by @levelsio and part of Airline List
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Why? Vueling lost my gf's suitcase...
Luggage lost numbers here are estimations based on people talking about losing their luggage on social media and websites. Actual numbers may vary, and exact figures are only available through official airline reports published retroactively.
Last updated: 15 hours ago from 32,369 live sources
| # | Airline |
Probability of losing/delaying your luggage (est.) |
Change (last 7d) |
Luggage score (out of 5) |
Complaints (last 30 days) |
Lost bags (last 30 days est.) |
|
| 1 | ๐ฎ๐ณ IndiGo | 1 in 25 | 3.92% | = | 0.25 | 240 | 115,769 |
| 2 | ๐ฎ๐ณ Air India | 1 in 34 | 2.90% | = | 0.25 | 131 | 63,269 |
| 3 | ๐ช๐ธ Iberia | 1 in 73 | 1.36% | = | 0.25 | 35 | 16,953 |
| 4 | ๐ฎ๐ณ SpiceJet | 1 in 93 | 1.08% | โผ 8 | 0.25 | 21 | 10,109 |
| 5 | ๐ฆ๐ช Emirates | 1 in 113 | 0.89% | = | 0.25 | 69 | 33,214 |
| 6 | ๐ฑ๐ฐ SriLankan Airlines | 1 in 116 | 0.86% | โฒ 2 | 0.25 | 6 | 2,902 |
| 7 | ๐ช๐น Ethiopian Airlines | 1 in 129 | 0.77% | โผ 10 | 0.25 | 17 | 8,192 |
| 8 | ๐ง๐ญ Gulf Air | 1 in 149 | 0.67% | โฒ 1 | 0.75 | 7 | 3,400 |
| 9 | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South African | 1 in 170 | 0.59% | โผ 5 | 1.27 | 12 | 5,794 |
| 10 | ๐ฎ๐ช Aer Lingus | 1 in 178 | 0.56% | โฒ 2 | 1.45 | 10 | 4,821 |
| 11 | ๐บ๐ธ Frontier Airlines | 1 in 183 | 0.55% | โผ 8 | 1.53 | 14 | 6,732 |
| 12 | ๐ฌ๐ง British Airways | 1 in 185 | 0.54% | โฒ 1 | 1.57 | 46 | 22,286 |
| 13 | ๐จ๐ด Avianca | 1 in 196 | 0.51% | โฒ 7 | 1.76 | 28 | 13,579 |
| 14 | ๐ฆ๐ช Air Arabia | 1 in 197 | 0.51% | โผ 10 | 1.79 | 11 | 5,296 |
| 15 | ๐ฐ๐ช Kenya Airways | 1 in 213 | 0.47% | โผ 24 | 2.02 | 6 | 2,888 |
| 16 | ๐ช๐ธ Vueling | 1 in 214 | 0.47% | โผ 9 | 2.04 | 17 | 8,197 |
| 17 | ๐ฌ๐ง Virgin Atlantic | 1 in 218 | 0.46% | โฒ 2 | 2.09 | 7 | 3,386 |
| 18 | ๐ถ๐ฆ Qatar Airways | 1 in 232 | 0.43% | โผ 2 | 2.27 | 30 | 14,555 |
| 19 | ๐ณ๐ฑ KLM | 1 in 247 | 0.41% | โผ 19 | 2.43 | 15 | 7,284 |
| 20 | ๐จ๐ฆ WestJet Airlines | 1 in 277 | 0.36% | โฒ 10 | 2.71 | 14 | 6,773 |
| 21 | ๐บ๐ธ American Airlines | 1 in 284 | 0.35% | โผ 2 | 2.77 | 106 | 51,386 |
| 22 | ๐ฆ๐ช Etihad Airways | 1 in 294 | 0.34% | โผ 8 | 2.85 | 12 | 5,800 |
| 23 | ๐ฒ๐พ Malaysia Airlines | 1 in 295 | 0.34% | โฒ 7 | 2.85 | 9 | 4,330 |
| 24 | ๐บ๐ธ Delta Air Lines | 1 in 300 | 0.33% | โผ 16 | 2.89 | 90 | 43,602 |
| 25 | ๐จ๐ฆ Air Canada | 1 in 311 | 0.32% | โฒ 12 | 2.96 | 19 | 9,188 |
| 26 | ๐ฒ๐ฝ Aeromexico | 1 in 322 | 0.31% | = | 3.03 | 7 | 3,387 |
| 27 | ๐ซ๐ท Air France | 1 in 342 | 0.29% | โฒ 6 | 3.15 | 21 | 10,159 |
| 28 | ๐ช๐ธ Air Europa | 1 in 366 | 0.27% | โผ 13 | 3.27 | 4 | 1,933 |
| 29 | ๐ฏ๐ด Royal Jordanian | 1 in 381 | 0.26% | โฒ 2 | 3.34 | 2 | 968 |
