This is the full demand letter BagBack writes for its worked example: a bag lost on a flight from New York to London, six items in it, three purchases while waiting and a $75 bag fee. It comes from the same engine that writes every traveler's letter, so what you read here is what yours will look like with your own facts. The notes in the margin say what each part does.
Example Air — Central Baggage / Customer Relations
Re: Formal claim for lost checked baggage on flight EX 101 from New York (JFK) to London (LHR), 2026-09-01. PIR / file reference LHREX10234.
Dear Baggage Claims Team,
I travelled with Example Air on flight EX 101 from New York (JFK) to London (LHR), arriving 2026-09-01. My checked baggage was not delivered and has not been returned. I reported the irregularity to Example Air on 2026-09-01. Your reference is LHREX10234.
This carriage is international carriage governed by the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 1999). Under Article 17(2) the carrier is liable for destruction, loss of or damage to checked baggage while in its charge; under Article 19 it is liable for damage occasioned by delay. This letter is my written complaint under Article 31. The limit of liability under Article 22(2), as revised with effect from 28 December 2024, is 1,519 SDR per passenger, which at 1.370 USD per SDR is approximately $2,081.
Under Article 17(3), baggage that has not arrived within twenty-one days of the date on which it ought to have arrived is deemed lost, and I am entitled to enforce the rights flowing from the contract of carriage.
I claim the following:
1. Contents — $2,745 at replacement cost (itemized schedule attached, 6 lines, with proof of value for each). Neither the Convention nor Part 254 mandates depreciation; I do not accept a blanket depreciation table. Any deduction must be stated item by item with its basis.
2. Interim expenses — $251 for reasonable, verifiable and actual purchases made while my baggage was withheld (receipts attached). The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Enforcement treats any arbitrary limit on such reimbursement — a per-day allowance, a percentage of clothing costs, or refusal of the first 24 hours — as a violation of Part 254 and an unfair and deceptive practice. I will not accept a capped or percentage offer.
Total claimed under the liability provisions: $2,081 (my documented loss of $2,996 exceeds the limit; I claim the full limit).
Separately, and not against the liability limit, I request the refund of the $75 checked-bag fee. Under the Department of Transportation’s 2024 refund rule the fee is owed automatically once a mishandled-bag report is filed and the bag is not delivered within 15 hours of arrival.
Please remit $2,156 by bank transfer or check within 30 days of this letter. I am not seeking vouchers, credits or miles. If any part of the claim is declined, please state the specific item, the amount deducted and the legal basis in writing, so that I may include it in a complaint to the Department of Transportation.
Enclosed: itemized contents schedule; proof of value; interim-expense receipts; PIR; boarding passes and bag-tag receipts.
Sincerely,
A. Traveler 12 Main Street, East Hampton, NY 11937 a.traveler@example.com
The itemized schedule sent with it
Each item at replacement cost, and the lowest figure depreciation could reasonably bring it to. The letter claims the first column.
#
Item
Category
Age (yrs)
Evidence
Claimed (replacement)
Floor (max depreciation)
1
Laptop (14")
Electronics
2
Receipt
$1,300
$600
2
Suit, two shirts, tie
Clothing & shoes
0.5
Statement / photo
$640
$576
3
Running shoes
Clothing & shoes
1
Receipt
$140
$112
4
Toiletries kit
Toiletries & consumables
0
Statement / photo
$85
$85
5
Noise-cancelling headphones
Electronics
1
Receipt
$300
$225
6
Hard-shell suitcase
The bag itself
3
Statement / photo
$280
$154
The dates on this claim
2026-09-15 Notify your card benefit administrator / travel insurer Card baggage benefits and travel insurance pay what the airline does not, but most want notice within 20–60 days of the incident and proof within about 90. Open that claim now, in parallel; it settles after the airline answers.
2026-09-22 Bag deemed lost — full loss claim opens 21 days after the bag should have arrived — art. 17(3). Until then the carrier can treat it as delayed.
2028-09-01 Court action must be filed by 2 years from arrival (or the date it should have arrived) — art. 35
The deadlines the Convention sets: the written complaint within 7 days of getting the bag back for damage and within 21 days for delay (Article 31); court action within two years of arrival (Article 35). The letter is that written complaint.
The traveler, the airline (Example Air) and the reference are fictional. BagBack prepares a claim that you file in your own name: you are the claimant. It is an information and document-preparation service, not a law firm; nothing here is legal advice. This product is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.