Passenger guide · Updated October 5, 2026

Air Canada Lost and Delayed Baggage Compensation

What Air Canada's baggage policy promises for delayed and lost bags, the 21-day expense deadline, the 1,519 SDR limit, and three Air Canada baggage decisions.

What Air Canada's baggage policy promises, and what the law adds

Air Canada states that it will reimburse reasonable expenses caused by a delayed bag and refund any checked baggage fees you paid. Its Conditions of Carriage limit its liability to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger, on most international itineraries and on domestic itineraries within Canada.

The law sits behind that policy. On international flights, the Montreal Convention applies. On flights within Canada, Air Canada's tariff applies to delayed bags. Section 23(1) of the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) applies to lost and damaged bags, including its fee refund on international flights. The general rules are in our guides to delayed baggage compensation in Canada and lost baggage compensation in Canada.

Baggage claims are separate from flight delay claims. If your flight was also late, you can have a separate claim for Air Canada flight delay compensation. In Lai v. Air Canada, 2023 BCCRT 772, the passenger recovered both.

What you can claim for delayed baggage on Air Canada

You can claim reasonable expenses the delay caused, plus a refund of any checked baggage fee. Air Canada's page names both. For a delayed bag, the fee refund comes from Air Canada's own policy. The APPR rule that once required it, section 23(2), was declared invalid in 2022.

Reasonable expenses usually means essentials: toiletries, a change of clothes, and items you needed before the bag came back. Air Canada does not state a fixed interim amount on its delayed baggage page. It reviews the receipts you submit.

Keep the purchases tied to the delay. In Air Canada v. Tannous, 2025 FC 1872, the Federal Court set aside an award because $1,744.01 of the receipts were dated after the bag was delivered, and the officer did not explain why they were caused by the delay.

If Air Canada cannot locate your bag within 5 days, it asks you to complete its Baggage Tracing form through the Baggage Issues section of its online form.

How much Air Canada reimburses for lost baggage

Air Canada must pay the proven value of your lost belongings, up to 1,519 SDR per passenger, plus the fees you paid to check the bag. That was roughly C$2,900 in late 2026, but 1,519 SDR is the actual legal limit. For flights before 28 December 2024, the limit is 1,288 SDR.

Air Canada's delayed baggage page says that if a delayed bag is never found, "our baggage team will work to give you a fair solution according to our Conditions of Carriage." The law sets a clearer line. A bag not delivered 21 days after it was due can be treated as lost under Article 17(3) of the Montreal Convention and section 23(1) of the APPR.

Build the claim on evidence: a list of contents, receipts or card statements where you have them, and photos. Current replacement prices are evidence of value, but not necessarily the amount you can recover. Age, condition and depreciation can matter. See how to prove the value of lost luggage.

How long Air Canada takes to pay compensation

The deadlines that matter most are yours.

  • Delayed bag expenses: submit them within 21 days of receiving the bag. Air Canada's Conditions of Carriage say claims must be submitted no later than 21 days.
  • Damaged bag: submit within 7 days of receiving your belongings.
  • Court action: treat two years as a hard outside deadline. Article 35 of the Montreal Convention says the right to damages is extinguished after that.

Do not assume that a CTA complaint preserves a separate court claim while the CTA process is ongoing.

If Air Canada has not answered within a reasonable time, send a written follow-up and keep proof of when it was received. A CTA complaint requires 30 days to have passed after your written complaint to the airline.

The Submit Expenses form and what to attach

Air Canada takes delayed baggage expenses through the Submit Expenses section of its online form, under Baggage Issues. Attach:

  1. Your baggage report or Property Irregularity Report (PIR) number from the airport.
  2. Your booking reference, boarding passes and bag tag.
  3. Itemized receipts for each purchase.
  4. The date and time the bag was delivered to you.
  5. A short note for each purchase saying why you needed it before the bag arrived.
  6. A request for a refund of any checked baggage fee you paid.

Take screenshots of the completed form before you submit and save the confirmation. Keep your own copy of every receipt you upload.

Three Air Canada baggage cases: $715, $1,785.95 and $2,079.72

Three decisions in our Case Library show how Air Canada baggage claims play out.