| 30 | ๐จ๐ฆ Air Transat | 1 in 383 | 0.26% | โฒ 21 | 3.35 | 3 | 1,443 |
| 31 | ๐ต๐ญ Cebu Pacific | 1 in 390 | 0.26% | โฒ 3 | 3.38 | 4 | 1,930 |
| 32 | ๐บ๐ธ United Airlines | 1 in 394 | 0.25% | โฒ 10 | 3.39 | 60 | 29,032 |
| 33 | ๐น๐ท Pegasus Airlines | 1 in 396 | 0.25% | โฒ 15 | 3.40 | 6 | 2,908 |
| 34 | ๐บ๐ธ Alaska Airlines | 1 in 408 | 0.24% | โผ 16 | 3.45 | 25 | 12,039 |
| 35 | ๐ฎ๐ช Ryanair | 1 in 439 | 0.23% | โผ 23 | 3.56 | 30 | 14,453 |
| 36 | ๐ฆ๐ท Aerolineas Argentinas | 1 in 463 | 0.22% | โฒ 4 | 3.63 | 4 | 1,926 |
| 37 | ๐ฌ๐ง easyJet | 1 in 496 | 0.20% | โฒ 1 | 3.72 | 15 | 7,221 |
| 38 | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore Airlines | 1 in 524 | 0.19% | โฒ 7 | 3.79 | 7 | 3,398 |
| 39 | ๐ต๐ฆ COPA Airlines | 1 in 579 | 0.17% | โผ 20 | 3.91 | 5 | 2,414 |
| 40 | ๐ด๐ฒ Oman Air | 1 in 586 | 0.17% | โฒ 3 | 3.92 | 6 | 2,886 |
| 41 | ๐บ๐ธ Allegiant Air | 1 in 612 | 0.16% | โผ 1 | 3.97 | 5 | 2,409 |
| 42 | ๐น๐ญ Thai Airways | 1 in 643 | 0.16% | โผ 14 | 4.02 | 4 | 1,935 |
| 43 | ๐บ๐ธ Southwest Airlines | 1 in 649 | 0.15% | โผ 6 | 4.02 | 34 | 16,506 |
| 44 | ๐ธ๐ฆ Saudia | 1 in 655 | 0.15% | โฒ 11 | 4.03 | 9 | 4,341 |
| 45 | ๐ฎ๐น ITA Airways | 1 in 690 | 0.14% | โผ 16 | 4.08 | 5 | 2,428 |
| 46 | ๐บ๐ธ Hawaiian Airlines | 1 in 696 | 0.14% | โฒ 11 | 4.09 | 3 | 1,457 |
| 47 | ๐น๐ท Turkish Airlines | 1 in 696 | 0.14% | โผ 10 | 4.09 | 15 | 7,263 |
| 48 | ๐บ๐ธ Spirit Airlines | 1 in 774 | 0.13% | โฒ 3 | 4.18 | 5 | 2,422 |
| 49 | ๐ฆ๐ฟ Azerbaijan Airlines | 1 in 799 | 0.13% | โผ 12 | 4.21 | 1 | 481 |
| 50 | ๐ช๐ฌ EgyptAir | 1 in 857 | 0.12% | โฒ 21 | 4.26 | 2 | 968 |
| 51 | ๐ธ๐ช SAS Scandinavia | 1 in 961 | 0.10% | โผ 9 | 4.34 | 4 | 1,934 |
| 52 | ๐จ๐ญ Swiss | 1 in 990 | 0.10% | โผ 9 | 4.36 | 2 | 962 |
| 53 | ๐บ๐ธ JetBlue | 1 in 996 | 0.10% | โฒ 5 | 4.36 | 8 | 3,857 |
| 54 | ๐ต๐ฐ Pakistan International Airlines | 1 in 1,045 | 0.10% | โฒ 20 | 4.39 | 1 | 485 |
| 55 | ๐ญ๐บ Wizz Air | 1 in 1,052 | 0.10% | โฒ 4 | 4.40 | 2 | 964 |
| 56 | ๐ฉ๐ช Lufthansa | 1 in 1,052 | 0.10% | โฒ 12 | 4.40 | 8 | 3,869 |
| 57 | ๐ง๐ท LATAM Brazil | 1 in 1,165 | 0.09% | โฒ 4 | 4.46 | 4 | 1,939 |
| 58 | ๐ง๐ท GOL Airlines | 1 in 1,251 | 0.08% | โผ 3 | 4.49 | 3 | 1,449 |
| 59 | ๐ซ๐ฎ Finnair | 1 in 1,251 | 0.08% | โฒ 4 | 4.49 | 2 | 970 |
| 60 | ๐จ๐ฑ LATAM Chile | 1 in 1,307 | 0.08% | โฒ 14 | 4.52 | 3 | 1,446 |
| 61 | ๐ฒ๐พ Air Asia | 1 in 1,346 | 0.07% | = | 4.53 | 4 | 1,929 |
| 62 | ๐ฌ๐ท Aegean Airlines | 1 in 1,554 | 0.06% | โฒ 19 | 4.59 | 1 | 484 |
| 63 | ๐ณ๐ฟ Air New Zealand | 1 in 1,944 | 0.05% | โฒ 2 | 4.67 | 1 | 482 |
| 64 | ๐ฆ๐ช flydubai | 1 in 1,964 | 0.05% | โฒ 17 | 4.68 | 1 | 485 |
| 65 | ๐ง๐ท Azul | 1 in 2,056 | 0.05% | โฒ 4 | 4.69 | 3 | 1,457 |
| 66 | ๐ต๐ญ Philippine Airlines | 1 in 2,128 | 0.05% | โฒ 14 | 4.70 | 1 | 484 |
| 67 | ๐ณ๐ด Norwegian | 1 in 2,356 | 0.04% | โฒ 13 | 4.73 | 1 | 482 |
