LATAM delayed, lost or damaged baggage claims

Baggage and flight-delay claims can coexist. A passenger might have EUR 600 for a covered long flight disruption and a separate claim for reasonable delayed-bag purchases. One does not replace the other.

First-action table

Do not confuse a forgotten cabin item with checked baggage. LATAM directs forgotten-property enquiries through a different process and generally treats carry-on possessions as the passenger's responsibility.

Open Report My Bag at the airport

LATAM's current Help Center tells passengers whose baggage did not arrive to contact staff before leaving the baggage-claim area. Staff provide access to the Report My Bag form, which opens the search record. The passenger can track it using surname and report code.

Record:

• passenger name and contact details;
• flight and arrival airport;
• bag-tag number;
• colour, brand, size and distinguishing marks;
• delivery address during the trip;
• report code and creation time;
• staff instructions and contact channel.

Take a photograph or screenshot of the completed record. A verbal conversation at the carousel is not as useful as a traceable report.

If the passenger has already left the airport, LATAM directs them to its specialised baggage team, currently through WhatsApp in the Help Center. Act immediately. Leaving without a report can make proof harder, although the Convention's written deadlines still require their own analysis.

Share tracking data carefully

LATAM's current process allows a passenger with an Apple AirTag to share location through the baggage self-service record. An AirTag can help the search but does not replace the official report, bag tag or written claim.

Share only through the airline's verified channel. Preserve screenshots showing location and time if they later prove that the bag was at a particular airport. Do not enter restricted operational areas or attempt to recover baggage personally.

Delayed baggage: buy necessities, not replacements for everything

The Montreal Convention compensates proved damage up to its applicable limit. For a delayed bag away from home, reasonable essential purchases can include basic clothing, toiletries and items needed for the trip. The airline can examine necessity, price and whether items retain lasting value.

Use a simple expense log:

Avoid luxury brands, broad wardrobe replacement and unreceipted cash claims. If the passenger is home, LATAM may argue that fewer emergency purchases were necessary. Explain individual circumstances rather than assuming a daily allowance.

Submit the written delayed-baggage complaint no later than 21 days from the date the bag is delivered. Earlier is safer. The 21 days is not a waiting period.

Damaged baggage: seven days is short

Photograph the suitcase at the belt, including wheels, handles, shell, tag and contents. Report it before repair or disposal. Ask for the airport reference and LATAM's repair, replacement or valuation instructions.

The Montreal Convention requires written complaint within seven days after receiving checked baggage for damage. The carrier can examine normal wear, inherent defect and prior condition. Preserve purchase proof or evidence of age where available.

Do not throw the bag away unless LATAM authorises it or safety requires disposal; document the reason. A repair quote can support amount, but do not commission an unreasonable premium repair without giving the airline a chance to inspect.

When delayed baggage becomes lost

Under the Convention framework, checked baggage can be treated as lost when the carrier admits loss or it has not arrived after 21 days from the date it should have arrived. That does not mean 1,519 SDR is automatically paid on day 22.

Prepare a credible contents inventory with purchase date, original price, present value and proof where possible. Depreciation can matter. Jewellery, electronics, cash, documents and medicines may be subject to carriage restrictions or stronger proof requirements.

The limit is per passenger, not per suitcase. Sharing one bag does not necessarily merge passenger claims, but each passenger must prove whose property was lost. A special declaration of interest made and paid for before travel can alter the ceiling in a qualifying case.

What 1,519 SDR means

The International Civil Aviation Organization revised the Montreal Convention baggage limit to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights effective 28 December 2024. SDR is an IMF accounting unit whose currency value changes. Convert it using the relevant lawful date and source rather than hard-coding a euro or pound figure.

It is a liability ceiling for proved damage in ordinary Convention cases. It is not:

• a guaranteed payment for any delayed suitcase;
• an amount per bag;
• the EU261 EUR 600 tariff;
• a substitute for receipts and contents proof;
• a limit on a separate qualifying flight-disruption compensation claim.