$715 in expenses (Lai). A passenger's bag on a Vancouver to Edinburgh trip was missing for 24 days. Air Canada agreed the $715 in expenses was reasonable but asked to deduct the $100 his insurer paid. The BC Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) refused the deduction. It awarded the full $715 under section 23(1) of the APPR, plus $400 for the flight delay.

$1,785.95 paid after filing (Hui). The Huis' luggage was lost on a Kelowna to Dublin trip. Air Canada denied the claim in its tribunal response, then paid the full $1,785.95. The CRT dismissed the claim as moot but found the passengers were the successful party. It ordered Air Canada to repay $138.22 in fees and service costs.

$2,079.72 sent back for review (Tannous). A CTA complaint officer awarded $2,079.72 for a bag delayed overnight on a Toronto to Vancouver trip. Air Canada challenged the award in the Federal Court and won. The court held that the officer had not explained why purchases made after the bag arrived were linked to the delay. The court sent the claim back to a different officer for reconsideration.

If Air Canada refuses: CTA complaint, tribunal, or small claims

Start with Air Canada's Customer Relations web form, and keep a copy of what you send. If Air Canada refuses or offers less than you can prove, send a formal demand. Our demand letter template sets out the claim and a deadline to pay.

Then choose a route:

  • A CTA complaint. Air Canada's Conditions of Carriage name it as a recourse. It is free. The CTA says it can take more than 24 months before a complaint is reviewed. Tannous also shows that Air Canada can ask the Federal Court to review a complaint officer's order.
  • The BC Civil Resolution Tribunal. It decided both Lai and Hui.
  • Small claims court in other provinces. See taking an airline to small claims court.

Name the correct legal entity when you file. For an Air Canada Express flight or a codeshare, identify both the airline that sold the ticket and the airline that actually operated the affected flight.

Common questions

How often does Air Canada lose bags?

Air Canada does not publish a lost-bag rate on its baggage pages, and we do not rely on third-party estimates. What matters for your claim is the date your bag was due and whether it has been missing for more than 21 days. That is the point at which Canadian law treats it as lost.

Does Air Canada have an ombudsman?

No. Air Canada has a Customer Relations web form for complaints, and its Conditions of Carriage say you can also file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency. The CTA is an independent regulator, not an Air Canada office. You can also take the claim to a provincial tribunal or small claims court.

Can Air Canada deny my delayed baggage claim?

Air Canada can refuse all or part of a claim, and it often disputes which purchases were reasonable or caused by the delay. Under Article 19 of the Montreal Convention, it avoids liability for delay only if it proves it took all reasonable measures to avoid the damage. In Air Canada v. Tannous, 2025 FC 1872, it won a judicial review because the officer never explained why receipts dated after the bag arrived were caused by the delay.

What is the 3-1-1 rule on Air Canada?

The 3-1-1 rule is a security screening rule for liquids in carry-on bags, not an Air Canada compensation rule, and it does not affect a baggage claim. If your checked bag was delayed or lost, the rules in this guide apply.

What to do next

Decisions on this topic

  • Lai v. Air Canada, 2023 BCCRT 772: A delay caused by an earlier delay is only outside the airline's control if the airline proves it took all reasonable steps to limit the knock-on. Air Canada had ten hours in Toronto and filed no evidence, so it paid $400. It also paid $715 for a bag lost for 24 days.
  • Hui v. Air Canada, 2026 BCCRT 45: Air Canada paid the full $1,785.95 lost-bag claim after the passengers filed at the tribunal, so the tribunal dismissed the claim as moot. It still called the passengers the successful party and ordered Air Canada to repay their $138.22 in fees and expenses.
  • Air Canada v. Tannous, 2025 FC 1872: Air Canada won a judicial review of a $2,079.72 delayed baggage award because the complaint officer never explained why purchases made after the bag arrived were linked to the delay. The Federal Court confirmed it can review Complaint Resolution Officer orders and sent the claim back to a different officer.
  • Mejias v. Air Canada, 2025 FC 673: Air Canada's check-in agents set off a chain of phone calls that got a family's valid Canadian visas cancelled while they stood at the counter, and the family was stuck in Panama for 33 days. Air Canada could not prove its agents took all reasonable measures to avoid the delay, so it owed the family's proven hotel and living costs under the Montreal Convention.

Related guides

Sources

This guide is general legal information, not legal advice. The rules change. Check the current Air Passenger Protection Regulations and your airline's tariff before you rely on any figure here.