Lost, delayed or damaged baggage in Canada: what the airline owes and how to claim

Updated November 1, 2026 · Checked against the regulations as current to September 30, 2026 · By LandedLate

If an airline loses or damages your checked bag on a flight to, from or within Canada, it must refund the baggage fees you paid and compensate your documented losses, up to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (about $2,780 CAD at the CTA's December 2024 rate) per passenger. That comes from section 23 of the Air Passenger Protection Regulations and the Montreal Convention. There is no fixed amount: you are paid for what you can prove the bag and its contents were worth, and the limit is a ceiling, not a payout. Report the problem before you leave the airport, then claim in writing within 7 days for damage or 21 days for a delayed bag.

Was your flight also 3 hours or more late? That's separate compensation. Check it free at landedlate.ca/check.

Do this before you leave the airport

Report it to your airline's baggage desk, or online if the airline offers that. Ask for a file reference (Air Canada's looks like YULAC12345) and keep it.
Photograph the bag, the damage and your baggage tag.
Keep every receipt for essentials you buy, repairs and replacements.
If your trip ended on another airline. Air Canada says: “For travel ending with any other airline, please report your delayed bag with them.”

Air Canada's domestic tariff (Rule 105 C) goes further. It says preliminary notice of loss, delay or damage must be given “in writing, after the arrival of the flight ... and prior to the passenger's leaving the airport.” The CTA also says to report before leaving and fill out forms such as a Property Irregularity Report.

Deadlines

Problem	Deadline	Source
Damaged bag	“forthwith” and at the latest within 7 days of receiving the bag	Montreal Convention art. 31(2)
Delayed bag	Within 21 days from the date the bag was placed at your disposal	Art. 31(2). For flights within Canada the CTA says: as soon as possible, no later than your airline's tariff allows
Lost bag	In writing within 21 days of when the bag should have arrived (Air Canada international tariff; Air Transat domestic). It counts as lost after 21 days, or earlier if the airline admits it.	Art. 17(3); regulations s.23(1); CTA
Going to court	Within 2 years of arrival, or of when the plane should have arrived	Art. 35

Article 31(3) says every complaint “must be made in writing”, and article 31(4) says that without one in time, “no action shall lie against the carrier” except for fraud. Keep a copy or screenshot of whatever you send. Days are calendar days (article 52).

Delayed bag: what you can claim while you wait

On an international itinerary the CTA says, “The airline must compensate you for items you may need until your baggage is returned.” Think clothes and toiletries, with receipts. The airline is excused if it “took all reasonable measures” (CTA, under article 19). Within Canada, the CTA points to the airline's tariff. What each airline states (pages read November 1, 2026):

Airline	Allowance
WestJet	Flights within the Americas: you may be entitled to “up to $100 CAD/USD for the first 48 hours ... a further $150 for a total of $250”, with itemized receipts
Air Transat	“$50.00 CAD per day, per baggage for a maximum of 7 days” for essentials
Porter	“up to $50 per day for the first 5 days”, which it calls guidelines, not daily limits
Air Canada	No dollar figure. “reasonable interim out-of-pocket expenses”, with receipts, within 21 days

The regulation sets no daily amount. The 1,519 SDR limit still covers the total.

Flair, flights within Canada. Section 23(2) of the regulations covers a bag lost for 21 days or less and says the carrier must provide at least the fees paid for that bag. Flair's domestic tariff says: “The Carrier is not liable for any damages sustained, or expenses incurred, in the event of any delay in retrieving baggage, which delay is less than 21 days from the originally scheduled arrival of such item.” Flair's website says that for domestic travel, delay expenses are reviewed only if the bag is deemed lost. The CTA says domestic delay terms sit in airline tariffs. If your bag was delayed on Flair, file the claim in writing anyway and keep the receipts.

