Frequently asked questions about delayed bags

Please complete the contact form and place it in your bag. This enables us to trace your bag more easily.

If you have not received your bag by the time the baggage reclaim has ended, please report this immediately. At most airports it is best to do this online and also at the baggage tracing desk.

Once you have reported your delayed bag, you will receive a written confirmation by email with a reference number (PIR no., e.g. VIEOS12345). We recommend that you remain at the airport until your details have been successfully transmitted and you have received a reference number. Please retain this together with your flight documents, in particular your boarding pass and the baggage receipt. Your bag will be sent on and delivered to you as quickly as possible. You can access the current status of your delayed baggage report at any time on the baggage status page. 

Make sure that you also subscribe to baggage status updates when you create a delayed baggage report to receive these directly via email. If you do not receive any baggage status updates, you can also activate these later on the baggage status page.

You can check the progress in tracing your bag online using your reference number (PIR no., e.g. VIEOS12345), and you can also update your contact details. It’s especially important that you update them here if the delivery address is incorrect or has changed. We need this to deliver the bag.

If you are unable to get the information you require using the link provided, or you cannot amend your details, you will find a contact telephone number on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report. (You will receive the written confirmation of your delayed baggage report at the baggage tracing desk or attached to the confirmation email after you have reported your delayed bag online.)

At certain times of the year, such as during the peak travel season, there may be delays with delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

In the rare case that your bag cannot be found within five days of reporting the delay, we will require a detailed description of your bag and its contents to initiate a detailed search. The information you provide will help us find your bag among the bags that have not yet been identified and we can forward it to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete the list of contents on our baggage status page to do so. You will be able to access this automatically five days after reporting your delayed bag.

Please report delayed bags immediately, ideally while still at the airport and preferably online. If this is not possible, kindly report it at the local baggage tracing office.

You can usually report delayed bags online up to three days after your arrival. Please note that the burden of proof is reversed if you do not report the delayed bag immediately. In this case, you must prove that the problem occurred during your flight. If you are unable to report your delayed bag online or if you encounter technical problems, please contact our local baggage tracing office in the airport arrivals hall. Check the contact details on the website of your arrival airport and visit the office in person.

The airline with which you arrived at your destination is always responsible for your bag. If you did not arrive with Austrian Airlines, please report your delayed bag to the airline with which you arrived at your destination.

You can report your delayed bag online at most airports on arrival. You can only use our online self-service if your arrival flight was operated by Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS, your arrival was no more than three days ago and you have not yet reported your delayed bag. Use of the online self-service is not permitted at some airports due to local customs regulations. If online services are not available at your destination airport, please report your delayed bag directly at the local baggage tracing office. You can also report your delayed bag at a later point within the notification deadlines, i.e. within seven days after your arrival. However, the burden of proof is then reversed and you are obliged to prove that the problems took place during your flight.

Please retain your flight documents, especially your boarding pass and the baggage receipt.

If you cannot report your delayed bag online or if you encounter technical problems, please contact the local baggage tracing office in the airport arrival hall. Check the contact details on the website of your destination airport and visit the office in person.

Yes. If you are missing several bags, please include all of them on one delayed baggage report by adding the additional bags with baggage tag numbers and baggage descriptions in the online service. Up to ten items can generally be reported in one delayed baggage report.

After you report your bag as delayed, we will search for it in the global baggage tracing system. The information you have provided will help us to match your bag and forward it to you as quickly as possible. This is why we also ask you to provide further information about your bag in the form of a contents list, usually if your bag has not been found after five days.

You can follow the progress in tracing your bag online using your reference number (PIR no., e.g. VIEOS12345). You can also amend your details here if the delivery address or your contact details are incorrect or have changed.

If you are unable to get the information you require using the link provided or cannot amend your details, you will find a contact telephone number on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report that you receive at the baggage tracing counter or as an attachment to the confirmation email sent when you report delayed bag online.

