If your checked bag does not come out on the belt at a Thai airport, report it at the baggage service desk in the arrivals hall before you pass customs and leave. Get a written report with a reference number, then follow up in writing: 21 days for a delayed bag, 7 days for damage.
Missing luggage is almost always the airline's problem to solve, not the airport's. The desk you go to is run by the airline or the ground-handling company working for it, and the rules on compensation come from your ticket and, on international journeys, from an international treaty called the Montreal Convention.
The steps below work the same at Suvarnabhumi (BKK), Don Mueang (DMK) and the regional airports. They apply to checked bags only. If you left something in a taxi, on the BTS or in the terminal itself, see our guide to finding lost property in Thailand instead.
Missing checked bag: the key numbers
- Where to report
- The airline's baggage service counter in the arrivals hall, before you leave
- Written complaint, delay
- Within 21 days of receiving the bag
- Written complaint, damage
- Within 7 days of receiving the bag
- Treated as lost
- If the bag has not arrived 21 days after it should have
- Liability limit
- 1,519 SDR per passenger (international journeys, from 28 December 2024)
- Deadline to sue
- 2 years from arrival
- AOT call center
- 1722 (all AOT airports)
At the belt: report it before you leave the hall
Once the belt stops and your bag is not there, do not walk out to look for help in the public arrivals area. The baggage service counters are usually inside the baggage claim hall, before customs, and it is much harder to get back in once you have passed through. The airports' own pages say lost or damaged checked baggage is handled by the airline's handling agent at the baggage service counter in the arrival hall.
Bring three things to the counter: your passport, your boarding pass and the baggage tag receipt, usually a sticker on the back of your boarding pass or ticket folder. The tag number is how the bag is traced. If you changed planes on the way, say where, because a bag left behind at a transfer airport is the most common case.
Which airport you land at matters for where you queue. Most full-service airlines use Suvarnabhumi and most low-cost carriers Don Mueang, and Thai AirAsia flies from both; our comparison of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang explains who flies where, and the guide to Thailand's airports covers the regional ones.
The PIR: the report you must leave with
The counter staff fill in a Property Irregularity Report, called a PIR in the industry. It records your details, the tag number, a description of the bag and where it should be delivered. You should leave with a copy or a reference number, often a code of letters and digits. That number is your proof that you reported the bag on time, and every later call, email and claim refers to it.
Describe the bag precisely: brand, color, size, hard or soft case, and anything that makes it stand out, such as a ribbon or a sticker. Mention one or two items near the top inside. Before you leave the counter, check that the spelling of your name, your phone number and the delivery address are right.
Photograph the PIR and the bag tag before you leave the counter. Paper copies get lost in a busy first day. A phone photo of the report and the tag sticker is enough to follow up from anywhere.
Getting the bag delivered to your hotel
When a delayed bag turns up, the airline normally sends it on to you. Give an address where you will be for the next few days and a phone number that works in Thailand; a Thai SIM or an eSIM helps here. If you move on before the bag arrives, tell the airline the new address in writing and quote the PIR number.
The flood disruption at Suvarnabhumi in late September 2026 showed how this works in practice. After flooding kept ground staff from reaching the airport, Thai Airways said bags from 52 flights operated on 26 and 27 September were still being processed on 29 September. It asked passengers to register a delivery address through a QR code rather than wait at the airport, and sent a PIR reference number by email. Passengers who preferred to collect in person were sent to a 24-hour desk on the second floor with their original passport, boarding pass and baggage tag. Thai Airways also handles baggage for other airlines at Suvarnabhumi, so passengers of several carriers were affected.
Those were emergency arrangements, but the lesson holds: a reference number and a working phone number are what get your bag back.
New in October 2026: bags opened by security
From Friday 16 October 2026, security staff at Thai airports may open checked bags without the passenger present if they suspect prohibited items. A notice of baggage inspection is placed inside the bag, and with a non-TSA lock the staff may cut the padlock, strap or zip; AOT says you cannot claim compensation for that. If your bag arrives opened, look for the notice before you assume theft. Our page on airport security in Thailand covers the rule and the lock advice.
Receipts and essentials while you wait
A delayed bag usually means buying a toothbrush, clothes and perhaps a charger on the first evening. Keep every receipt and buy what you reasonably need, not a new wardrobe. Ask at the counter whether the airline pays an allowance for essentials and how to claim it; policies differ between airlines.
Pack so that a lost bag hurts less next time. Medicines, chargers, a change of clothes and anything valuable belong in your carry-on; our packing guide for Thailand has a list. Remember that power banks must travel in the cabin anyway; see our guide to power banks on Thai flights.
The written deadlines: 7 days and 21 days
The Montreal Convention of 1999 sets the rules for international journeys. Under Article 31, every complaint must be in writing, and the deadlines depend on what happened:
| Problem | Written complaint due | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged bag or contents | Within 7 days | The day you receive the bag |
| Delayed bag | Within 21 days | The day the bag is placed at your disposal |
| Bag still missing | Can be claimed as lost after 21 days | The date it should have arrived |
| Court action | Within 2 years | Arrival, or the date the flight should have arrived |
A common mistake is to think that 7 days applies to a delayed bag. It does not: seven days is for damage, and 21 days for delay. The PIR at the airport is a report, not always the formal written complaint, so send the airline a written claim by email or its online form as well, quoting the PIR number, with copies of your receipts.
The Convention covers international journeys. For a flight that starts and ends inside Thailand, check the airline's own conditions of carriage; our guide to domestic flights in Thailand covers the airlines.
How much compensation you can get
Under the Convention the airline's liability for checked baggage is limited to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights (SDR) per passenger, for losses on or after 28 December 2024; the earlier limit was 1,288 SDR. The SDR is an accounting unit of the International Monetary Fund, so its value in baht changes daily. The limit is a ceiling, not a payout: you claim what you actually lost, and you need proof of it.
Travel insurance can cover what the airline does not, or pay faster. Policies differ a lot on baggage, so read yours before you buy; our page on travel insurance for Thailand explains what matters most. Most insurers want the PIR and the airline's answer before they pay. If an airline or travel firm will not respond, our guide to complaints and refunds in Thailand lists who to contact.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the lost baggage counter at Suvarnabhumi?
Checked bags are handled by the airline's baggage service counter in the baggage claim area of the arrivals hall, usually before customs. The airport's separate Lost & Found office (0 2132 1880) deals with items left in the terminal, not with bags missing from a flight.
How long do I have to report delayed luggage?
Report it at the airport before you leave the hall, then send a written complaint to the airline within 21 days of getting the bag back. For damage, the written complaint is due within 7 days of receiving the bag, so act quickly.
When is a delayed bag treated as lost?
Under the Montreal Convention, if the bag has not arrived 21 days after it should have, you can claim it as lost. Keep the PIR number, receipts and a list of the contents with approximate values.
Who do I call about a missing bag in Thailand?
Call the airline, quoting your PIR reference. For general airport questions, AOT's call center is 1722 at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket and Chiang Mai.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk – Montreal Convention 1999, text as scheduled in UK law (Articles 17, 22, 31, 35) (checked October 2026)
- Clyde & Co – Montreal Convention liability limits: 2024 revision (checked October 2026)
- Airports of Thailand – Suvarnabhumi Airport: contacts and airport guide (checked October 2026)
- Airports of Thailand – Don Mueang International Airport (checked October 2026)
- Khaosod English – Thai Airways under fire as bags pile up at Suvarnabhumi (29 September 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Pattaya Mail – Thai Airways offers baggage collection and delivery options after flood delays (30 September 2026) (checked October 2026)