LATAM Airlines Lost Baggage

LATAM runs its own case number system for a missing bag, built around a form called Report My Bag. LATAM baggage tracking works through that case number, not a generic code you look up on a third party site.

If your bag missed the carousel on LATAM, the steps below come from the airline’s own help pages. This page covers checked bags gone missing, not the carry-on rules on LATAM’s carry-on size page or the fees on its baggage fees page.

LATAM baggage tracking: the Report My Bag case number

Before you leave the baggage claim area, find a LATAM agent. Ask for the Report My Bag form.

This opens your case. You get a code, and you check status later with that code plus your last name.

LATAM baggage tracking has no separate WorldTracer branding for passengers here. The airline runs its own layer on top of the case number.

Already left the airport? LATAM’s baggage help center sends delayed bag claims to its luggage team on WhatsApp instead of a phone queue.

If you have an open case, LATAM has one genuinely useful feature: sharing an Apple AirTag location. Copy the location link from the AirTag settings on your phone.

Then paste that link into manage an existing report on the self service page. The agent working your case sees exactly where the bag sits instead of guessing from a scan log.

Reporting a bag that never arrived

Report at the airport whenever you can. On site checks move faster than a claim filed later.

Cannot report in person? LATAM still takes the claim through WhatsApp, but says a case opened afterward takes longer.

Have your boarding pass and checked baggage claim tag ready either way. LATAM asks for both before it opens a case.

Damaged or partially missing baggage: the 7 day window

Found damage at the airport? Go straight to the LATAM counter in the baggage claim area.

Bring your passport, boarding pass and bag tag. Staff verify the damage immediately, before it can be disputed later.

Notice the damage after leaving? LATAM gives you 7 days from the trip to file through WhatsApp instead.

The airline says plainly that a claim filed this way takes longer, since nothing was checked on the spot.

LATAM also lists what it will not cover. Ordinary wear like small scuffs and scratches, missing external items such as key chains, and damage from an overpacked bag that breaks a zipper all fall outside its liability.

An opaque cover that stopped staff from inspecting the bag’s real condition also voids a damage claim. Read that list before you check a fragile or overstuffed case.

Interim expenses while your bag is delayed

LATAM’s public help pages post no daily allowance for toiletries or a change of clothes. The airline folds reasonable expenses into the same claims process instead, under Montreal Convention rules on international trips.

Keep every receipt for anything you buy because of the delay. That paperwork is what a claims desk asks for before it reimburses you.

Travelers who have filed a LATAM delayed bag claim commonly describe a slow settlement even after a written offer arrives. Treat an early settlement letter as a starting point, not a final answer.

Compensation limits: domestic and international

On a US domestic itinerary, the DOT sets the baggage liability ceiling at 4,700 USD per passenger. That figure is published on transportation.gov, not by LATAM.

On an international itinerary, the Montreal Convention caps liability at 1,519 SDR per passenger. That has been the figure since 28 December 2024.

SDR value moves with exchange rates, so the dollar amount on any given day is an estimate. Either limit is a ceiling on what you can claim, not a guaranteed payout.

Damaged bag rules, briefly

The exclusions above cover what LATAM will not pay for. For the wider mechanics of a damaged luggage claim on any carrier, see the site’s damaged luggage claims guide.

What travelers report about LATAM’s claims process

The recurring complaint is speed, not refusal. Settlement letters take time, and a promised payment date sometimes needs a nudge before it actually arrives.

The advice that shows up next to those complaints is to keep a paper trail. Save the case number, every WhatsApp message and every receipt, since a stalled case moves faster once you can resend all three at once.

Prevent the whole problem: tag and track your own bag

LATAM’s AirTag feature is the strongest reason to pack a tracker on this carrier specifically. The airline has built a way to pull your location data straight into an open case.

An Apple AirTag 4 pack tucked into a side pocket, held with an AirTag fabric mount, fits directly into that LATAM baggage tracking process.

Android travelers get a similar idea with a Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2. LATAM’s self service page currently documents only the AirTag location sharing flow, not Android trackers.

A visible external ID helps too. Leather luggage tags with a privacy flap put your name and phone number outside the bag.

That is often what gets a mishandled bag home before any digital case even closes. None of this replaces reporting the bag properly.

It just gives the agent working your case something concrete to act on. Learn the general steps at how to report a lost bag before you fly.

The bottom line

On LATAM, open your case at the airport with the Report My Bag form. Save the case number and your last name.

Use WhatsApp if you have already left, and pack an AirTag in every checked bag, since LATAM baggage tracking is built to accept its location link directly.

Keep every receipt for interim expenses. Expect the settlement to move slowly, and know your ceiling: 4,700 USD domestic, 1,519 SDR international.

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