My bag is damaged
After reporting, organize the damage description, photos and repair or value evidence.
Review my damage details free →Read the damaged-bag guideWN
Source-checkedSouthwest baggage claim: your next step
Report to Southwest for free first. Then, if you want help organizing your claim, start our free details review. We’re independent of Southwest.
Official route checked October 20, 2026
1. Report to Southwest Airlines for free
Damage? Visit the airport Baggage Service Office with the bag, even if you have already left. Domestic damage: notify Southwest within 24 hours of arrival or receipt, as applicable. Missing bag? Report immediately; the domestic lost/delayed reporting window is four hours. Do not wait to use our preparation service.
Check Southwest’s reporting instructions- Report a delayed or missing bag online
Southwest’s linked report route if you have left the airport. Not a damage-report form.
- Bag still missing after five days? Open Southwest’s claim portal
Use your incident number. This is not a promise that the bag is declared lost or compensation approved.
2. Want help getting your claim details ready?
Start with a free details review—no account or card. Choose your situation below. The $29 USD one-time package is optional and includes your statement, itemized amounts and document checklist. You submit it and handle airline replies.
My bag is delayed
Keep the airline file active. Review the timeline and receipts for expenses caused by the delay.
Review my delay details free →I’m preparing a loss claim
Organize the bag and contents inventory. A missing bag is not automatically lost; follow Southwest’s case instructions.
Review my loss details free →Free checks flag missing or inconsistent entries; they do not verify documents or establish entitlement. No compensation guarantee. Optional package: 14-day usefulness money-back guarantee.
Southwest Airlines evidence checklist
Trip and baggage records
Keep your itinerary or boarding pass, bag tag, and Southwest incident number or report. Mark missing information honestly.
Damage evidence
Photograph the bag and damaged areas. Keep it while asking Southwest about inspection, repair estimates and next steps.
Delay expenses or lost contents
List actual expenses or missing items, with receipts, purchase dates and supporting values where available. Keep currencies separate.
Your timeline and correspondence
Record when the bag arrived or went missing, when you reported it and what Southwest requested. Retain submission confirmations and original documents.
Deadlines that mean different things
Domestic damage notification
Within 24 hours
Count from flight arrival or receipt of baggage, whichever applies. Report in person and obtain a baggage report number.
Check the primary sourceDomestic lost or delayed notification
Within four hours
Count from flight arrival or receipt, as applicable. This is not the domestic damage rule. Report promptly rather than waiting for a loss declaration.
Check the primary sourceInternational damage
Act immediately; seven calendar days maximum
Southwest requires an in-person report. Where Montreal applies, make the complaint in writing promptly after discovering damage, no later than seven days after receiving the bag. Retain the written record and proof of dispatch.
Check the primary sourceInternational delay complaint
Within 21 days after the bag is returned
Where Montreal applies, send the written complaint within 21 days after the baggage is placed at your disposal. This is not permission to wait 21 days before reporting a missing bag.
Check the primary sourceRequested loss-claim form
Within 30 days of issuance
Southwest’s domestic contract sets this period for its Property Loss Claim form. It is not a universal 30-day deadline from your flight. Follow the instructions for your case.
Check the primary sourceApplicable rules can change with the itinerary, operating carrier, and convention. Do not treat one day count as a universal filing deadline.
Claim your documented loss—not the maximum limit
- The ordinary domestic baggage ceiling is $4,700 per passenger. Where the Montreal Convention applies, the baggage ceiling is 1,519 SDR per passenger. Different rules and exceptions can apply, including to assistive devices or a special declaration of value.
- These are ceilings, not estimated payouts. Support your actual loss with evidence; age and prior use can affect value. There is no universal annual depreciation percentage in this guide.
- Fair wear and tear is different from covered damage. DOT says airlines cannot categorically exclude wheels, handles or straps. Domestic exclusions do not apply identically to international carriage.
Primary sources
Last checked October 20, 2026. Airline routes and rules can change; reopen the official source before submitting. This guide is general information, not legal advice.
- Southwest — Lost, damaged or delayed baggage
Incident-specific airport reporting and official online routes.
- Southwest — Contract of Carriage
58th revision, effective September 24, 2026; sections 7.g and 8 cover reporting, requested forms and liability.
- Southwest — Checked-bag payments
Bag fees can apply; check your booking and the current policy.
- US DOT — Baggage rights
Damage, reasonable delay expenses, loss, liability limits and assistive-device exceptions.
- Montreal Convention — Article 31
Written damage and delay complaints and the events from which their periods run. Historical treaty text is not the current inflation-adjusted limit.
Southwest Airlines baggage claim questions
Can I report Southwest baggage damage online?
Southwest directs damage reports to its airport Baggage Service Office in person, with the bag. Its public online report link is for delayed or lost baggage. Ask the agent how to provide supporting documents for your damage case.
Does every Southwest ticket include two free checked bags?
No. Checked-bag fees and exemptions depend on current Southwest rules and your booking. Check its baggage policy rather than assuming every ticket includes two free bags.
Is my bag automatically lost after five days?
No. Southwest says a bag still missing after five days can be claimed through its portal using the incident number. That does not promise a loss declaration, payment or a standard resolution time.
What if I missed a reporting deadline?
Contact Southwest promptly, explain the true timeline and ask what options remain. Do not assume a grace period. Buying preparation cannot extend an airline or legal deadline.
What do I get from My Bag Claim?
Review your entries and evidence gaps for free, without an account. The optional $29 USD one-time package provides a personalized statement, itemized amounts, document checklist and copy, download and print options, with email product support. You review it, attach your originals, submit to Southwest and handle replies. We do not verify documents, decide entitlement, file, negotiate or guarantee compensation. The package has a 14-day usefulness money-back guarantee.