Millions of people have seen a video of a traveler’s mom’s checked bag arriving on the baggage carousel already open, rolling past people watching. As it comes around, clothes and other items are spilling out onto the conveyor belt.
What would have followed is a public “walk of shame,” with all your belongings (including intimate ones) exposed and scattered as the bag continues around the belt. It’s embarrassing, infuriating, and concerning. And it is one more indignity passengers suffer in air travel.
@kelssssricardoooo I can’t
Underwear seems to be lifted from passenger luggage with some frequency. A CBS Sports host had all her lingerie taken out of her checked bags on Delta.
Someone stole tequila from United Airlines baggage and drank it. Another passenger had $100 whiskey sampled after they checked it with United.
Hey @united – bottle of expensive scotch in checked bag. Arrived opened and a third gone. No leakage. It was sealed new when packed and seal broken by opening. Your baggage handlers are thieves. pic.twitter.com/UHzTLzF4Eu
— Though it be not written down, I am an ass. (@TheDogberry) March 28, 2023
Although I don’t trust airlines with checked bags, I’ve had remarkably good luck over the years. I had bags delayed by Northwest Airlines, and I’ve had issues with Alaska (20 minute guarantee notwithstanding). Many years ago during a baggage handler job action my bag was intentionally misrouted to Reno. And enroute to Hawaii it was shredded in the baggage system in Seattle.
Last year another passenger with an identical bag picked mine up at Newark. I tracked them down via the phone number on the bag they left behind, they offered to bring it to me in Manhattan but didn’t – they contacted United, who told them they ‘must’ return it to them and so it took a couple of days to get. United also once lost one of my bags enroute to Osaka, and refused to authorize delivery to my hotel in Thailand.
Even though American mishandles more bags than any other airline, they still deliver 99% of their bags (but they’re in no rush to offer bag deliver time guarantees like Alaska and Delta given how infrequently they actually hit 20 minute delivery times. (Even former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker won’t let his family check bags.)
Here’s how to think about checked bags:
- Avoid checking a bag when you can. You lose time before the flight having to show up earlier and wait in line, and after the flight waiting at the carousel. Multiply that out across a year’s worth of trips, and across years, and you’re wasting weeks of your life on this. And that’s before mishandling risk, especially on connections.
- Use the right credit card buying your ticket. Many rewards cards offer delayed and lost baggage coverage (often up to $100/day for 5 days for delay, plus coverage if the airline doesn’t recover the bag).
- If you’re checking anyway, use your full allowance. if you’re already paying the time tax, one versus multiple bags doesn’t change the wait problem much.
- Don’t check anything that matters. Prescription medicines, valuables, hard-to-replace items stay with you in the cabin even if you’re checking a bag.
- Consider AirTags but there are downsides. The expected-value case often isn’t there because truly “lost forever” is rare, AirTags aren’t free, and you shouldn’t be checking valuables. Plus, trackers can flag which bags are actually valuable and owners don’t want lost.
- Build slack in your connections. Connections already double lost bag risk, since it means two flights instead of one. Short connections magnify that risk.
- Report damage immediately. Otherwise the airline will deny your claim, often after 24 hours.
- Avoid forced gate-checks if you can. Know carry-on rules, and show up at the gate early enough not to be boarding among the last passengers.
- Paradoxically, save money paying for curbside check-in. Outsourced curbside staff working for tips may have discretion in how bags are classified, and tipping curbside can be cheaper than paying bag fees inside.
In the best case scenario, you can spend extra time in an airport and have your bags show up at your destination. But that’s hardly guaranteed. You’re far better off packing less and keeping your belongings with you when you can.
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