Airlines and Airports That Are Most Likely to Mishandle Your Luggage [Data Study]

Experienced travelers understand that the full relief of vacation mode can only be earned at the baggage carousel, where a missing or mishandled bag can undo an otherwise smooth journey. Though less than 1% of the 250 million+ checked bags on U.S. flights each year are lost or damaged, most travelers have baggage horror stories, and the data shows that some passengers are more likely than others to have issues. 

What do they have in common? Who they fly with, where they fly to, and when they fly. To make it easier to know which companies and hubs to avoid, our Research team at Travel Bulletin analyzed two years of passenger complaints and Department of Transportation data to find the airlines, airports, and times of year with the worst baggage problems.   

Key Findings

• More than 5 million pieces of luggage were lost or mishandled by airlines in the U.S. in the last two years.

• American Airlines mishandled 1.6 million bags in the last two years, the highest rate (0.72%) of any airline.

• December, January, and July are the 3 months where baggage is mishandled most often. 

• Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport had the highest rate of TSA complaints per capita related to passenger property, 0.62 per 100,000 passengers. 

The airlines that are most likely to lose or damage your luggage

Americans have a variety of choices when it comes to air travel, with factors like route availability, amenities, and airfare costs differentiating carriers. Data shows that some companies are much more likely to mishandle their customers’ baggage than their competitors. 

Two airlines mishandled more than 1 million pieces of luggage each over the last two years, with American Airlines leading the way at 1.6 million lost or damaged bags and United just over a million, representing more than half of the 5.1 million mishandled bags across the entire domestic air travel industry over the last two years. While the totals are partially a reflection of airline size, they also reflect the two highest incidence rates: one in 138 bags (0.72%) was mishandled on American and one in 146 (0.69%) on United. Alaska Airlines was the only other airline to lose or damage at least one piece of luggage out of every 200 (1 in 181, 0.55%). 

On the other end of the spectrum, Allegiant Airlines lost or damaged just one bag for every 747 under its care, a mishandling rate of just 0.13% over the last two years, far and away the lowest rate among major airlines. Allegiant’s business model is certainly a major factor in that statistic, as the airline allows passengers one personal item for free, then charges baggage fees for additional luggage, including carry-ons. As a result, Allegiant customers tend to pack light to avoid paying for checked bags, which in turn limits how much luggage the airline has to handle and transport in the first place, making it easier to properly handle the baggage onboard. 

The airports where baggage complaints are most common 

Airlines and airline workers aren’t the only ones who can cause issues relating to passenger luggage. Bags can also be lost or damaged by airport workers and TSA agents before they even make it onto an airplane. In those cases, customers can file a passenger property complaint with the airport they are departing from. 

Among the 50 busiest airports in the country, the highest per-capita number of such complaints were lodged at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the last two years. For every 100,000 passengers traveling through LAS, there were 0.62 passenger property complaints filed, just edging out the 0.61 per 100,000 at Newark International Airport for the top spot. Four other airports had per-capita complaint rates of 0.50 or higher per 100,000: Salt Lake City International Airport (0.54), Orlando International Airport (0.51), Logan International Airport (0.51), and Portland International Airport (0.50).  

Times of the year when your luggage is most likely to be mishandled

Where you travel from and which airline you fly can affect how likely your luggage is to be mishandled, and so can the time of year you travel. Industry data shows that the rates of lost or damaged luggage surge in certain months. 

The busy (and often snowy) holiday travel season, covering December and January, is one of the worst times of the year for luggage mishandling. 0.70% of bags are lost or damaged in January across the entire airline industry, the highest rate of any month, while December’s 0.61% is the third-highest of any month. The other month when baggage is most likely to be mishandled is at the other end of the calendar, with 0.68% of bags belonging to summer vacation travelers lost or damaged in July over the last two years. 

Fall travel, on the other hand, is a time when baggage is handled properly, as October and the surrounding months have the lowest rates of mishandled luggage. Just 0.38% of bags were lost or damaged in October over the last two years, nearly half the rate of January. September and November, on either side of October, are tied for the second-lowest baggage mishandling rate at 0.41%. 

Luggage tips every traveler should know

The data is clear: not all airlines treat your bags the same, and the time of year you fly matters more than you might think. If you're planning a summer trip, try to book on carriers with stronger baggage track records, and if your schedule allows, avoid flying in July when mishandling rates spike across nearly every airline.

The most foolproof way to protect your belongings? Skip the checked bag altogether. Traveling carry-on only eliminates the risk entirely, and it's more doable than most people think. A solid weekender bag is easier to carry and store than traditional carry-on luggage and offers more storage than a backpack, making it an extremely convenient travel option. Combining a weekender with a top-notch bag that qualifies as a personal item may eliminate the need to check bags altogether for some trips. 

If you absolutely need to check a bag, a luggage tracker can be a great way to give yourself peace of mind while traveling and provide an extra resource for locating your luggage should something go wrong during your trip.

Full data

Mishandled luggage by airline (2024-2025)

Passenger property complaints by airport (2024-2025)

Methodology

Travel Bulletin compiled government reports published via TranStats on mishandled and lost luggage rates for every major U.S.-based airline for 2024 and 2025.

We also collected data on the number of TSA complaints related to the handling of passenger property for each of the 50 busiest airports in the U.S. for both 2024 and 2025. Using government data on total passenger counts at those airports, we calculated the number of property-related complaints per 100,000 passengers at each airport.

Author details

Josh Koebert

Josh is an experienced data scientist and researcher, and his work has been featured in numerous national and regional media outlets, including USA Today, CNN, and Forbes, among many others.

Editor details

Gina Goff

Gina oversees editorial and brand development across Launch Potato's travel portfolio, including Travel Bulletin and Only In Your State. She's worked in lifestyle media for two decades and her work has earned Webby, Telly, and ASME awards.