If an airline loses or damages your bag on a domestic flight within Australia, the airline's financial responsibility isn't unlimited — and the deadlines to make a claim are tight enough that most people miss them without realising. Getting the timing and the paperwork right matters more here than almost anywhere else in consumer complaints.
There's a cap on what the airline owes you
Domestic baggage claims sit under the Civil Aviation (Carriers' Liability) Act 1959, which sets a maximum liability limit for lost or damaged baggage — a limit that's periodically reviewed and adjusted, so don't assume a fixed figure without checking the airline's current published limit. If your belongings are worth more than that cap, the airline generally won't pay beyond it unless you can show reckless conduct on their part — which is exactly why travel insurance matters for anything valuable.
The deadlines are genuinely short
Under the framework that underpins Australia's carrier liability rules, a damage complaint generally needs to be made within days of receiving the bag, and a delay/loss complaint within roughly two weeks of the bag being made available to you — these are the kind of tight windows that come from the international convention this law is built on. For domestic travel specifically, always check the airline's own Conditions of Carriage for its exact claim deadline, since airlines can and do set their own specific timeframes in addition to the general framework — don't assume one universal number applies to every airline.
Don't leave the baggage hall without this
File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airline's desk before you leave the airport — this is your formal record that the problem was reported immediately. Photograph any damage to the bag before you go.
While your bag is missing
Airlines will generally cover reasonable daily essentials — a change of clothes, basic toiletries — while your baggage is delayed. Keep every receipt and submit them itemised with your final claim.