Damaged baggage after air travel

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Skadat bagage vid flygresa - Engelska

When your baggage is damaged during a flight, you can claim compensation from the airline. Report that your baggage is damaged or that the bag is broken directly in the arrival hall. Make your claim to the airline as soon as possible.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

Steps to take when you find your baggage is damaged

  • Document the damage immediately at the baggage claim if possible. You can, for example, take photos or videos. The images should show the damage, the baggage tag, and your location.

  • Report your damaged baggage to a representative of the airport or airline directly at the baggage claim.

  • Make sure you fill out a damage report form, known as a Property Irregularity Report (PIR).

  • If it is not possible to make a report at the airport, save your documentation of the damage. Also, take a picture showing that the baggage claim was closed, if that is the case.

  • Keep your flight tickets and a copy of your damage report form (PIR).

  • Send your claim to the airline as soon as possible, but no later than within 7 days.

Find out your rights and make a claim

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The airline is responsible for all checked baggage that is permitted to bring on the flight. If your checked baggage has been damaged during the air travel, you should report it directly at baggage pick-up.

Make sure to fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) together with a representative of the airport or the airline company. The report is your proof that the baggage has been damaged during the air travel.

If you leave the airport without making a report, it can be harder to prove that the baggage was damaged during the air travel.

If there are no personnel on site so that you can make a report, you can instead photograph the baggage at the airport so that you have image evidence that the baggage was already damaged at baggage pick-up.

Send your claim to the airline within a week

In order to claim compensation from the airline, you need to submit your claim to the airline no later than 7 days after receiving the baggage.

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When your baggage gets damaged during air travel, you might have the right to compensation. With our free tool, the Flight Calculator, you answer questions about your travel to find out what rights you have and if you can claim compensation. The Flight Calculator also guides you to the website of the airline so that you can send them your claim.

Send the claim to the airline as soon as possible, no later than 7 days after you got your baggage.

Have you travelled with multiple airlines? In that case, you can choose to send the claim to the airline that operated the first or the last leg of the flight.

How to file a claim for airline compensation yourself

If you can't submit the claim via the airline's website, you can send it via email or letter instead. The important thing is that you complain in writing. Find the airline's contact information on their website.

Your claim should include:

  • Property Irregularity Report (PIR)
  • Receipts for purchases (send copies and keep the originals for yourself). If you don't have receipts, you need to estimate the value of the baggage.
  • Ticket/boarding card.
  • Pictures (if your baggage has been damaged).

Save a copy of the claims you send to the airline.

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How much compensation you can get

The airline’s liability for damages for lost baggage is limited to SDR 1,519 SDRs (which is equivalent to around SEK 21,800) per passenger. SDR is a reserve currency used in international trade.

See the current value of SDR on the Riksbank's website

To be entitled to additional compensation, you must have declared that your baggage was of special value when checking it in. By making a so-called “special declaration”, you can get higher compensation if your baggage goes missing. In that case, the amount you have stated to the airline applies instead. The company has a right to charge you a fee when you make a “special declaration”.

When does the airline not need to compensate you?

If you have packed in a way that causes your baggage to break during the journey, the airline is not obliged to compensate you

Sometimes you can get compensation through insurance

Contact your insurance company to see if you can get compensation for the baggage through your home insurance or travel insurance.

If you have paid for the travel with a card, you may also have an extra travel insurance through the card issuer. Check what applies with the card issuer. Compensation can be paid out from several companies. So, if you have several travel insurance policies, such as through both home insurance and a bank card, you can send a claim report to both of the companies.

If the airline rejects your claim

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Choose the option that best matches your situation. If you are unsure, select “Travel with a Swedish airline".

Do you need help understanding what you are entitled to? You might be unsure whether your claim is reasonable or want to discuss how you can proceed. Here you will find suggestions on where to turn.

The Swedish Consumer Agency

If you need guidance, you can contact our national information service. We can provide information on your rights and what options you have. We provide independent guidance and therefore cannot assess your individual matter, resolve disputes or contact companies for you.

