Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are Montreal Convention baggage liability limits?
Montreal Convention baggage liability limits are the per-passenger ceilings, expressed in Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), that the Montreal Convention places on what an airline owes when baggage is delayed, lost or damaged on the international journeys the treaty covers. The United States Department of Transportation's consumer guide, checked on 18 October 2026, gives the international figure as 1,288 SDRs and says it is reviewed for inflationary adjustment every five years. [2] The guide warns that some or all of its information may have been superseded by statute or rulemaking and that continued reliance on it is not advised; this article therefore reports the figure as the guide's figure, not as a statement of the limit now in force. [2]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- The DOT consumer guide checked on 18 October 2026 gives the international figure as 1,288 SDRs per passenger and says it is reviewed for inflationary adjustment every five years. [2] The guide warns that some or all of its information may have been superseded by statute or rulemaking and that continued reliance on it is not advised; this article reports 1,288 SDRs as the guide's figure, not as a confirmed limit now in force. [2]
- The SDR is a currency surrogate that floats daily, and the guide illustrates 1,288 SDRs as worth about US$1,700 at the time of writing; the dollar equivalent therefore changes with the exchange rate. [2]
- The limit is a maximum, not a promised payout: the sum offered is normally the depreciated value of the property, and airlines often ask for sales receipts. [2]
- For purely domestic trips within the United States, the same guide gives a separate ceiling of US$4,700 per passenger, adjusted for inflation every two years; the guide's warning also applies to that figure. [2]
How does a baggage liability limit work?
A baggage liability limit is a legal ceiling on how much an airline must pay a passenger when baggage is delayed, lost or damaged. It matters because it is a maximum rather than a fixed payout: the guide says that if the depreciated value of the property is worth less than the liability limit, that lower amount is what will be offered. [2] The international limit is expressed in Special Drawing Rights, while the guide states the domestic ceiling in United States dollars. [2]
The Montreal Convention is the treaty that supplies that ceiling for the journeys it covers. The Department of Transportation's consumer guide describes it as the instrument that sets the liability limit on international round trips that originate in the United States. [2] The guide adds that the same treaty governs liability on international round trips that originate in another country that has ratified the convention, and on one-way trips between the United States and such a country. [2]
What is the Montreal Convention limit and how often is it revised?
The DOT guide's text, as checked on 18 October 2026, gives the international figure as 1,288 Special Drawing Rights per passenger. [2] The guide says the limit is reviewed for inflationary adjustment every five years. [2] It identifies the SDR as a currency surrogate that floats daily and directs readers to the International Monetary Fund for the current exchange rate; at the time of writing, it says 1,288 SDRs was worth about US$1,700. [2]
The same guide carries a notice that "Some or all of the information may have been superseded by statute or rulemaking", and that "Continued reliance on this page is not advised." [2] This article therefore presents 1,288 SDRs and the approximately US$1,700 illustration as the guide's figures, not as a confirmed statement of the limits now in force. [2]
| Item | International journey | Domestic trip within the United States |
|---|---|---|
| Guide figure per passenger | 1,288 Special Drawing Rights | US$4,700 |
| Set by | The Montreal Convention | A ceiling regulated by the Department of Transportation |
| How it is revised | Reviewed for inflationary adjustment every five years | Adjusted for inflation every two years |
| Denominated in | SDRs, a currency surrogate that floats daily | United States dollars |
| Source caveat | Guide warns content may have been superseded | Guide warns content may have been superseded |
Both columns in that table reproduce figures from the same consumer guide. [2] The guide's warning applies to both. [2] Read the dollar illustration for the SDR figure as a snapshot: the guide says the SDR floats daily, so the amount in dollars changes with the exchange rate; the domestic figure is stated by the guide in United States dollars. [2]
Do receipts and proof of value change a baggage claim?