Air Canada baggage claims

Delayed bag: open a file at the airport or at bagrecovery.aircanada.com (booking reference and last name).
Expenses: use Air Canada's online form: Baggage Issues, Baggage, Submit Expenses, “no later than 21 days from the date your baggage was placed at your disposal”. Have the incident report number, original receipts, baggage tags and boarding passes ready.
Not found after 5 days: Air Canada says to complete the Baggage Tracing form in the Baggage Issues section of that form.
Damaged bag: tell a baggage agent at the airport, get a file number, then file the claim online with photos and receipts within seven days. Don't throw the bag out until it is settled.
Lost bag: Air Canada's “Lost items” tab is for things left on board, not checked bags, and the page describes no separate lost-bag form. Use the same Baggage Issues form, quote your incident report number. Put your claim in writing before the bag has been missing 21 days: Air Canada's international tariff counts 21 days from when the bag should have arrived.
Fees: it “will refund the fees you paid to check it in.”

Other airlines:

WestJet: reimbursement form (needs your baggage report number); report within 12 hours for a delayed bag.
Air Transat: baggage claim form; for lost bags, 21 days on domestic flights and 30 days otherwise, from the date the bag should have been delivered.
Porter: reimbursement form; report within 4 hours at the airport or in writing within 5 days.
Flair: delayed-baggage page and damaged-baggage page; claim from the file ID it gives you.

What to write

Fill the brackets from your own papers.

Example wording to adapt
I am claiming for my [lost / delayed / damaged] checked baggage on flight [number] on [date], from [airport] to [airport]. My file reference is [reference] and I reported it at [airport] on [date].
I paid [amount] in baggage fees, which section 23 of the Air Passenger Protection Regulations requires you to compensate. I also ask for the documented value of [items and values], and [amount] for essentials I bought while the bag was missing. Receipts, my itemized list and photos are attached.
Under articles 17, 19 and 22 of the Montreal Convention, the liability limit is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights. Please pay the amount owed, or explain why not, within 30 days.

If the airline refuses or pays too little

Ask again in writing with the contents list, receipts and the section 23 wording. Keep proof of what you sent.
Wait 30 days. The CTA says you must contact the airline in writing first and wait for a reply, which can take up to 30 days.
Complain to the Canadian Transportation Agency. Its free complaint form has a section for baggage issues. You will need your property irregularity report, proof of your written claim and a list of items with values. How to file
Court is the other route, within 2 years (article 35).

Some CTA pages still show the older limit, about $2,350 (1,288 SDR). Its limits page says 1,519 SDR applies from December 28, 2024.

Was the flight late too? That is a separate claim: Air Canada delay compensation and meals and a hotel during a delay.

Check my flight delay

Free. LandedLate takes no share of what the airline pays you.

Questions

How much does Air Canada pay for lost luggage?

It refunds the checked-bag fees you paid and compensates what you can document, up to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger. Its conditions say the limit applies to most international itineraries and to domestic ones. The CTA put it at about $2,780 CAD in December 2024, but you are paid what you can document.

How long before a delayed bag counts as lost?

After 21 days. The Montreal Convention (article 17(3)) lets you treat a bag as lost if it has not arrived 21 days after it should have, or earlier if the airline admits the loss. The CTA says the same.

Can I claim for clothes I bought while my bag was delayed?

Usually yes, for reasonable essentials, if you keep the receipts and claim within the airline's deadline. Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Porter each say they reimburse reasonable interim expenses. Flair says that within Canada it reviews them only if the bag is deemed lost.

Do I get my baggage fee back?

If the bag is lost or damaged, yes: section 23(1)(a) of the regulations requires the carrier to compensate at least the fees paid for that bag. The same words appear in section 23(2) for a bag lost 21 days or less. The refund does not cover a bag allowance included in your fare.

What if my bag was damaged?

Report it before you leave the airport and complain in writing within 7 days of getting the bag. Air Canada says it won't pay for minor scratches or scuffs, damaged straps, or bags that are overpacked or overweight. The airline need not pay if the damage came from the bag's own defect or quality, so keep the bag until the claim is settled.

Is there compensation for delayed baggage on a domestic flight?

Section 23(2) of the regulations covers a bag lost for 21 days or less, including the fees paid. The CTA's guide says that for delayed baggage on domestic flights, the airline's tariff sets the terms. So read your airline's tariff, claim in writing and keep every receipt.

Sources

General information, not legal advice.