What percentage of checked bags are lost?

Carriers handled almost 393 million bags in 2021, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. They lost over 2 million bags which is 0.51% of all checked bags. Pre-COVID-19 numbers were higher with a 0.59% loss. The percentage lost goes up during busy holiday travel.



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Across the board, the chance of an airline losing a suitcase — at least for a little while — is around 0.4%, according to LuggageHero. That's about one in every 250 bags.

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American Airlines is the number one worst airline for losing or damaging your luggage, with 5.34 incidents per 1,000 bags. Although it's a low percentage compared to the total number of bags checked, American Airlines still takes the dubious distinction of being the airline most likely to lose your luggage.

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JFK leads the list of worst airports for lost luggage and damaged bags with the most property loss claims (1.93 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) and property damage claims (1.48 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) between 2013 and 2022.

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The leading cause of lost luggage is the mishandling of the bags between flights or from the sorting office to your airplane.

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8 ways to prevent your luggage getting lost
  1. While there's no definitive way to stop your luggage from getting lost, there are some steps you can take to give your bags a better chance. Make sure your bag is tagged properly. ...
  2. Make clear where it's going and who owns it. ...
  3. Avoid tight layovers. ...
  4. Make your bag stand out.


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8 Things You Can Do To Prevent Your Luggage From Getting Lost Forever
  1. How likely is it for my luggage to get lost?
  2. Remove old airline tags and stickers.
  3. Pack essentials in your carry-on.
  4. Get a distinct luggage tag.
  5. Keep your info inside your luggage too!
  6. Get a smart luggage tag.
  7. Remove loose straps from your bags.


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Odds are slim your airline will lose your luggage. According to the Air Travel Consumer Report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation, you face less than a 1 percent chance that a major airline will misplace your bags; in 2022, there were only about 7 reports of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.

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Allegiant Air Finally, Allegiant Air is the carrier least likely to lose, damage, delay, or pilfer its customers' luggage. In October 2021, it only mishandled 877 bags or 1.96 per 1,000 enplaned, which was very close to the previous year's statistic of only 1.20 per 1,000 checked bags.

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Once an airline determines that your bag is lost, the airline is responsible for compensating you for your bags' contents - subject to depreciation and maximum liability limits.

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You will probably get your luggage back; when you do, be sure to give it a thorough check for damage, and missing items. If items are found damaged or missing, the airline should repair them or replace them.

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Unclaimed Baggage is the nation's only retailer of lost luggage. They open the suitcases, sort the items, then sell, donate, or recycle the loot. This massive 50,000-square-foot (4,645-square-meter) retail store has become a popular Alabama tourist attraction.

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Filing a Lost Luggage Report Probably Won't Help If this is a simple issue of delayed baggage, it should show up in the next three days. FAA data shows that delayed baggage usually arrives within 3-7 days. However, if the bag is truly lost, your chances of finding lost luggage after 30 days are cut in half.

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5 Ways to Avoid Losing Your Luggage in 2023
  1. USE A LUGGAGE TRACKER LIKE GEGO GPS: ...
  2. PACK ESSENTIAL ITEMS IN YOUR CARRY-ON BAG: ...
  3. USE A LUGGAGE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM O STRAP: ...
  4. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR LUGGAGE AT ALL TIMES: ...
  5. GET TRAVEL INSURANCE:


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Even after you arrive at your destination, you may face an unexpected, and unfortunate, obstacle: damaged or lost luggage. While frustrating, data shows it is a relatively rare event — of the roughly 115 million pieces of luggage put on a plane between November 2022 and January 2023, less than 1% was lost or damaged.

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If you're not packing any valuable items in your checked bag, you don't necessarily need a lock. All bags will go through security screening, and you'll know if your bag has been physically opened if you find a notice inside your bag or if your non-TSA-approved lock is missing.

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You'll need to submit a new claim now that the bag is truly lost, and this process tends to be more detailed. Most claim forms will ask you to list everything that was in the bag, including purchase dates and even original receipts for items over a certain dollar amount.

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Unclaimed baggage left at the airport is ultimately auctioned or sold at a lost luggage store like the mega-center in Scottsboro, Alabama. Only there's one catch, sometimes it isn't abandoned or unclaimed luggage that ends up there – it may be your lost luggage.

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100 days: All bags cycle out of the WorldTracer system. After 100 days, your bags are likely lost forever and can't be tracked. Luckily, only about 2% of lost luggage is missing forever.

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Passengers may return to the airport to pick up their item or may approve someone else, in writing, to do so. Items can be shipped back to the owner at the owner's expense.

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Consider filing a lawsuit against the airline in small claims court. Small claims courts handle a wide variety of property-related lawsuits which include lawsuits for lost luggage by an airline. Small claims court is also an affordable and user-friendly way for you to sue an airline for lost or delayed luggage.

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Once an airline determines that your bag is lost, the airline is responsible for compensating you for your bags' contents - subject to depreciation and maximum liability limits.

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Under DOT regulations (for domestic travel) and international treaties (for international travel), airlines are required to compensate passengers if their bags are damaged, delayed, or lost.

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Bottom line. Travelers hope to arrive at their destinations with their bags, and airlines want the same. Therefore, airlines will do their best to reroute a passenger's bag to its final destination.

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