Lost: The Luggage Debacle

Anyone who has traveled by airplane more than once can tell you that lost luggage is a common occurrence. It’s not unheard of for seasoned travelers to end up on completely difference continents than their luggage. Reports from some travelers report that, while they’re sunning themselves in Antigua, their luggage is freezing solid in Alaska. What’s not surprising about the whole thing is that the larger the carrier, the more apt they are to lose your baggage.

The US Department of Transportation issued a report on the airline “drop rate”, the rate that airlines lose baggage, and that report shows abysmal results. The top three worst offenders were the top three airlines in the country. United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines have all had consistently poor numbers during the last 10 years. United itself mishandled 30 percent more bags than Continental Airlines, which has the best record in the industry among major lines. Travelers have a great deal to complain about, especially since many airlines are now charging for the privilege of losing a customer’s luggage. The loss rate of carriers is nearly 28 percent higher than it was just 10 years ago. Over the past decade, nearly 25 million passengers have been forced to deal with lose luggage. Thankfully, travelers are checking fewer bags, thanks to the new airline regulations which charge customers for each bag that they would like to check. Fewer bags mean less handling time, which means that lost luggage rates should drop. With fewer bags to track, airlines are bound to get it right! According to Air Transport Association Spokesman David Castelveter, “Delays cause missed connections. Missed connections cause mishandled bags.”

The best solution is to ship your luggage separately from your flight. Call your hotel, and see if they will receive a package for you. Explain what you’re doing, and that you’d like to have that bag delivered to your room before you arrive. As long as you’re staying at a nice hotel, they will typically be happy to oblige. Otherwise, you may ask that they keep the bag at the desk for you. If they’re absolutely unwilling to do that, you can always ship to a mailbox store, such as a UPS store or a FedEx-Kinkos. Simply pick up your baggage on your way to the airport, and you’ll never lose your bag again.

Learn more at: www.aa.com, www.delta.com, or www.united.com