An wonderful trip can be derailed before it even starts if your luggage is misplaced or handled improperly.
Certain airports and airlines perform better than others when it comes to tracking passengers’ baggage.
In order to determine which airports are the best and worst at mishandling passenger baggage, the Upgraded Points team of experts recently examined property complaint data from the Transportation Security Administration’s FOIA Electronic Reading Room for the 60 busiest U.S. airports between 2015 and 2023. The data was normalized against annual passenger volumes. This covers luggage that has been misplaced, delayed, rerouted, or damaged.
According to a statement from Upgraded Points editor-in-chief Keri Stooksbury, losing your luggage is a typical nightmare that may ruin a wonderful holiday. In order to educate future travelers and promote enhancements to baggage handling procedures, we concentrated on airports and airlines that have the greatest rates of luggage disasters.
According to recent study, Florida’s major airports may need to explain themselves, since six of the Sunshine State’s airports are among the top 10 for the number of complaints per 100,000 passengers.
The most frequent luggage complaints
For every 100,000 travelers, Orlando International Airport (MCO) receives 1.81 complaints.
For every 100,000 travelers, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) receives 1.72 complaints.
For every 100,000 travelers, Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) receives 1.71 complaints.
For every 100,000 travelers, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) receives 1.69 complaints.
Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale (FLL) 1.68 grievances for every 100,000 travelers
Airport at Miami International (MIA) 1.59 grievances for every 100,000 passengers
For every 100,000 travelers, Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) receives 1.54 complaints.
For every 100,000 travelers, Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) receives 1.51 complaints.
There are 1.49 complaints for every 100,000 travelers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).
For every 100,000 travelers, Sacramento International Airport (SMF) receives 1.41 complaints.
Top performers
With major airports in Kansas City, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Denver ranking among the top six for the fewest complaints per 100,000 passengers, the Midwest has, on the other hand, done a respectable job of handling travelers’ belongings.
The complaint rate at the top-performing San Francisco International Airport, which is 0.31 per 100,000 passengers, is significantly 72% lower than the national average, according to the report.
Fewest complains about baggage
For every 100,000 travelers, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) receives 0.31 complaints.
For every 100,000 travelers, Kansas City International Airport (MCI) receives 0.42 complaints.
For every 100,000 travelers, Chicago O Hare International Airport (ORD) receives 0.58 complaints.
There are 0.59 complaints for every 100,000 travelers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
There are 0.59 complaints for every 100,000 travelers at Minneapolis Saint Paul International Airport (MSP).
For every 100,000 travelers, Denver International Airport (DEN) receives 0.64 complaints.
In order to determine year-over-year percentage changes, Upgraded Points also examined the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report, focusing on the number of mishandled bags per 100 enplaned bags for the top 10 U.S. airlines from January to September 2024 and comparing those numbers to 2023.
A comparison of the airlines
It should come as no surprise that all four of the Big Four airlines rank among the lowest in terms of luggage handling, with Alaska Airlines—which is merging with Hawaiian Airlines—performing particularly poorly.
Airlines with the worst baggage handling records
For every 100 enplaned luggage, American Airlines has 0.90 mishandled bags.
For every 100 enplaned luggage, United Airlines had 0.68 mishandled bags.
For every 100 enplaned luggage, Alaska Airlines had 0.64 mishandled bags.
For every 100 enplaned luggage, Delta Air Lines had 0.49 mishandled bags.
Southwest Airlines For every 100 enplaned bags, 0.44 bags are mishandled.
With mishandled luggage rates of only 0.24 and 0.36 per 100 enplaned bags, respectively, Allegiant and JetBlue were ranked among the best airlines for baggage handling.
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