Last updated: 31 October 2026.
The limits below stem from the airline's carriage conditions and from the Warsaw and Montreal Conventions. A "special drawing right" (SDR) is an accounting unit of the International Monetary Fund and changes in money value daily. Where national law gives different limits, those limits apply.
151,880SDR level up to which Etihad does not rely on its defences for death or injury
1,519SDR cap on damage to checked baggage per passenger
6,303SDR cap on delay of a passenger
7 / 21 daysreporting time for damaged / delayed checked baggage
Limits
- Death or injury under the Montreal Convention
- For proven damage up to 151,880 SDR, Etihad cannot escape liability by showing it took every precaution. Above that, it is not liable if it proves it was not at fault, or that only a third party was.
- Death or injury where Montreal does not apply
- Etihad does not impose a financial limit under the Warsaw Convention, and for up to 151,880 SDR it does not use the all-necessary-measures defence
- Checked baggage harmed under Montreal
- 1,519 SDR per passenger, or more if a higher value was agreed in advance
- Cabin baggage harmed, personal items included
- Etihad is liable only if it, or its agents, were at fault
- Baggage under the Warsaw Convention
- 26 SDR per kilogram of checked baggage; 332 SDR per passenger for unchecked baggage
- Delay of passengers under Montreal
- Proven damage up to 6,303 SDR per passenger, unless Etihad shows it took every reasonable measure or none was possible
- Etihad pays only for provable direct losses to baggage.
- The caps fall away when harm was intended, or caused recklessly with awareness that it would probably follow.
Deadlines
- Physically harmed hold baggage
- Within 7 days of getting the bag, counting from when you find the harm
- Lost checked baggage
- No later than 7 days after the date it should have arrived
- Delayed checked baggage
- Within 21 days of the bag being handed back to you
- Court action for damages
- Within 2 years of arrival, the scheduled arrival date, or the date carriage stopped
- A late-bag claim can be filed through Etihad's website.
If your bag is late
- Tell an Etihad representative in the reclaim hall, who files a report in the World Tracer system. Etihad aims to reunite you with the bag within 24 hours, and you can follow progress online with your name and reference.
- If you are away from home, Etihad reimburses reasonable expenses for essentials such as toiletries, up to international limits, with receipts.
- A bag still missing after 21 days moves to the claims team at head office in Abu Dhabi. A fee you paid for carrying a lost bag is refunded.
- Put your name and contact details on each bag, outside and inside.
Delays and disruption
- Delay is treated as damage under the Conditions of Carriage, subject to the cap above.
- Passenger-rights rules for the EU, UK, US and other regions apply on the flights they cover; Etihad publishes notices for each.
- For US flights Etihad commits to share flight status information, including delays of 30 minutes or more, and to keep passengers informed during tarmac delays and diversions.
Questions travellers ask us
What is Etihad's ceiling for a lost hold bag?
1,519 SDR per passenger under the Montreal Convention, unless a higher value was agreed.
By when must I report damage?
Within 7 days of getting the bag. Report delay within 21 days.
Does Etihad pay for delay of the passenger?
Up to 6,303 SDR of proven damage, unless it took every reasonable step to avoid it.
Baggage Allowance is an independent information site and is not part of Etihad. Check the airline's own pages before you travel.
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