Airlines lost 10,000 bags a day in '05

**Midnight Mike** · 2006-02-17, 05:31 PM

Airlines lost 10,000 bags a day in '05
17-Feb-2005

U.S. airlines last year lost about 10,000 bags a day on average, the worst performance since 1990.
The rate of lost suitcase reports per 1,000 passengers on flights soared 23% from a year earlier, according to recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Among the reasons: a surge in the number of passengers, airline budget cuts, backed-up flights and tighter inspections of luggage.

In all, passengers filed with airlines more than 3.5 million reports of lost bags, most of which eventually find their way back to owners. Inside the 2005 numbers:

•US Airways, which exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, had the highest lost-bag rate of major carriers.

•Southwest Airlines' rate of lost bags jumped nearly 27%. Southwest blames the airline's cranky new bag systems in Baltimore, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

•Delta Air Lines, third-biggest airline, lost more bags than any other carrier. Its customers filed 573,419 lost bag reports.

Barry Maher, who gives speeches on customer service, was one. Delta lost both his bags last April on a trip from Ontario, Cal., to Roanoke, Va. Maher rushed out to buy a shirt, slacks and underwear so he could give a speech. His bags arrived at his hotel in time for him to return home. On the trip back, Delta lost both bags again. Delta's staff was "uncaring," he says.

Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly said Delta, now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, knows its bag system needs work.

"Delta is focused on making significant progress," she said.

US Airways gave flier Rex Greer heartburn last year. The auditor flew US Airways 26 times. It lost his bags six times. He says he's "lucky" because the losses usually happened on his way home.

US Airways customer service chief Anthony Mulé says, "It will get better." US Airways, which merged in bankruptcy with America West, has added ground workers and new equipment for handling bags.

Wine executive David Kelly lost his suitcase when American Airlines canceled his flight to New York last summer but didn't take his bag off the plane. His bag reappeared 48 hours later. This, he says, is why "overhead compartments are always overflowing."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/biztravel ... usat_x.htm

**LGA777** · 2006-02-17, 09:54 PM

ABC's National News covered this story tonight. I think something no one mentioned that helped cause the rates to skyrocket is many carriers including my own choosing to outsource ramp agent positions at many smaller stations, or in the case of AS and YX, in their largest (SEA and MKE) In many cases the carriers took something that worked fine, or wasn't broken, and broke it !

Regards

LGA777

**Garri767** · 2006-02-20, 11:51 PM

oh the memories, AA lost my bag and found it 8 hours after my flight landed, and it was a vacation i was on. not flown them since.

**RDU-JFK** · 2006-02-21, 12:09 AM

Here's a strange story...I was flying from RDU to JFK on Delta Connection (ACA), and upon arrival at Terminal 3, was told that my bags were put on the LGA flight, which left RDU about 10 minutes after my flight. I checked in about 2 hours beforehand, etc...so I inferred that the Doriner 328 Jet was overweight and they put my flights to LGA cause I wasn't connecting to Europe..who knows.

Delta tops my list of lost baggage with 2 incidents, US Airways with one, and British Airways with one as well.

**Mellyrose** · 2006-02-21, 12:13 AM

Fortunately, I never lost my bags, but I remember clear as anything, the time my duffel bag came around the baggage claim belt, and there was my underwear blatantly hanging out of it....zipper half opened. I inventoried right away, and the nicest pairs were all missing. Perverts.

On the topic, after visiting me in Hawaii, my friend lost 2 (very valuable, with souvenirs and 2 weeks worth of clothes) bags flying ATA. She's cursed them ever since....I was biased against them too, because of this....then, I met Phil. ;)

**mirrodie** · 2006-02-21, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by Garri767

oh the memories, AA lost my bag and found it 8 hours after my flight landed, and it was a vacation i was on. not flown them since.

Oh cry me a river. AA has 'lost' my bags 3 times since 1999. The odds are clearly not in my favor. And I;ve gotten 10000 miles each time. For that many miles, I'd need a few rounders to MIA. So it was worth 8 hours of awaiting.

each time I got it back 8-12 hours later. It can happen on any airline, so thats no reason to stop flying them. :D