At certain times of the year, such as during the peak travel season, there may be delays with delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

You can always find the latest status of your delayed baggage report on the Baggage status page. You will also receive notifications from us as soon as the status of your report changes, or if we require further information from you. We require your consent to send you status updates about your delayed bag. You can give your consent when you first report your delayed bag (at the baggage tracing counter or online). You can also give your consent later via the Baggage status page.

In the rare case that your bag cannot be found within five days of reporting the delay, we will require a full description of your bag and its contents so we can launch a detailed search. The information you provide will help us find your bag among the bags that have not yet been identified and we can forward it to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete the list of contents on our baggage status page to do so. You will be able to access this automatically five days after reporting your delayed bag.

You will be notified via email if the carriage of your bag has been planned for a specific flight. Your bag may be carried on a different flight from initially expected due to timing, weight limitations of the aircraft and restrictions on the amount of delayed baggage allowed to certain destinations. If that is the case, the carriage of the baggage will be rescheduled onto a new flight and you will receive a corresponding notification by email. You can always find the latest flight information on the Baggage status page.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before we can either commission a courier service to deliver your delayed bag to you, or let you know via email when it is ready for collection. If you have already been notified that your bag has been handed over to a courier service, the courier will contact you to arrange a delivery date. This might also take some time due to the number of bags to be delivered or the time of day. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly.

If you are unable to get the information you require on the ​Baggage status page, or cannot amend your details, you will find contact information on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report that you receive at the baggage tracing counter. This information is also attached to your confirmation email when you report delayed bag online.

However, please note that our Service Center and Social Media Management cannot assist in answering questions about the status of your baggage since they have the same information as indicated on the ​Baggage status page. We will get in touch with you as soon as we have any updates about your delayed bag.

Your Bluetooth tracker (e.g. AirTag or SmartTag) can indicate the location of your baggage, but it is not linked to any airline systems. If your delayed baggage contains a Bluetooth tracker (e.g. Apple AirTag or Galaxy SmartTag), please activate “Lost mode” for the tracker on your smartphone and enter an email address. This will help us allocate your baggage if we find your Bluetooth tracker.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before it can be delivered to you or until it is ready for collection, depending on the option you have chosen. Please do not come to the airport before we have notified you accordingly, as your baggage might be in an area that cannot be accessed and therefore cannot yet be delivered to you.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, additional internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before it can be delivered to you or is ready for collection. Depending on the option you have chosen, you will receive an email from us when your baggage is ready for collection or has been handed over to a courier service for delivery. The courier service will contact you as soon as possible to set up a delivery appointment and will deliver your baggage to the delivery address you have provided. If you need to change your delivery address after submitting the initial delayed baggage report, you can do so on the ​Baggage status page. Please note that you can only change your address before we have commissioned a courier service to deliver your baggage to you.

Most delayed bags are found within the first 24 hours. As soon as your bag arrives at your destination airport, please allow extra time for internal processing and customs clearance. This may mean that your baggage will not be ready for delivery or collection immediately. You will receive an email when a courier service has been commissioned or when you can collect your baggage, if you have chosen this option. At certain times of the year, for example the peak travel season, there may be delays in delivery. However, we will make every effort to ensure speedy processing and ask for your understanding.

Please also note that an airport might no longer be able to offer the personal collection of baggage in some situations and at short notice. You will also be notified accordingly if this is the case.

You can change your contact details including the delivery address on the Baggage status page. Please note you can only change your delivery address before a courier service has been commissioned. If you cannot amend your details, you will find contact information on the written confirmation receipt of your delayed baggage report that you will receive at the baggage tracing counter or attached to your confirmation email when you report delayed bag online. As soon as we have commissioned a courier service we will notify you by email. The courier service will contact you to arrange a delivery date.

Once your delayed bag has arrived at the destination airport, internal processes and customs clearance will still require some time before we can commission a courier service to deliver your delayed bag to you. If you have already been notified that your bag has been handed over to a courier service, the courier will contact you to arrange a delivery date. This might also take some time due to the number of bags to be delivered or the time of day. If it was not possible to deliver your bag, the courier service will contact you again to arrange a new delivery date. Please do not come to the airport until we have notified you accordingly.