| 68 | ๐น๐ผ EVA Air | 1 in 2,392 | 0.04% | โฒ 7 | 4.74 | 1 | 482 |
| 69 | ๐ฆ๐น Austrian Airlines | 1 in 2,693 | 0.04% | โฒ 8 | 4.76 | 1 | 485 |
| 70 | ๐ฌ๐ง Jet2 | 1 in 2,705 | 0.04% | โฒ 9 | 4.77 | 1 | 483 |
| 71 | ๐ป๐ณ Vietnam Airlines | 1 in 2,721 | 0.04% | โฒ 10 | 4.77 | 1 | 486 |
| 72 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Lion Air | 1 in 3,642 | 0.03% | โฒ 11 | 4.83 | 1 | 485 |
| 73 | ๐ฆ๐บ Qantas | 1 in 4,018 | 0.02% | โฒ 12 | 4.84 | 1 | 486 |
| 74 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Garuda Indonesia | 1 in 4,528 | 0.02% | โฒ 13 | 4.86 | 1 | 485 |
| 75 | ๐ฐ๐ท Korean Air | 1 in 5,529 | 0.02% | โฒ 14 | 4.89 | 1 | 481 |
| += | Median | 1 in 524 | 0.19% | ||||
These airlines receive the dubious honor of losing the most luggage:
|
๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ IndiGo |
||
|
๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ณ Air India |
๐ฅ ๐ช๐ธ Iberia |
These airlines receive the award of losing the least luggage:
|
๐ ๐ฐ๐ท Korean Air |
||
|
๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฉ Garuda Indonesia |
๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐บ Qantas |
| # | Airport | City |
Probability of losing your luggage |
Change (last 7d) |
Luggage score (out of 5) |
Complaints (last 30 days) |
Lost bags (last 30 days est.) |
|
| 1 | ๐ฎ๐ณ Shivaji | Mumbai | 1 in 37 | 2.69% | โฒ 1 | 0.25 | 23 | 106,192 |
| 2 | ๐ฎ๐ณ Gandhi | Delhi | 1 in 40 | 2.53% | โฒ 2 | 0.25 | 29 | 133,882 |
| 3 | ๐ฌ๐ง Heathrow | London | 1 in 101 | 0.99% | โฒ 3 | 0.25 | 14 | 64,622 |
| 4 | ๐ถ๐ฆ Hamad | Doha | 1 in 135 | 0.74% | โฒ 4 | 0.31 | 5 | 23,084 |
| 5 | ๐ฌ๐ง Stansted | London | 1 in 147 | 0.68% | โฒ 5 | 0.68 | 2 | 9,233 |
| 6 | ๐บ๐ธ Orlando | Orlando, FL | 1 in 201 | 0.50% | โฒ 6 | 1.85 | 4 | 18,463 |
| 7 | ๐ฒ๐ฝ Juรกrez | Mexico City | 1 in 202 | 0.49% | โฒ 7 | 1.87 | 4 | 18,467 |
| 8 | ๐บ๐ธ McCarran | Las Vegas | 1 in 293 | 0.34% | โฒ 8 | 2.84 | 3 | 13,852 |
| 9 | ๐ญ๐บ Budapest | Budapest | 1 in 293 | 0.34% | โฒ 9 | 2.84 | 1 | 4,617 |
| 10 | ๐ณ๐ฑ Schiphol | Amsterdam | 1 in 310 | 0.32% | โฒ 10 | 2.96 | 4 | 18,465 |
| 11 | ๐ซ๐ท Charles de Gaulle | Paris | 1 in 314 | 0.32% | โฒ 11 | 2.98 | 4 | 18,466 |
| 12 | ๐ธ๐ฌ Changi | Singapore | 1 in 375 | 0.27% | โฒ 12 | 3.31 | 3 | 13,849 |
| 13 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Ngurah Rai | Bali | 1 in 416 | 0.24% | โฒ 13 | 3.48 | 1 | 4,616 |
| 14 | ๐บ๐ธ SFO | San Francisco | 1 in 505 | 0.20% | โฒ 14 | 3.75 | 2 | 9,233 |
| 15 | ๐บ๐ธ LAX | Los Angeles | 1 in 510 | 0.20% | โฒ 15 | 3.76 | 3 | 13,847 |
| 16 | ๐ฒ๐พ KLIA | Kuala Lumpur | 1 in 530 | 0.19% | โฒ 16 | 3.80 | 2 | 9,234 |
| 17 | ๐ฉ๐ช Frankfurt | Frankfurt | 1 in 583 | 0.17% | โฒ 17 | 3.91 | 2 | 9,235 |
