Lost or Delayed Luggage in the Philippines: The ₱2,000 a Day Rule and the Report You Cannot Skip
Your bag did not come out. Domestic flights owe ₱2,000 for every 24 hours of delay, a bag counts as lost after 7 days, and the claim starts with one report you must file before leaving the airport.
₱2,000 a day for a delayed bag on a domestic flight, seven days before it counts as lost, and one rule that sinks most claims: file the report before you walk out of the baggage hall.
The carousel stops, the last bags are claimed, and yours is not there. What you do in the next ten minutes decides what you can claim later. Stay in the baggage hall, go to your airline’s baggage counter, and file a Property Irregularity Report, the PIR. Cebu Pacific does not accept a PIR once you have left the airport. Everything below, the daily payment, the lost bag claim, the damage claim, starts from that report number.
Lost luggage in the Philippines: the short answer
| Problem | Domestic flight | International flight |
|---|---|---|
| Bag delayed | ₱2,000 per 24 hours, plus baggage fee back after 24 hours | Proven costs, claimed in writing within 21 days |
| Bag lost | Counts as lost after 7 days. Up to half the Montreal Convention amount, about ₱65,700, on proof | Up to 1,519 SDR, about ₱131,500, on proof |
| Bag damaged | On proof, same cap as lost | Written complaint within 7 days. Same cap as lost |
Domestic rules come from the Civil Aeronautics Board’s Air Passenger Bill of Rights, Economic Regulation No. 9 as amended on January 30, 2024. International flights follow the 1999 Montreal Convention, which the Philippines joined in 2015, with the higher limits in force since December 28, 2024. Peso figures use the SDR rate of late October 2026 and move with the exchange rate.
Find your steps: the claim helper
Baggage claim helper
Your bag did not come out. Now what?
What happened to the bag?
What kind of flight?
Delayed bag, domestic flight
- Before you leave the hall: report it at the airline’s baggage counter and get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) number.
- The airline must deliver the bag to you, at home or wherever you are staying.
- You are owed ₱2,000 for every 24 hours of delay, counted from one hour after your flight landed.
- If the bag is not delivered within 24 hours, your checked baggage fee is refunded on top.
- Day 7 with no bag: it is treated as lost. Switch to the lost bag steps.
1 day late: ₱2,000. 3 days: ₱6,000. 6 days: ₱12,000, plus the baggage fee back.
Delayed bag, international flight
- Before you leave the hall: file the PIR at the arriving airline’s counter.
- Keep receipts for what you have to buy while you wait. On international flights, proven delay costs are claimed under the Montreal Convention.
- Send a written claim within 21 days of the bag being handed back to you. Miss it and the claim is gone.
- If the bag is still missing after the airline’s search period, it becomes a lost bag claim.
The airline’s total liability for your bag is capped at 1,519 SDR, about ₱131,500 at late October 2026 rates. Only proven costs are paid.
Lost bag, domestic flight
- The bag counts as lost if it has not reached you within 7 days.
- File the airline’s claim form with the PIR number, the bag tag number and a list of what was inside.
- Attach receipts or photos for anything valuable. Payment is made on proof.
- The delay money for the first days still applies.
The most a domestic airline must pay for a lost bag is half the Montreal Convention amount, about ₱65,700 at late October 2026 rates.
Lost bag, international flight
- File the PIR at the arrival airport, then the airline’s claim form once the search period ends.
- List every item with its value and purchase date. Receipts make the claim.
- Claim in writing, keep copies, and note the date you sent it.
Capped at 1,519 SDR per passenger, about ₱131,500 at late October 2026 rates, unless you declared a higher value at check-in.
Damaged bag, domestic flight
- Do not leave the baggage hall. Show the damage at the counter and get it written on the PIR.
- Photograph the bag from every side before you move anything.
- Scuffs, small dents and broken zippers are usually treated as wear and tear and not paid.
Real damage is paid on proof, up to half the Montreal Convention amount, about ₱65,700.
Damaged bag, international flight
- Report it before you leave the airport and get the PIR.
- Send a written complaint within 7 days of getting the bag. This deadline is short and strict.
- Photos, the bag tag and a repair quote or receipt carry the claim.
Capped at 1,519 SDR, about ₱131,500 at late October 2026 rates.
Delayed bag on a domestic flight
The airline has to tell you as soon as it knows the bag missed the flight, put it on the next flight with space, and deliver it to you. For the wait, you are owed ₱2,000 for every 24 hours of delay. The clock starts one hour after your flight arrives. If the bag has not reached you within 24 hours, the baggage fee you paid is refunded too.
Cebu Pacific says it sends updates by email or SMS. If you hear nothing within 24 hours, follow up in its chat with your PIR number. Philippine Airlines has baggage counters in the arrival areas and an online portal if you could not report in person.
When a delayed bag becomes a lost bag
Under the domestic rules, a bag that has not reached you within 7 calendar days is presumed lost. Then you file a claim, usually the airline’s claim form with your PIR number, the bag tag number and a list of what was inside with values. PAL’s form asks for the purchase date and a receipt for each item. Payment is made on proof, and the most a domestic airline has to pay is half the Montreal Convention limit. A bag of clothes is easy to prove. A camera with no receipt is not.
Damaged bags
Show the damage at the counter before you leave, and get it written onto the PIR. Photograph the bag from every side. Airlines do not pay for wear and tear: scratches, small dents, broken zippers and wheels that stick out. On international flights the written complaint has to go in within 7 days of getting the bag back.
The annoying parts
The PIR window is short. Walk out to the arrival curb and Cebu Pacific will not take the report. That one step is where most claims die.
₱2,000 a day is the payment, not an allowance on top. The rules do not promise to reimburse toothpaste and a change of clothes beyond it on domestic flights. Keep the receipts anyway.
Caps are maximums. Nobody gets ₱65,700 for a bag of shirts. You get what you can prove, up to the cap.
December is when it happens. Holiday flights are full, bags are heavy with pasalubong, and baggage systems strain. Manila’s Terminal 3 left 821 Cebu Pacific bags behind in October 2024 when its sorting system broke down.
Do this before every flight
Photograph your bag and what is in it the night before. Keep the bag tag stub until the bag is in your hands. Put a name and phone number inside the bag, not only on the outside tag. Carry medicine, one change of clothes, chargers and anything valuable in your hand-carry. Then, if the carousel stops, you lose an afternoon, not the trip. More on what goes where in the six-hour packing rule and what you can bring on a plane.
If the flight itself was delayed or canceled, that is a separate set of rights, covered in our flight delay and cancellation guide.
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Lost luggage FAQ
How much does an airline pay for delayed baggage in the Philippines?
On domestic flights, ₱2,000 for every 24 hours of delay, starting one hour after arrival, plus a refund of the baggage fee if the bag is not delivered within 24 hours.
When is a bag considered lost?
On domestic flights, after 7 calendar days without delivery.
Can I file a lost baggage report after leaving the airport?
With Cebu Pacific, no. The PIR must be filed inside the airport. Philippine Airlines has an online portal if you could not report in person. File at the counter before you leave either way.
What is the maximum compensation for a lost bag on an international flight?
1,519 SDR per passenger under the Montreal Convention, about ₱131,500 at late October 2026 rates, paid on proof.
