If an airline loses or delays your bag , can you trust it to let you know how much money you 're entitled to ? One passenger says do n't count on it . She 's suing Delta Air Lines for breach of contract , alleging that the carrier leaves fliers in the dark about the compensation they 're entitled to when their bags vanish . The U.S. Department of Transportation requires airlines to pay up to $ 3,300 per passenger if bags are `` lost , damaged , delayed or pilfered '' on a domestic flight . But lawyers for Susan Miller say Delta `` uniformly and systematically '' ignores this rule and often tells passengers they are only entitled to $ 25 to $ 50 a day in expenses . Delta has not responded to a request for comment , but it 's not the first time the company has faced this complaint : Last year , the DOT fined the airline $ 100,000 for failing to comply with the government rule . Miller , a Florida resident , says she flew on Delta from Miami to Las Vegas in November of 2010 . When she arrived at her destination , Miller discovered that the airline had lost her baggage , leaving her without any warm clothes or essentials , according to a class action complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Southern Florida earlier this month . Miller then had to spend more than $ 315 to buy replacement toiletries , medication and other items , but when she raised the issue with Delta , she was told nothing could be done to help her , the court documents say . The bag turned up a couple of days later , her attorney David Tucker said . DOT spokesman Bill Mosley declined to comment on this specific case , but said in general , carriers are not supposed to limit compensation when passengers are forced to buy essentials after their bags are delayed . Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has echoed this sentiment in the past . `` Travelers should not have to pay for toiletries or other necessities while they wait for baggage misplaced by airlines , '' LaHood said in a 2009 memo warning airlines not to improperly limit reimbursements . A few weeks after her flight , Miller made a claim with Delta for her expenses , which was `` rejected and/or ignored , '' her lawyers say . `` What happened to ( Miller ) happens every day to Delta passengers whose bags are delayed , '' the complaint alleges . `` Such tactics allow Delta to pocket millions and millions it would have had to pay out if it had abided by its contracts with passengers . '' Miller is suing on behalf of herself and other Delta passengers who have found themselves in a similar situation . The class action is asking for a jury trial to award direct , compensatory and punitive damages .
Passenger says Delta lost her bag , then did nothing when she spent $ 315 for necessities . Comment: Lawsuit says Delta `` uniformly and systematically '' ignores this rule . The airline was fined $ 100,000 over the issue last year .