If your bag arrives late at your destination, you can purchase essential items such as toiletries and clothes, and submit the receipts for a refund. Please keep all the receipts to support your claim later.

Please note:

• We recommend that you carry valuables such as jewellery, money or medicines in your hand luggage.
• You are obliged to keep the expenses for the purchase of replacement items as low as possible in the event of a baggage delay (“duty to mitigate damages”). Austrian Airlines will contribute to the costs subject to proportionality.
• Expenses for replacement purchases made after your arrival back home will also be considered for a refund. Please note that you as the passenger are especially obliged to behave in a manner that minimises any claims here. Expenses for replacement purchases that can be assumed to be available at your home will not be refunded.
• Items that you can continue to use (e.g. clothes) will be refunded at a rate of 50%, while toiletries or single-use items will be refunded at 100%*.
  

* Exceptions apply to the USA and Canada due to local legislation (US DOT and CTA).

Austrian Airlines will contribute to reasonable expenses for toiletries and clothes. Liability is regulated by the Montreal Convention. Please note that you are obliged under the Montreal Convention to minimise expenses if your bag is delayed.

You can apply for a refund of the verified costs once you have reported your delayed bag (at the airport or online). Please keep any receipts in support of your claim.

Please send us the following documents:

• original loss report;
• original purchase receipts for replacement items; and
• your bank details (for overseas transfers incl. IBAN and BIC).

The fastest way to send them is via our contact form by clicking on the button and then scrolling to the “Baggage delay” section.

Alternatively, you can send your documents to the following address:

Austrian Airlines
Feedback Management
P.O. box 33
A-1300 Vienna Airport

You can apply for a refund of the expenses for replacement items within two years after your flight, providing you have reported your bag as delayed.

You are entitled to compensation for the loss of your bag providing you have reported your bag as delayed within the reporting deadlines (at the airport or online), completed the contents list on the baggage status page, and your bag has been delayed for more than 21 days. If this is the case, you must submit your claim for compensation for the loss of your baggage within two years. The postmark or automatic date of receipt of the email notification is the determining factor for compliance with reporting deadlines.

The maximum amount that can be refunded in the event of the complete loss of your bag is regulated by the Montreal Convention.

Please note:

• We recommend that you carry valuables such as jewellery, money or medicines in your hand luggage.
• You are responsible for your hand luggage.

The liability of airlines for travel baggage is regulated by law. The compensation entitlement is granted according to the Montreal Convention. The compensation itself is specified in so-called Special Drawing Rights (SDR). The Special Drawing Right (SDR) is an artificial accounting unit created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The maximum liability is 1,288 SDRs at present, which is currently equivalent to approx. EUR 1,500. This amount is subject to exchange rate fluctuations and may therefore change.

The Montreal Convention only applies if the following conditions are met:

The law applies both to domestic and international carriage between the contracting states. For checked baggage, the airline is liable for the delayed bag, irrespective of fault. This right only applies if the baggage delay report and the claim for compensation are submitted within the deadlines specified in the contract.

You are entitled to compensation for the loss of your bag providing you have reported your baggage as delayed (at the airport or online), completed the contents list on the baggage status page, and your baggage has been delayed for more than 21 days. Please contact Austrian Airlines Feedback Management in this case.

The fastest way to send them is via our contact form by clicking on the button and then scrolling to the “Baggage delay” section.

Alternatively, you can send your documents to the following address:

Austrian Airlines
Feedback Management
P.O. box 33
A-1300 Vienna Airport

If you notice that your delayed bag has been damaged, you must notify Austrian Airlines in writing or text form immediately. If you have accepted the checked baggage without reservation, it is presumed that it has been delivered in good condition and in accordance with the contract of carriage unless proven otherwise.

You can report your damaged bag online:

Please note that any claim is excluded by law if the person entitled does not report the damage immediately after it is discovered, or in the case of checked baggage, no later than seven days after acceptance of the bag.

Austrian Airlines is also not liable for damage caused by items in your bag (including fragile, unsuitably packed and perishable items), unless we have caused such damage by gross negligence or wilful misconduct.