Which airline is the worst, at losing passenger baggage?

Question

Please answer this question, ONLY if you really know the real answer.

Answer 1

Based on my experiences, I would say it is a question not so much of which airline but of which AIRPORT. Some airports are so overloaded and antiquated that they lose bags by the score. In my experience, a few of the worst offenders in this regard are Atlanta, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, and Chicago O'Hare.

Sometimes, the problem comes down to one particular airline and one particular city. Delta in Atlanta once managed to lose a bag of mine for an entire week, but their lost baggage office at Atlanta (their main hub) looked like a scene from a warehouse store for used bags! There must have been well over a thousand bags stacked in piles all around the office. No wonder they couldn't find one!

Answer 2

American Airlines has been named as one of the worst airlines for lost luggages and customer complaints. Followed by United Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

Answer 3

The US Dept of Transportation publishes a monthly report on air travel statistics that includes the number of bags reported as being mishandled. You can find the latest report at the following website: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/2007/june/200706atcr.pdf . The table showing mishandled bags is on page 31

According to it, the worst airline for losing bags as of this report was American Eagle; over 13 bags per 1000 bags transferred were reported as being mishandled (e.g. lost, damaged etc.).

Answer 4

GREYHOUND!!

(Okay, they're not an airline, but it is still a means of passenger travel. I have never lost my luggage with any of the present airlines on the air, but I have done so the three times I have traveled with Greyhound).