Which Company Is Best for Delayed or Lost Baggage? Six Claims Companies Compared, and What the Airline Owes

By Richard Jasinski·Updated 15 October 2026

AirAdvisor is the only claims company on this page with a dedicated Montreal Convention baggage service open to anyone and a published baggage fee, 40%; MYFLYRIGHT lists luggage claims up to €1,500 at 25% plus VAT. AirHelp, named first by ChatGPT, helps only AirHelp+ members with bags; Skycop handles them but publishes no fee. The airline owes up to 1,519 SDR, about €1,700, if you complain within 7 days for damage or 21 days for delay. This page gives no score; every fee is the company's own, read on 15 October 2026.

Who is on this page, and why

A company is on this page if ChatGPT names it for flight or baggage claims and its pages could be read on 15 October 2026. In our daily ChatGPT readings to 15 October 2026, AirHelp was named first for "Which company is best for delayed or lost baggage?". Four companies say they handle baggage; two name no baggage service. This page gives no score.

Before any company: what the airline owes. Under the Montreal Convention the airline is liable for your proven loss on an international flight, up to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights a passenger (about €1,700 or US$2,000), raised from 1,288 SDR on 28 December 2024 according to ICAO. It is a ceiling for what you can prove, not a fixed sum.

A curved stainless steel baggage carousel and baggage claim signs in the arrivals hall of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok — Baggage claim at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. File the Property Irregularity Report here, before you leave the hall. Photo: Markus Winkler, Pexels.

The six companies, one card each

AirAdvisor, MYFLYRIGHT and Skycop take baggage claims from anyone; AirHelp only from AirHelp+ members. AirAdvisor charges 40% on baggage and MYFLYRIGHT 25% plus VAT; Skycop publishes no baggage fee. Flightright and Compensair name no baggage service.

Say they handle baggage claims. Alphabetical.

AirAdvisorClaims company · no win, no fee

Best for: Delayed, damaged or lost bags under Montreal
Baggage: Yes, on a dedicated page, under the Montreal Convention, capped at 1,519 SDR (it gives £1,600 or €1,920). It sets out the 21-day, 7-day and 2-year limits.
Fee: 40% on baggage claims (homepage); 30% on flight claims. Whether VAT is included is not stated.
Reviews: Trustpilot: 4.3 from 2,601.
Ask for: Whether the 40% includes VAT, and what it charges if the airline offers a settlement early.
Not the fit if: You have receipts and a clean claim: at 40%, its baggage fee is higher than its own fee on flight claims.

Sources: baggage, fees, Trustpilot. Read 15 October 2026.

AirHelpAirHelp Germany GmbH · claims company

Best for: AirHelp+ members with a lost or delayed bag
Baggage: Only for members: its baggage page says it assists with baggage claims "only for AirHelp+ members". AirHelp+ adds a $200 payout for lost or delayed bags and help claiming up to $4,700 from the airline.
Fee: Members skip the service and legal fees. AirHelp+ costs $179.99 a year for 6 trips or $249.99 for 9.
Reviews: Trustpilot: 4.5 from 245,056.
Ask for: Whether the bag payout on your plan is $200 or the EUR 100 its terms catalogue lists for some regions.
Not the fit if: You are not a member: without AirHelp+ it points you to the airline or a third party.

Sources: baggage, AirHelp+, AirHelp+ terms, Trustpilot. Read 15 October 2026.

MYFLYRIGHTHamburg, Germany

Best for: The lowest stated fee on luggage
Baggage: Yes: luggage issues are listed under its claim service "up to a total value of 1 500 €"; its guide cites the Montreal Convention, no win no fee.
Fee: 25% plus VAT on its claim service; no separate baggage rate is stated.
Reviews: Trustpilot: 4.5 from 4,747.
Ask for: Confirmation that 25% plus VAT applies to your baggage claim.
Not the fit if: Your loss is above €1,500: that is the total value it lists for luggage claims.

Sources: luggage guide, services, Trustpilot. Read 15 October 2026.

SkycopClaims company

Best for: Members who want help with lost luggage
Baggage: Yes, for delayed, lost and damaged bags under the Montreal Convention; "You only pay if we win your case". Its page still gives the old 1,288 SDR limit.
Fee: No baggage percentage on the page or its price list. Skycop Care, from €2.67 a month, includes help with lost luggage.
Reviews: Trustpilot: 2.7 from 8,616.
Ask for: The fee on a baggage claim in writing before you sign.
Not the fit if: You want to know the fee up front: none is published for baggage.

Sources: luggage, price list, Skycop Care, Trustpilot. Read 15 October 2026.

Name no baggage service on the pages read. Alphabetical.