Claims above the limit require a valid basis such as a special declaration or circumstances removing the carrier's right to rely on the limit, which is legally demanding.

Which airline handles a partner itinerary?

LATAM's current partner-baggage guidance says a passenger with a baggage issue on a partner journey should generally report it to the last airline travelled with. It adds that when baggage was not delivered at a connecting airport where collection and recheck were required, the passenger should contact the airline that brought them there.

The Montreal Convention can allow claims against the first or last carrier in successive carriage and against the carrier performing the sector where damage occurred, depending on the issue. Preserve every baggage tag and boarding pass. Do not apply the EU261 operating-carrier rule mechanically to baggage.

Example: Iberia flies Madrid-GRU and LATAM flies GRU-Recife on one ticket. The bag is absent in Recife. Open the airport report with the final carrier immediately, then preserve both airlines' records. If the bag failed to arrive for mandatory GRU recheck, document which carrier delivered the inbound sector.

Connections at GRU, LIM and SCL

LATAM's Help Center says that certain international-to-domestic connections at Guarulhos, Lima and Santiago require baggage collection and recheck. A GRU-CGH airport change always requires passengers to collect and transport baggage between airports.

Follow current instructions. A bag left on the carousel because the passenger assumed it was through-checked can create a different dispute from airline non-delivery. Keep the through tag, customs directions, collection time and recheck receipt.

The LATAM missed-connection guide covers how those procedures interact with final arrival, while this page remains focused on baggage loss and damage.

Flight compensation and baggage compensation together

Suppose Madrid-GRU-Recife arrives six hours late after a carrier-controlled missed connection and the bag appears three days later. The passenger may have:

1. EUR 600 under EU261 for the qualifying final delay;
2. care expenses caused by waiting at the airport;
3. reasonable essential purchases caused by baggage delay;
4. a claim for any proved baggage damage.

Label each receipt once and avoid double recovery. Food during the flight disruption is not a clothing expense from bag delay. A LATAM Wallet credit should identify which category it settles.

Written claim packet

After the airport report, send a written claim through LATAM's current baggage or Help Center route. Include:

• Report My Bag/PIR code;
• booking, ticket and bag-tag numbers;
• itinerary and operating airlines;
• delivery date or confirmation the bag remains missing;
• photographs and damage report;
• itemised expenses or contents inventory;
• receipts and value evidence;
• requested amount and currency;
• bank details only through a secure requested channel.

Preserve the submission and case status. The airport search report alone may not contain a monetary demand, so follow it with the written complaint within the relevant deadline.

Court deadline

The Montreal Convention generally extinguishes the right to damages if court proceedings are not brought within two years, calculated from arrival, the date the aircraft ought to have arrived or when carriage stopped. The precise procedural computation and forum require legal analysis. An open airline case does not necessarily suspend the period.

Act much earlier because the 7-day and 21-day written-complaint deadlines arrive first. Travel insurance can have even shorter notice terms; notify the insurer without giving up the airline claim.

FAQ

Is Report My Bag the same as a compensation claim?

It opens and tracks the baggage search. Follow it with a written monetary complaint and evidence within the applicable Montreal deadline.

Does LATAM automatically pay 1,519 SDR for a lost bag?

No. It is ordinarily a per-passenger liability ceiling. The passenger must prove actual loss and value.

How long do I have for damaged baggage?

Send written complaint within seven days after receiving checked baggage and report visible damage immediately at the airport.

Can I buy clothing while my bag is delayed?

Reasonable necessities may be recoverable when justified. Keep itemised receipts and avoid excessive purchases.

Can I claim EUR 600 and baggage expenses together?

Yes when each separate legal test passes. EU261 addresses the flight disruption; the Montreal Convention addresses baggage damage or delay.

Official sources

• LATAM: baggage did not arrive and Report My Bag
• LATAM: baggage on connections
• LATAM: baggage problems on partner airlines
• ICAO: revised Montreal Convention liability limits effective December 2024
• EUR-Lex: Montreal Convention text
• UK CAA: lost, delayed or damaged baggage