Last updated · Facts checked against official sources
If Air France delays, loses or damages your checked bag, Air France baggage compensation covers your proven losses up to 1,519 SDR (about €1,840, US$2,060 or £1,540 at October 2026 exchange rates; the value moves daily) per passenger. This limit comes from the Montreal Convention. It is a ceiling, not a fixed payout.
The deadlines are short. Report a missing bag before you leave the airport or online within 7 days of arrival. Claim delay expenses within 21 days of getting the bag back, and report damage within 7 days of receiving the bag.
This page covers problems with your bags. For sizes, weights and fees, see our Air France baggage allowance guide.
Key Takeaways
Click each item to mark as read
- 1✓
Report the bag before you leave the airport, or online within 7 days of arrival.
Go to the AIR FRANCE KLM baggage office and fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), or use the online form or Air France app. Some arrival airports do not accept online reports. Keep the claim number you receive.
- 2✓
Keep every receipt: essentials bought during the delay can be reimbursed.
Air France looks at the length and purpose of your trip, the climate, how long you waited and whether each item was necessary. Submit the request within 21 days of receiving your bag.
- 3✓
One limit of 1,519 SDR covers delay, loss and damage for the same bag incident.
If you claim €200 of delay expenses and the bag is later lost, that €200 counts toward the same per-passenger limit.
- 4✓
Damage: report within 7 days and get written approval before any repair.
Air France says repairs or exchanges made without its written authorisation are at your own cost. Keep the damaged bag and all original documents.
- 5✓
Montreal rules also apply to Air France flights inside the EU, including within France.
EU Regulation 2027/97 (amended by 889/2002) applies the Montreal liability rules to EU airlines on all their flights. EU261 covers flight delays and cancellations, not bags.
How much Air France baggage compensation can you get?
What you can claim depends on what happened to the bag:
- Delayed bag: reasonable costs of essential items you had to buy while waiting.
- Lost bag: the value of the suitcase and its contents, usually with depreciation for age and wear.
- Damaged bag: repair, a replacement, or payment of the bag's current value.
Air France is liable up to 1,519 SDR per passenger (about €1,840 or US$2,060 at October 2026 rates). You receive your proven actual loss up to that figure, not the full amount automatically. To cover more, Air France offers extra insurance at check-in that lets you declare the real value of your belongings.
The limit is per passenger for the whole bag incident. Money paid for delay expenses is deducted if the same bag is later declared lost.
What should you do if Air France delays your bag?
- Report it before leaving the airport. Go to the AIR FRANCE KLM baggage office (or its representative) and fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). You receive a claim number.
- Or report it online within 7 days. Use the Air France missing baggage form or app with your baggage receipt number. Some arrival airports are excluded from online reporting.
- Track the search. Use the claim number in Air France's online baggage tracker. If your bag has an Apple AirTag, you can share its location through the form.
- Buy only what you need. Keep every receipt or proof of purchase.
- Claim your expenses within 21 days of receiving the bag, using the Air France online claim form.
What can you claim while your Air France bag is delayed?
Air France reimburses purchases directly linked to the delay, such as basic toiletries and essential replacement clothing. When it assesses a request, it considers:
- The length and purpose of your trip
- The climate at your destination
- How long you were without your bag
- Whether each item was really necessary
Not sure what you can claim? Check your claim for free. It takes about 2 minutes to start.
What happens if Air France loses your bag?
If the bag has not been found 72 hours after your report, Air France asks you to fill in an inventory and claim form in its online baggage search tool. List every item with its value. Detail helps the search and later becomes your claim.
If the bag is still missing 21 days after your report, Air France uses that inventory as the basis for compensation. It pays on presentation of receipts or other proof of purchase, within the Montreal Convention limit, minus anything already paid for delay expenses. Read more in our lost baggage compensation guide.
Tip
If you check in high-value items, buy Air France's declared-value insurance at check-in or carry them in the cabin. It is the only way to be covered above the standard Montreal Convention limit.
What should you do if Air France damages your bag?
Air France does not pay for scratches, marks and other minor wear from normal handling. For real damage, such as a broken handle, wheel or shell, act quickly:
- Still at the airport: go to the Air France baggage office. Staff create a baggage irregularity report, give you repair information and a claim number.
- Already left: you have 7 days from the day you received the bag to request compensation through the online claim form or Air France customer service in your country of residence.
- Before any repair: wait for written authorisation from Air France. Without it, repair or exchange costs stay with you.
Something missing from inside the bag? The same 7-day limit applies. At Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, staff give you a complaint letter that Air France passes to the local authorities.
Tip
Take a quick photo of your suitcase before check-in. If it comes back cracked or torn, the photo helps show the damage happened in Air France's care.
What are the Air France baggage claim deadlines?
The 2-year court limit runs from the date you arrived, or should have arrived. See all limits in our baggage claim deadlines guide.
What documents does Air France ask for?
- Your claim number (PIR reference)
- Boarding pass or e-ticket
- Baggage tag receipt
- Receipts for essential purchases during the delay
- For a lost bag: a detailed inventory with values and proof of purchase
- For damage: photos and a professional repair estimate, or a statement that the bag cannot be repaired
Keep the originals: Air France may ask for them later. Our baggage claim documents checklist has more detail.
What if Air France refuses or underpays your claim?
- Ask Air France in writing for the reason, and quote your claim number.
- Reply with the missing evidence: receipts, bank statements, order confirmations, photos or a repair estimate.
- Point to the Montreal Convention: for checked bags the airline is liable for loss and damage without proof of fault, up to 1,519 SDR.
- If the answer is still no, you can go to court. Do it within 2 years of your arrival date.
BagHelp can take over the airline paperwork on a no win, no fee basis, and you only pay if money is recovered. Start your free eligibility check.
FAQs
No. EU Regulation 261/2004 covers flight delays, cancellations and denied boarding. Bags fall under the Montreal Convention, which EU law applies to Air France on all its flights. Learn more in our Montreal Convention guide.
Yes. Regulation (EC) 2027/97, as amended, applies the Montreal liability rules and the 1,519 SDR limit to EU airlines, including domestic flights.
Air France calculates compensation on presentation of receipts or other proof of purchase. If you lack a receipt, send what you have: bank or card statements, order confirmations, photos of you with the item. Items without any proof are often valued lower.
Air France asks you not to. Bags still go through internal and customs steps before release. Wait for its message that the bag is ready for delivery or collection.
Report it at your final airport. Under the Montreal Convention you can claim from the first airline, the last airline, or the airline on whose flight the problem happened.
Sources: ICAO, IMF SDR rates, Montreal Convention (EUR-Lex), Regulation (EC) 2027/97, Air France missing and damaged baggage page, Air France claim form. Last checked October 2026.