| 18 | ๐บ๐ธ Dallas/Fort Worth | Dallas | 1 in 607 | 0.16% | โฒ 18 | 3.96 | 2 | 9,233 |
| 19 | ๐บ๐ธ O'Hare | Chicago | 1 in 722 | 0.14% | โฒ 19 | 4.12 | 2 | 9,233 |
| 20 | ๐ต๐ญ Aquino | Manila | 1 in 760 | 0.13% | โฒ 20 | 4.17 | 1 | 4,616 |
| 21 | ๐บ๐ธ Liberty | Newark, NJ | 1 in 785 | 0.13% | โฒ 21 | 4.19 | 1 | 4,617 |
| 22 | ๐จ๐ฆ Pearson | Toronto | 1 in 851 | 0.12% | โฒ 22 | 4.26 | 1 | 4,616 |
| 23 | ๐บ๐ธ John F. Kennedy | New York City | 1 in 1,075 | 0.09% | โฒ 23 | 4.41 | 1 | 4,616 |
| 24 | ๐ญ๐ฐ Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 1 in 1,314 | 0.08% | โฒ 24 | 4.52 | 1 | 4,616 |
| 25 | ๐บ๐ธ HartsfieldโJackson | Atlanta | 1 in 1,879 | 0.05% | โฒ 25 | 4.66 | 1 | 4,616 |
| += | Median | 1 in 416 | 0.24% | |||||
| # | Region |
Probability of losing your luggage |
Luggage score (out of 5) |
Complaints (last 30 days) |
Lost bags (last 30 days est.) |
|
| 1 | Africa | 1 in 170 | 0.59% | 0.25 | 35 | 16,874 |
| 2 | Middle East | 1 in 332 | 0.30% | 2.14 | 149 | 71,915 |
| 3 | North America | 1 in 394 | 0.25% | 2.59 | 386 | 186,845 |
| 4 | Europe | 1 in 577 | 0.17% | 3.35 | 248 | 119,924 |
| 5 | Latin America | 1 in 774 | 0.13% | 3.77 | 57 | 27,597 |
| 6 | Asia | 1 in 799 | 0.13% | 3.81 | 434 | 209,438 |
| 7 | Oceania | 1 in 2,620 | 0.04% | 4.64 | 2 | 968 |
| # | Country |
Probability of losing your luggage |
Luggage score (out of 5) |
Complaints (last 30 days) |
Lost bags (last 30 days est.) |
|
| 1 | ๐ฎ๐ณ India | 1 in 34 | 2.90% | 0.25 | 392 | 189,146 |
| 2 | ๐ฑ๐ฐ Sri Lanka | 1 in 116 | 0.86% | 0.25 | 6 | 2,902 |
| 3 | ๐ช๐น Ethiopia | 1 in 129 | 0.77% | 0.25 | 17 | 8,192 |
| 4 | ๐ง๐ญ Bahrain | 1 in 149 | 0.67% | 0.25 | 7 | 3,400 |
| 5 | ๐ฟ๐ฆ South Africa | 1 in 170 | 0.59% | 0.25 | 12 | 5,794 |
| 6 | ๐จ๐ด Colombia | 1 in 196 | 0.51% | 0.25 | 28 | 13,579 |
| 7 | ๐ฐ๐ช Kenya | 1 in 213 | 0.47% | 0.54 | 6 | 2,888 |
| 8 | ๐ช๐ธ Spain | 1 in 214 | 0.47% | 0.55 | 56 | 27,083 |
| 9 | ๐ถ๐ฆ Qatar | 1 in 232 | 0.43% | 0.91 | 30 | 14,555 |
| 10 | ๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | 1 in 236 | 0.42% | 0.98 | 93 | 44,796 |
| 11 | ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands | 1 in 247 | 0.41% | 1.15 | 15 | 7,284 |
| 12 | ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland | 1 in 254 | 0.39% | 1.26 | 40 | 19,274 |
| 13 | ๐ฌ๐ง United Kingdom | 1 in 303 | 0.33% | 1.86 | 69 | 33,375 |
| 14 | ๐จ๐ฆ Canada | 1 in 311 | 0.32% | 1.95 | 36 | 17,403 |
| 15 | ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico | 1 in 322 | 0.31% | 2.05 | 7 | 3,387 |
| 16 | ๐ซ๐ท France | 1 in 342 | 0.29% | 2.22 | 21 | 10,159 |
| 17 | ๐ฏ๐ด Jordan | 1 in 381 | 0.26% | 2.51 | 2 | 968 |
| 18 | ๐ฆ๐ท Argentina | 1 in 463 | 0.22% | 2.95 | 4 | 1,926 |
| 19 | ๐ฒ๐พ Malaysia | 1 in 483 | 0.21% | 3.03 | 13 | 6,258 |
| 20 | ๐บ๐ธ United States | 1 in 490 | 0.20% | 3.06 | 350 | 169,442 |
