Man plans, fate laughs: When it comes to air travel, things don't always go according to plan. No wonder, because thousands and thousands of people fly in all directions every day. It can also happen that pieces of luggage are damaged or lost. Find out what you can do in such a situation here.

First of all: Keep Calm. Keeping a cool head makes it easier and faster to fix the problem. And there's a good reason not to panic right away. Because a study shows: In 95 percent of the cases, the lost suitcase actually reappears after a few days.

However, the piece of luggage does not come home by itself. In order to get the system up and running straight away, the incident should be reported immediately. You can fill out the form provided for such cases at the airport and hand it in at the baggage counter. The subsequent notification to the airline concerned should ideally be made in writing and just as quickly. The flight ticket and any documents that could be important should be kept - just in case!

Without the timely notification there is also no money

Why it makes sense not to take too long to report the incident becomes clear at the latest when it comes to the deadlines. These must namely be complied with so that any claims for compensation continue to exist. Otherwise you will get nothing. While delayed baggage must be reported within 21 days of handover, you have up to seven days after receipt of the baggage in the event of damage.

In addition, it is not uncommon for airlines to give passengers whose luggage arrives late a so-called "overnight kit" or offer partial replacement for the purchase of essential items. It should really only stay with these. A Rolex is not refundable.

The Montreal Convention regulates the liability of the airlines

This was introduced on May 28, 1999 to create a uniform legal framework for passengers on international wings. In addition to the transport of people, the agreement also regulates the transport of luggage - and specifies what to do in the event of damage.

In the event of a delayed, damaged or lost suitcase, you have the right to compensation. Detention limits were set for the amount of compensation. These are given in units of an artificial currency, the so-called special drawing rights. Its use is intended to facilitate conversion into the respective national currencies, since the agreement is used worldwide.

This right applies in the following cases: 

• In the event of baggage delay, the costs for replacement purchases must be borne by the airline - but only for items that were purchased before the suitcase reappeared.
• In the event of damage to luggage, a repair or replacement must be offered for the current value of the luggage or for its damaged contents. And that, as generally with checked baggage: regardless of fault.
• If luggage is lost, the cost of emergency purchases must be reimbursed and a replacement offered for the current value of the suitcase and its contents.

The amount of the compensation is capped at 1 special drawing rights per traveler and corresponds approximately to an amount of 131 € (as of May 1). Like regular currencies, special drawing rights are also subject to fluctuations in the financial market. For this reason, the maximum liability amounts are reviewed and updated every five years.