Why does delayed baggage take so long?

Airport baggage procedures can be complex at large hubs, so waiting 30 to 45 minutes for bags can be normal. Luggage can come in waves from a single flight as well, so just because your suitcase didn't arrive initially doesn't necessarily mean it's lost.



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Airlines recommend that passengers collect their baggage as soon as possible, suggesting they should not wait longer than 30 to 40 minutes after the aircraft has landed.

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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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According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, you are entitled to compensation for reasonable incidental expenses you incur because of your delayed baggage, up to the maximum liability limits, set by statute. For U.S. domestic flights, this is $3,800 per passenger.

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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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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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Typically, airlines will pass the items over to the lost and found department at the arrival airport. The item will be kept for a 90-day holding period, after which it will be donated to charity or a place for sale – in some cases, the item will be destroyed if unclaimed after the holding period.

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Why Do Airlines Lose Luggage? As with anything, accidents do happen. The leading cause of lost luggage is the mishandling of the bags between flights or from the sorting office to your airplane. Depending on the airport you fly out of, the actual sorting of luggage is done by a robot or workers.

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Lost luggage surprise: 97% of bags are found, returned within 2 days. Of all mishandled bags, 81% were simply delayed, 16% were damaged or pilfered and 3% were declared lost or stolen and never found, a new study found.

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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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Some legal experts and consumer advocates say that while airlines never had the authority to dispose of lost baggage, passengers' use of tracking devices could become a new test of the legal soundness of that practice.

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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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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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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 Claim Delayed Baggage Compensation – A Guide
  1. Contact a Baggage Claim Desk. ...
  2. File your delayed baggage claim immediately. ...
  3. Request an overnight kit. ...
  4. Ask for an allowance for reasonable expenses. ...
  5. Check the status, wait and be patient. ...
  6. Claim your rights formally.


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The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) considers a flight to be delayed when it is 15 minutes later than its scheduled time.

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The majority of checked baggage is screened without the need for a physical bag search. Inspection Notices: TSA may inspect your checked baggage during the screening process. If your property is physically inspected, TSA will place a notice of baggage inspection inside your bag.

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