What Does An Airline Owe You If It Loses Your Valuables?

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Be careful what you put in your checked baggage; keep valuables in your carry-on.

Q: On a flight from Paris to San Francisco, three new handbags worth $9,800 were stolen from my checked luggage. The airline has offered compensation of only $1,710. Can you help?

A: Unfortunately, even though our reader had receipts for her Céline handbags, the airline’s liability was limited under the Montreal Convention to “1,131 Special Drawing Rights” (an SDR is an artificial-currency unit) for each passenger—$1,710 at the conversion rate at that time. Some homeowners’ insurance policies and credit cards do include lost-luggage coverage, but if you’re traveling with valuable items, it’s best to pack them in your carry-on.

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