| 21 | ๐น๐ท Turkey | 1 in 505 | 0.20% | 3.12 | 21 | 10,171 |
| 22 | ๐ธ๐ฌ Singapore | 1 in 524 | 0.19% | 3.19 | 7 | 3,398 |
| 23 | ๐ต๐ฆ Panama | 1 in 579 | 0.17% | 3.36 | 5 | 2,414 |
| 24 | ๐ด๐ฒ Oman | 1 in 586 | 0.17% | 3.38 | 6 | 2,886 |
| 25 | ๐น๐ญ Thailand | 1 in 643 | 0.16% | 3.52 | 4 | 1,935 |
| 26 | ๐ธ๐ฆ Saudi Arabia | 1 in 655 | 0.15% | 3.55 | 9 | 4,341 |
| 27 | ๐ต๐ญ Philippines | 1 in 659 | 0.15% | 3.56 | 5 | 2,414 |
| 28 | ๐ฎ๐น Italy | 1 in 690 | 0.14% | 3.62 | 5 | 2,428 |
| 29 | ๐ฆ๐ฟ Azerbaijan | 1 in 799 | 0.13% | 3.81 | 1 | 481 |
| 30 | ๐ช๐ฌ Egypt | 1 in 857 | 0.12% | 3.89 | 2 | 968 |
| 31 | ๐ธ๐ช Sweden | 1 in 961 | 0.10% | 4.01 | 4 | 1,934 |
| 32 | ๐จ๐ญ Switzerland | 1 in 990 | 0.10% | 4.04 | 2 | 962 |
| 33 | ๐ต๐ฐ Pakistan | 1 in 1,045 | 0.10% | 4.09 | 1 | 485 |
| 34 | ๐ญ๐บ Hungary | 1 in 1,052 | 0.10% | 4.10 | 2 | 964 |
| 35 | ๐ฉ๐ช Germany | 1 in 1,052 | 0.10% | 4.10 | 8 | 3,869 |
| 36 | ๐ง๐ท Brazil | 1 in 1,251 | 0.08% | 4.24 | 10 | 4,845 |
| 37 | ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland | 1 in 1,251 | 0.08% | 4.24 | 2 | 970 |
| 38 | ๐จ๐ฑ Chile | 1 in 1,307 | 0.08% | 4.27 | 3 | 1,446 |
| 39 | ๐ฌ๐ท Greece | 1 in 1,554 | 0.06% | 4.39 | 1 | 484 |
| 40 | ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand | 1 in 1,944 | 0.05% | 4.51 | 1 | 482 |
| 41 | ๐ณ๐ด Norway | 1 in 2,356 | 0.04% | 4.60 | 1 | 482 |
| 42 | ๐น๐ผ Taiwan | 1 in 2,392 | 0.04% | 4.60 | 1 | 482 |
| 43 | ๐ฆ๐น Austria | 1 in 2,693 | 0.04% | 4.65 | 1 | 485 |
| 44 | ๐ป๐ณ Vietnam | 1 in 2,721 | 0.04% | 4.65 | 1 | 486 |
| 45 | ๐ฆ๐บ Australia | 1 in 4,018 | 0.02% | 4.76 | 1 | 486 |
| 46 | ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia | 1 in 4,037 | 0.02% | 4.76 | 2 | 970 |
| 47 | ๐ฐ๐ท South Korea | 1 in 5,529 | 0.02% | 4.83 | 1 | 481 |
Why make this? Vueling lost my gf's suitcase in June 2024 and it then went on a trip to random spots around the world without coming back to us while getting gaslit by useless Vueling staff! We called and DM'd customer support, even messaged the CEO on LinkedIn, all without resolve. In the end we got it back because American Airlines found it. Not even Vueling.
I then realized nobody collects data on how much luggage specific airlines are losing every day (and getting them back to their customers) to avoid the worst ones. This helps me (and hopefully you too) to book with airlines that put effort in to not lose luggage or get it back fast to their customers! And rewards great airlines for not losing our luggage.
How it works? My robot scrapers scour the internet 24/7 for people talking about their lost luggage and which airlines (and airports) they flew, in 100+ different languages. By cross referencing that with actual lost luggage data it estimates very closely how much luggage is constantly being lost. And yes, it takes into account airline size differences by flights and fleet size, and airport size differences by passengers. All major airlines and airports are tracked 24/7.
