Which airline loses most luggage?

“Of all national airlines, American Airlines lost the most bags in 2022, losing 850 bags per 100,000. That was followed by JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, and United Airlines,” Travel and Leisure magazine reported in a recent article published before the holiday meltdown.



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These are the worst airlines for lost and mishandled luggage in the United States:
  1. American Airlines. American Airlines is the number one worst airline for losing or damaging your luggage, with 5.34 incidents per 1,000 bags. ...
  2. United Airlines. ...
  3. Alaska Airlines. ...
  4. JetBlue. ...
  5. Frontier Airlines. ...
  6. Delta Air Lines. ...
  7. Hawaiian Airlines.


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According to the Department of Transportation, airlines are liable for up to $3,800 for lost, damaged or delayed bags. International flights fall under different rules; the maximum baggage liability is about $1,780. (Airlines can pay you more than that, but they're not required to by law.)

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Which airlines are the worst for lost, delayed or damaged luggage? American, the largest airline in the world, ranked at the top for mishandling luggage, closely followed by economy carrier JetBlue. Here's the list.

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Overall, Allegiant Air had the fewest mishandled bags, as well as the second-fewest enplaned bags, of the 10 major carriers, followed by Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines.

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Delta Airlines dropped down two spots from its 2021 ranking to sixth-place with a mishandled baggage rate of 0.61%. The airline mishandled 230,142 pieces of luggage between January and June 2022, compared to 69,376 during the same time period last year.

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How to Avoid Losing Your Bags
  1. Carry On Those Wayward Bags. ...
  2. Label Your Baggage Outside. ...
  3. Label Your Baggage Inside, Too. ...
  4. Color Tag Your Bag. ...
  5. AirTags, Anyone? ...
  6. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Descriptions. ...
  7. Tear Off Old Tags. ...
  8. Be Waiting for Your Bags.


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Ideally, you want direct, non-stop flights if you want to avoid your luggage getting lost at the connections. The longer the time between flights, the less chance your luggage will get left off the next plane during the changeover.

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In some instances, the workers don't have enough time to move the bags onto the aircraft, and in other cases, the robots accidentally place the bags in the wrong transfer containers. A few other reasons airlines lose luggage include: Incorrect tagging at check-in. Improper luggage loading.

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How often is luggage mishandled? According to Luggage Hero, there were more than 684,000 lost and mishandled bags at major US airlines in the first quarter of 2022 alone. The Points Guy notes that this equated to approximately seven bags out of every 1,000, or 0.7%.

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Usually, they appear somewhere within a day or two and go on to be reunited with their owners. With most airlines, passengers qualify for compensation after their bags are lost for more than 24 hours to cover necessary expenses. However, in around 5% of cases, the bags never come back.

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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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Here's the ranking of US airlines from MOST complaints in May 2022 to LEAST complaints in May 2022:
  • American Airlines (575 complaints)
  • United Airlines (400 complaints)
  • Frontier Airlines (301 complaints)
  • Delta Air Lines (281 complaints)
  • Spirit Airlines (269 complaints)
  • JetBlue Airways (244 complaints)


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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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The recommended layover time for international flights is generally longer, as you will have to go through customs and immigration before boarding your next flight. In most cases, a 30-minute layover for domestic flights and an hour for international flights is considered a minimum, or short, layover.

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When does an airline consider a bag lost? Airlines may have different policies to determine when a bag is officially lost. Most airlines will declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight, but this can vary from one airline to another.

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The top 10 worst airports in the United States for lost luggage are:
  • Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
  • Harry Reid International Airport – Las Vegas.
  • San Diego International Airport.
  • Austin-Bergstrom International Airport – Austin, Texas.
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.


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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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At a high level, luggage has to go (1) from the baggage handler to the plane and then (2) from the plane to the baggage claim shoot. If you gate check your bag, you are ensuring the luggage at least makes it to the plane -- so you should (somewhat) decrease the odds of a lost bag.

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Both checking and carrying on your luggage can offer hassle-free travel, depending on which situations irk you more. If you're in a rush or hate waiting in lines or at the baggage carousel, you'll want to carry on your luggage.

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Airlines must pay you when they lose your luggage. However, airlines do not always offer a fair price for losing your baggage or ruining your vacation. Some airlines might deny your claim because of a technical error or if they are suspicious of your claim. You can sue an airline for lost luggage.

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If your bag is lost, you may be eligible for reimbursement. For most domestic flights, Delta Air Lines is only responsible for a value of up to $3,800 per ticketed passenger or $640 per bag for most international flights. If you declare a higher value, you may be eligible for higher reimbursement.

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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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