You’re standing by the carousel. The crowd thins. The motor hums, the rubber belt groans, and eventually, the mechanical parade just... stops. That sinking feeling in your gut is universal. If you’re dealing with baggage lost Air Canada style, you aren’t just looking for a suitcase; you’re looking for a way through a maze of Montreal Convention rules and confusing web forms.
It sucks.
Most people think their bag is gone forever. Statistically, that isn't true. Most bags are just "delayed," caught in a sorting glitch at Pearson or sitting on a tarmac in Vancouver because a connection was too tight. But "mostly" doesn't help when you're in a wedding party and your suit is currently 3,000 miles away. You need to know the specific levers to pull to make Air Canada take you seriously.
The First 24 Hours are Total Chaos
Don't leave the airport. Honestly, this is the biggest mistake people make. They see the line at the baggage counter is forty people deep and they figure they'll just call the 1-888 number from the Uber. Big mistake. You need a Property Irregularity Report (PIR).
Without that file reference number—which usually starts with three letters like YYZAC—you basically don't exist to their tracking system. WorldTracer is the global software Air Canada uses to hunt down stray luggage. If you aren't in WorldTracer, you're just a person with a sad story. Get the paper.
Air Canada’s own policy states you have to notify them within specific windows. For "delayed" bags on international flights, you technically have 21 days, but if you wait even 24 hours, the paper trail gets messy. If the bag is actually damaged, you only have 7 days. These deadlines are sharp. Miss them, and the legal protections provided by the Montreal Convention—the international treaty that governs airline liability—start to evaporate.
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Why Baggage Lost Air Canada Incidents Happen
Pearson Airport (YYZ) is a beast. It’s the primary hub for Air Canada, and it handles millions of bags. When things go sideways—like a summer thunderstorm or a winter de-icing delay—the baggage system gets backed up. A bag that misses a 45-minute connection doesn't always make the next flight. Sometimes it sits in a "manual stack" waiting for a human to scan it back into the system.
There’s also the issue of the tags. Those sticky thermal strips are tough, but they aren't invincible. If a tag gets ripped off by a conveyor belt sorter, your bag becomes "unidentified." This is why travel experts tell you to put a business card inside the bag. Air Canada’s "Central Baggage Office" in Montreal eventually opens unclaimed bags to look for ID. If there's nothing inside, that bag is eventually headed to a warehouse and, months later, potentially an auction.
Knowing Your Rights Under APPR and the Montreal Convention
Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) are actually pretty decent if you know how to cite them. If your bag is lost or delayed, the airline is liable for "reasonable" expenses.
What is reasonable?
If you’re a skier and they lose your boots, renting boots is reasonable. If you’re a tourist and they lose your toothbrush, buying a $500 designer jacket is probably not going to get reimbursed.
Under the Montreal Convention, the maximum liability for a lost bag is approximately $2,300 CAD (this is based on 1,288 Special Drawing Rights, a weird currency used by the IMF). This isn't a flat check they just hand over. You have to prove the value of what was inside.
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The reimbursement reality
- Keep every single receipt.
- Don't buy luxury replacements unless you can prove you had luxury items in the bag.
- Air Canada might offer you a "onetime" settlement. If your gear was worth more, don't take the first offer.
The WorldTracer Black Hole
You’ll be told to check the "Baggage Tracer" website. You will refresh it every hour. It will likely say "Item Located: Pending" for days. It's frustratingly vague.
Here is what is actually happening: The bag has been scanned at an arrival station, but it hasn't been assigned to a courier yet. Air Canada uses third-party delivery companies for the "last mile." Once the bag leaves the airport, the airline often loses visibility on it until the courier marks it as delivered. If your bag is stuck in "Pending," it usually means it's sitting in a giant pile in a secure room at the airport waiting for a driver.
What Most People Get Wrong About Compensation
Most travelers think they are entitled to thousands of dollars just for the "inconvenience." They aren't. International law is very specific about "damages." You are reimbursed for your losses.
If your bag shows up two days later and you didn't buy anything because you had spare clothes in your carry-on, Air Canada might offer you a 15% discount code for your next flight as a "gesture of goodwill." That’s it. You aren't getting a cash windfall unless you actually spent money on essentials or the bag is officially declared "lost" (which happens after 21 days).
Once that 21-day mark hits, the status changes from "delayed" to "lost." This is when you file the big claim. You’ll need a list of everything that was in the bag. Be honest. If you claim you had five Rolexes in a checked bag, they will deny it immediately because high-value items are technically excluded from checked baggage liability in the fine print of the Tariff.
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Proactive Steps for Next Time
I know, it doesn't help you right now while you're staring at an empty carousel. But for the flight back or your next trip, the game has changed.
AirTags. Just buy them.
Air Canada’s app now has a "Track My Bag" feature, which is okay, but it only tells you when the bag was scanned by an Air Canada employee. An AirTag tells you that your bag is currently sitting behind a dumpster at Heathrow. Having that data allows you to walk up to the counter and say, "I know my bag is in Terminal 3, can you go get it?" It shifts the power dynamic.
Also, take a photo of your bag before you drop it. Not just for your own memory, but to show the agent. "Blue suitcase" describes 400 bags. "This specific blue Samsonite with the yellow ribbon and a scuff on the left wheel" is searchable.
The Actionable Path to Getting Your Gear Back
If you are currently dealing with baggage lost Air Canada issues, follow this exact sequence to ensure you actually get paid or get your stuff back:
- File the PIR immediately. Do not leave the airport without a file number. If you've already left, use the online reporting tool within 24 hours, but be prepared for a longer wait.
- Keep your boarding pass and luggage tag. These are your "titles" to the property. If you lose that little sticker they gave you at check-in, your claim becomes ten times harder to process.
- Buy only what you need. Go to the store, get the essentials, and keep the physical receipts. Scans are fine later, but keep the originals.
- Submit your expenses within 21 days. Use the Air Canada website’s "General Request" or "Baggage Issues" form. Upload clear photos of receipts.
- Escalate if ignored. If Air Canada denies a valid claim for expenses, you can file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). They are backlogged, but they are the "hammer" that holds airlines accountable to the APPR.
- Check your Credit Card. Many premium travel cards (like those from Amex, TD, or RBC) have "Baggage Delay Insurance" that is often better and faster than the airline's reimbursement. They might give you $500 for a 4-hour delay, regardless of what the airline does.
The system is slow, and the hold times on the phone are legendary for being terrible. Stay persistent. The Montreal Convention is on your side, but it requires you to be the one who keeps the pressure on. Check your claim status daily, and don't be afraid to visit the airport baggage office in person if you live nearby—sometimes a face-to-face interaction is the only way to get a bag moved from a "pile" to a "courier."