Next features? As I collect more data over the next few weeks, I can add charts and growth % to see which airlines grow or decrease in lost luggage. If you have more ideas, tweet me!
Limitations? Airlines don't publish live lost luggage data (probably for a reason). Using social media as a data source has limitations but seems to be a good proxy indicator when combined with historical lost luggage data. Probabilities and lost bags are live estimations.
Why do airlines lose luggage? Airports and airlines, especially in US and Europe, are trying to maximize the amount of flights they can operate (and money they can make) while minimzing the cost (giving you cheap flights!). Part of that is underpaying the people handling your luggage. Because they don't want to pay more, there's a shortage of people who want to do those jobs, and the quality of the people remaining to do those jobs is low. At the same time the load on airlines and airports has never been so high. That's why luggage handlers will cut corners and might wrongly tag you luggage, load it onto the wrong plane, or even damage it. Usually your luggage is delayed for a few days and will get back. But increasingly I hear getting back your luggage is getting very hard (like it was in my experience with Vueling). The staff to actually find your delayed luggage, get it to the right airport, and then deliver it to your home or hotel is usually also overworked and underpaid and thus dysfunctional.
Do airlines sell your lost luggage to strangers? Yes they do. Lost luggage that is unclaimed is auctioned off to strangers. But "unclaimed" is a subjective term here. If the airline does not have the staff to actually get your luggage back to you, they'll consider it as "unclaimed" after 21 days. Typically its held up to 60 days though but there's no legal requirement for airlines to hold your luggage over 21 days! That means your clothes, your electronics, your personal items you have emotional ties to, even your laptop, will be sold off to strangers and there's nothing you can do about it!
How to avoid losing my luggage? Book flights with airlines that don't lose luggage a lot (the green ones on this page). Avoid airlines that do (the red ones on this page).
Like this? Follow me on X @ @levelsio for more hacky side projects!
Press inquiries? Send me a message on X @ @levelsio. Yes you can use any data from this site as long as you mention it and link back!
My other projects Check out my other projects like Airline List, Nomads.com, Remote OK, Photo AI and Interior AI.