Had you purchased anything and kept receipts, you would have been reimbursed ($50 for the first day, and $25 for each additional day). NW in MKE cut me a check on the spot when I explained that my luggage was delayed on my outbound trip to (you guessed it, AMS). This policy is laid out somewhere on nwa.com, and it's not that hard to find. On top of that, the luggage folks at AMS gave me (without asking) a €25 voucher for future travel. Not huge, but something...

Wish I could say the same thing about KLM's website/policy. I'm currently awaiting news on my bag which didn't make it to ATL (from AMS) on Sunday. Nothing about compensation from them. Called the ATL KLM baggage desk, and got an automated reply stating I should leave a detailed message and that they would get back to me. This was followed by another detailed message stating that their voicemailbox was full... whoopee.