Last updated: 31 October 2026.
What the airline owes you is set by its own Conditions of Carriage and by the Montreal Convention, with a legal notice under EC Regulation 889/2002. Amounts are in Special Drawing Rights (SDR).
1,519 SDRlimit for baggage destruction, loss, damage or delay
6,303 SDRlimit for delay to a passenger
7 daysto complain in writing about damaged checked baggage
21 daysto complain about delayed baggage
Limits
- Death or bodily injury
- No financial limit. For damages up to 151,880 SDR (about GBP 157,600) the airline cannot contest compensation; above that it can defend by proving it was not at fault. An advance payment is due within 15 days, and at least 16,000 SDR on death.
- Delay to the passenger
- Up to 6,303 SDR (about GBP 6,540), unless the airline took all reasonable measures
- Baggage delay
- Up to 1,519 SDR (about GBP 1,575)
- Baggage destruction, loss or damage
- Up to 1,519 SDR (about GBP 1,600). Checked bags: liable even without fault, unless the bag was defective. Unchecked bags: only if at fault.
- You can raise the limit by stating a higher value no later than check-in and paying an extra charge.
- No liability is taken for breakable, high-value or perishable articles, nor for bags packed in damaged or unsuitable cases. It accepts no liability for jewellery, other valuables and money in checked baggage; carry them with you.
- If the airline flying you is not the one on your ticket, you may claim against either.
Time limits
- Write to the airline as soon as possible about damaged, delayed, lost or destroyed baggage. Damage to a checked bag must be reported within 7 days from when it was given to you; for delay, 21 days.
- Court action must begin within two years of arrival, or of the date the aircraft should have arrived.
Delayed, lost or damaged bags
- Report and track a delayed, missing or damaged bag online through the airline's baggage service, then make a claim.
- Lost property found at an airport or on an aircraft has its own search form.
- Take out travel insurance; the airline's liability does not depend on the bag's weight or value.
Questions travellers ask us
How much will British Airways pay for a lost bag?
Up to 1,519 SDR under the Montreal Convention.
How long do I have to complain?
7 days for damage and 21 days for delay.
Is there a limit for injury?
No financial limit under the Convention.
Baggage Allowance is an independent information site and is not part of British Airways. Check the airline's own pages before you travel.
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