They do, because the ceiling is not the settlement. The guide is explicit that the limits are maximums and that if the depreciated value of the property is worth less than the liability limit, that lower amount is what will be offered. [2] Airlines assess the depreciated value of possessions rather than their original price or the cost of replacing them. [2]
Documentation shapes that valuation. Carriers often ask for sales receipts and other paperwork to back up a claim, especially where a large amount of money is involved, and a passenger without extensive records should expect to negotiate over the value of the goods. [2] The guide also suggests carrying receipts separately when purchases are checked in, since they may be needed for a claim if the merchandise is lost or damaged. [2] Claims the airline considers inflated or fraudulent may be denied altogether. [2]
Where the baggage and its contents are worth more than the ceiling, a passenger may be able to buy excess valuation from the airline at check-in, if the airline offers it. [2] That is not insurance, but it increases the carrier's potential liability, and airlines may decline to sell it for items that are especially valuable or breakable, such as antiques, musical instruments, jewelry, manuscripts, negotiable securities and cash. [2]
Timing and paperwork are part of the claim too. The guide advises reporting a problem before leaving the airport and insisting that a report is created; for the documents that follow, see the site's property irregularity report term and the delayed and damaged baggage claim checklist. The guide notes that it generally takes an airline anywhere from four weeks to three months to pay passengers for lost luggage, and that a settlement may be offered as free tickets worth more than the cash payment, subject to restrictions. [2]
Where does another limit or another rule apply?
- Purely domestic trips. A trip that is not international is governed, according to the guide, by a separate Department of Transportation ceiling of US$4,700 per passenger, adjusted for inflation every two years. [2] The same caveat applies. [2]
- The domestic leg of an international journey. The guide says the international limit applies to domestic segments of an international journey and, in certain very limited circumstances, even where the domestic and international flights are on separate tickets and the bag is claimed and re-checked between the two flights. [2]
- Damage the airline may decline. Carriers may refuse to pay for damage caused by the fragile nature of the broken item or by inadequate packing rather than rough handling, and may decline to compensate for damaged contents where there is no evidence of external damage to the suitcase. [2]
- Perishables on a delayed bag. Carriers may be liable if they lose or damage perishable items, but they will not accept responsibility for spoilage caused by a delay in delivery. [2]
- Delay expenses. Airlines are liable for provable consequential damages up to the amount of their liability limit in connection with a delay. [2]
- Cover beyond the ceiling. Where a settlement does not fully reimburse a loss, homeowner's or renter's insurance sometimes covers losses away from the residence, and some credit card companies and travel agencies offer optional or automatic supplemental baggage coverage. [2] The travel insurance claims checklist covers that second layer.
- Packing that avoids the ceiling entirely. Cash, credit cards, jewelry, an expensive camera, medicine, keys, passports, business papers, heirlooms, eyeglasses and other fragile items should be carried on the person or in a carry-on bag, since keeping valuables with you is the only way to be sure they are not damaged or lost. [2]
Frequently asked questions
What figure does the DOT guide give for the Montreal Convention limit?
The guide, checked on 18 October 2026, gives 1,288 Special Drawing Rights per passenger and says the figure is reviewed for inflationary adjustment every five years. [2] The guide warns that its information may have been superseded by statute or rulemaking and that continued reliance is not advised, so this article reports the figure as the guide's figure rather than as the limit now in force. [2] The dollar illustration moves with the daily SDR exchange rate. [2]
Does the limit cover the domestic part of an international trip?
The guide says yes. The international limit applies to domestic segments of an international journey, and in very limited circumstances even where the domestic and international flights are on separate tickets and the bag is claimed and re-checked in between. [2]
Will an airline pay the full limit for a lost bag?
Not automatically. The guide says the limits are maximums, so where the depreciated value of the property is lower, that lower amount is what is offered. [2]
Can a passenger raise the ceiling?
Where the airline sells it, excess valuation bought at check-in increases the carrier's potential liability, though it is not insurance. [2] Airlines may refuse to sell it for antiques, musical instruments, jewelry, manuscripts, negotiable securities and cash. [2]
Who pays if the settlement falls short of the loss?
Homeowner's or renter's insurance sometimes covers losses away from home, and some credit card companies and travel agencies offer optional or automatic supplemental baggage coverage. [2]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. It covers the liability framework described in the United States Department of Transportation's consumer guide to air travel; it does not cover the baggage rules of individual airlines, nor the passenger-rights regimes of countries outside the United States, which are treated in the Canada air passenger protection regulations guide. The guide used here warns that its content may have been superseded; the article reports its figures as the guide's figures, not as current law.