as basic clothing and toiletries. Keep itemised receipts and explain why each item was needed before delivery.
The same purchase may be viewed differently on an outbound holiday and after returning home, where replacements may already be available. Mitigate loss: buy necessities in reasonable quantities and prices. Luxury replacements or a full new wardrobe can be reduced.
Record the exact delivery date and time because the 21-day written period runs from the date baggage was placed at the passenger's disposal. Ethiopian's status closure is not necessarily the delivery time.
When a bag is treated as lost
Montreal Article 17 allows the passenger to enforce rights for loss when the carrier admits loss or when checked baggage has not arrived after 21 days from the date it should have arrived. Ethiopian's public page says it will trace for a standard 25-day period. The four-day difference should not postpone legal action or notice.
Prepare an inventory with item, age, purchase price, proof and reasonable current value. Compensation is not automatically the cost of buying every item new. Depreciation and evidence matter. Receipts, photographs, prior travel images, warranty records and bank entries can corroborate ownership.
Do not exaggerate. A credible itemised schedule is stronger than a round claim at the maximum SDR limit.
Damaged baggage and repair assessment
Ethiopian's current guidance asks passengers to report damage immediately and says repair may be offered. If repair is feasible, the airline may ask for an invoice and PIR. Keep written approval where possible before incurring a major repair.
Normal wear, scratches, overpacking damage and inherent defects may be excluded. Distinguish cosmetic wear from broken wheels, cracked structure, torn fabric or unusable locks. If the bag is beyond repair, obtain a written assessment and replacement evidence for a comparable item, not an unrelated premium upgrade.
Contents damaged inside checked baggage require proof that they were packed, their condition and the causal event. Fragile, valuable and excluded items can face contractual or Convention limitations.
The 1,519 SDR limit is a ceiling
ICAO revised the Montreal baggage liability limit to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger effective 28 December 2024. SDR is an IMF unit whose currency value changes. Convert it using the appropriate rate when resolving or adjudicating the claim rather than hard-coding one permanent euro or pound figure.
The limit combines baggage-related recoverable loss for the passenger; it is not paid automatically for every missing bag. Two suitcases checked by one passenger do not create two ceilings. A family can have separate passenger limits where each person's baggage and loss are properly established.
A passenger can make a special declaration of interest and pay any required supplementary sum at check-in, potentially raising the ceiling. Proof of that declaration is essential.
Codeshare and successive carriage
Identify who operated the relevant sectors and which carrier accepted and delivered the baggage. Ethiopian's conditions direct attention to the operating carrier on codeshare services, while the Montreal Convention contains rules for successive carriage and permits action against specified carriers depending on the claim.
Report immediately to the arrival handling carrier rather than waiting for airlines to allocate responsibility. Preserve every ticket and baggage tag. The codeshare guide explains the flight-compensation distinction, but baggage liability remains a Montreal question.
Baggage delay and flight delay can coexist
A passenger arriving five hours late without a suitcase may have two separate records. EU261 or UK261 can provide fixed compensation for qualifying loss of time on a covered flight. Montreal can reimburse proven baggage loss. One does not replace the other.
An Ethiopian-operated Addis Ababa-Europe flight may be outside EU261, yet baggage rights under Montreal can still apply. Do not abandon the luggage claim because fixed European flight compensation is unavailable. Conversely, do not demand EUR 600 merely because a bag was delayed.
The Ethiopian compensation overview tests the flight separately.
Build the written baggage claim
Include passenger, PNR, ticket, route, operating carriers, baggage tag, PIR, delivery date or unresolved status, and the requested amount. Attach an itemised receipt table for delay, an inventory for loss or photographs and repair assessment for damage.
Send through Ethiopian's baggage channel or the written address identified in the PIR and Conditions of Carriage. Save the acknowledgement. If the online form has limited space, attach a numbered PDF and keep originals.
Do not confuse the two-year period for bringing an action with permission to delay the seven- or 21-day written complaint. Missing the short notice can defeat a case long before the outer action limit.
FAQ
Is the PIR enough to obtain reimbursement?
Usually not. It records the irregularity; submit a written monetary claim with receipts, inventory or damage evidence within the relevant deadline.
How long do I have for damaged baggage?
The Montreal Convention normally requires a written complaint within seven days after receiving checked baggage.
When must I claim delayed-baggage expenses?
Submit the written complaint no later than 21 days after the bag is made available, and act earlier where possible.
Does Ethiopian's 25-day tracing period delay legal loss?
No. It is an operational process. Montreal allows loss rights after 21 days without arrival, so preserve deadlines independently.
Will Ethiopian automatically pay 1,519 SDR?
No. It is a per-passenger liability ceiling. The passenger must prove recoverable loss, and defences and valuation still apply.