Contact us

Municipality's Consumer Guidance

Many municipalities provide consumer guidance where you can seek free information and support. The assistance offered may vary from one municipality to another.

If you are residing in Sweden and the airline you have issues with is registered in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom, you can receive free advice from ECC Sweden. ECC Sweden is part of a network of consumer offices within the EU. In some cases, ECC Sweden may share the case with a sister office in another country to attempt to reach a solution through mediation.

How to contact ECC Sweden

To get help with your case, you need to have completed step 1 on this page, which means you must first have submitted a claim to the airline.

After that, send us a description of the problem along with documents that show what happened. These documents are needed if your case is to be shared with a sister office in another country. Keep your original documents and only send copies to us

Send your case via email to: konsumenteuropa@konsumentverket.se

The email should include:

  • your contact information and the airline's name
  • your ticket or boarding card
  • a copy of your complaint and the claims you have made
  • receipts
  • the airlines reply
  • the Property Irregularity Report

Once you have submitted your case, you will usually receive a response within approximately a couple of weeks.

ECC Sweden cannot:
  • Force a company to act according to the law. The work is based on the company being willing to cooperate with the ECC network to reach a resolution.
  • Mediate in a case if we cannot identify the seller or if the seller refuses to cooperate with the ECC network.
  • Act as legal representation or assist when the consumer has already initiated legal proceedings.
  • Assist in purchases between businesses or purchases between individuals.
If you have any questions

ECC Sweden is part of the Swedish Consumer Agency. Do you need help clarifying your rights or want to discuss if and how you can proceed with your case? Then you can contact us at the information service.

Contact the information service

Do you need help understanding what you are entitled to? You might be unsure whether your claim is reasonable or want to discuss how you can proceed. Here you will find suggestions on where to turn.

The Swedish Consumer Agency's national information service

If you need guidance, you can contact our national information service. We can provide information on your rights and what options you have. We provide independent guidance and therefore cannot assess your individual matter, resolve disputes or contact companies for you.

Contact us

Municipality's Consumer Guidance

Many municipalities provide consumer guidance where you can seek free information and support. The assistance offered may vary from one municipality to another.

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Contact the National Board for Consumer Disputes

If you and the company cannot reach an agreement, you can file a complaint to the public authority the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

A normal processing time is approximately six months.

What does it cost to file a complaint with ARN?

It costs SEK 150 to file a complaint with ARN. When you submit your complaint, you can request that the company compensates you for the cost if ARN makes a recommendation in your favour.

Requirements for ARN to consider your case
  • The company has either rejected your claims or has not responded within a reasonable time.
  • The amount you and the company disagree on exceeds the value limit set by ARN. You cannot include the application fee to ARN.
  • You file the complaint within one year from the first time you complained to the company.

Submit a complaint on ARN's website

If you need help with your complaint

Sometimes, the municipal consumer advisors can assist you in making a complaint to ARN.

Have you completed the steps in this process? Do you still have a dispute with the company? In that case, one option is to contact the district court (tingsrätten).

It costs money to submit a complaint to court.

Are you unsure whether you should go to court or do you need help with your case? Then you can seek assistance from a lawyer.

Before seeking legal assistance, you can contact your insurance company. Many home insurance policies include what is called legal protection. It can cover certain costs associated with legal proceedings.

How much does it cost?

For a dispute involving a claim of up to 28,650 Swedish kronor (half a price base amount in 2024), known as a simplified litigation or small claim, the application fee is 900 kronor.

If the claim exceeds 28,650 kronor, or if the dispute does not concern a specific amount, the application fee is 2,800 kronor.

If you lose the dispute, you may be required to pay both your and the company's legal costs. However, in small claims, the costs you may have to pay are limited.

Learn how a lawsuit is handled in the district court on the website of the Swedish Courts (in Swedish)

Granskad: 30 maj 2025

The content is presented in collaboration with ECC Sweden, which is part of the ECC network and the Swedish Consumer Agency's information service. ECC Sweden is part-financed by the European Union.

The content of this website represents the views of the author only and it is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

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