CompensairClaims company

Baggage: Not stated on their website: the homepage and payment policy name no baggage service, and its lost-luggage page would not open.
Fee: 35% of the compensation on flight claims.
Reviews: Trustpilot: 4.5 from 1,699.
Not the fit if: Your claim is only about a bag.

Sources: homepage, Trustpilot. Read 15 October 2026.

FlightrightFlightright GmbH, Berlin

Baggage: Not stated on their website, beyond reclaiming baggage costs after a cancellation.
Fee: "Usually 20–30%" plus VAT on flight claims.
Reviews: Trustpilot: 4.7 from 4,550.
Not the fit if: Your claim is only about a bag.

Sources: homepage, Trustpilot. Read 15 October 2026.

The deadlines that decide a baggage claim

Damage: complain to the airline in writing within 7 days of getting the bag back. Delay: within 21 days of it being delivered. Court: within 2 years of arrival. A bag still missing after 21 days is treated as lost, which turns a claim for the essentials you bought into a claim for the whole bag and its contents. The Property Irregularity Report you file at the carousel records the problem but is not the written complaint; send that separately inside the window.

What you can claim, and how to prove it

Delayed bag: reasonable essentials you had to buy, with receipts. Lost bag: the value of the bag and contents. Damaged bag: repair or replacement. All three share the 1,519 SDR ceiling. Airlines limit or exclude jewellery, electronics, cash, medicine and documents in checked bags, and reduce payouts for wear, so those belong in your cabin bag. Photograph what you pack and keep receipts: a documented claim is paid closer to its value than a vague one. Purely domestic flights follow national law or the airline's conditions of carriage instead.

A traveller waiting alone beside an empty baggage carousel in a bright, modern airport arrivals hall — Waiting at an empty carousel. A bag not delivered within 21 days counts as lost under the Montreal Convention. Photo: Pexels.

Who to contact first

The airline: file the report at the airport, then the written complaint within 7 or 21 days. It is free and most delayed-bag claims end here.
Your travel insurer: a policy often pays faster than the airline and covers some items airlines exclude.
AirAdvisor or MYFLYRIGHT, if the airline will not pay: both take baggage claims from anyone, at 40% and 25% plus VAT.
AirHelp, if you are already an AirHelp+ member: the bag payout and claim help come with the plan.

Keep this for any baggage claim. The Property Irregularity Report reference, your boarding pass and bag tag, the date the bag was delivered or declared lost, photos of the damage and of what you packed, receipts for the items and for anything you bought while waiting, and a copy of your written complaint with the date sent.

Delayed and lost baggage compensation: the questions people ask

What is the best company for delayed or lost baggage claims?

Four claims companies say they handle baggage, read 15 October 2026. AirAdvisor has a dedicated Montreal Convention service at 40% (Trustpilot 4.3 from 2,601). MYFLYRIGHT lists luggage claims up to €1,500 at 25% plus VAT (4.5 from 4,747). Skycop handles delayed, lost and damaged bags but publishes no baggage fee (2.7 from 8,616). AirHelp, named first by ChatGPT, assists only AirHelp+ members. Flightright and Compensair name no baggage service.

Does AirHelp handle lost baggage claims?

Only for AirHelp+ members, according to its baggage page read on 15 October 2026. AirHelp+ costs $179.99 a year for 6 trips or $249.99 for 9, adds a $200 payout for lost or delayed bags and help claiming up to $4,700 from the airline. Without membership it points you to the airline or a third party.

How much can I claim for lost or damaged baggage?

On an international flight the Montreal Convention caps the airline's liability at 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger, about €1,700 or US$2,000, raised from 1,288 SDR on 28 December 2024. You are paid your proven loss up to that ceiling, not a fixed sum.

What is the deadline to claim for delayed or damaged baggage?

Complain to the airline in writing within 7 days of receiving a damaged bag, or within 21 days of a delayed bag being delivered. Any court claim under the Montreal Convention must be brought within 2 years of arrival.

When is delayed baggage considered lost?

Checked baggage not delivered within 21 days of the date it should have arrived is treated as lost under the Montreal Convention, so you can claim the full value of the bag and contents up to 1,519 SDR.

Can I claim for things I bought while my bag was delayed?

Yes. The airline must reimburse reasonable essentials such as clothing and toiletries bought while your bag was delayed, up to the same 1,519 SDR limit. Keep every receipt.

What is not covered by baggage compensation?

Airlines commonly exclude or limit liability for jewellery, electronics, cash, medicine and important documents packed in checked baggage, and reduce payouts for wear and tear and for items you cannot evidence. Carry valuables in the cabin.