Forgetting to pack an item of clothing on a trip is one thing, but losing your luggage on a flight can easily ruin a vacation.
Luckily, Stacker put out a list of the top 10 airlines that are most likely to lose or damage your luggage. A number of smaller, less known airlines were included in the rankings, but there are a handful of some of the most popular airlines in the U.S. that don't have a great track record of taking care of luggage.
The data from their rankings were based on the U.S. Department of Transportation's December 2021 Air Travel Consumer Report, which tracked the number of flight delays, mishandled bags, and consumer complaints from October.
American Airlines was ranked the No. 1 airline to most likely lose or damage your luggage, so be extra careful when packing and flying with them. Maybe keep any important items in your carry on. Out of 5,417,841 total bags handled, American lost or damaged 43,035 bags. They averaged 7.94 mishandled bags per every 1,000. American Airlines says they will deliver any lost luggage to any location, and customers can file a claim easily online.
Envoy Air, a regional airline out of Irving, Texas, is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines. So maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise they came in ranked No. 2 for mishandled luggage. Envoy Air lost or damaged 6,401 bags out of a total of 829,856 bags handled, averaging 7.71 mishandled bags per every 1,000.
Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines were ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, and their average number of mishandled bags were very close. Alaska Airlines mishandled an average of 6.07 bags per every 1,000, while Delta mishandled 5.95 bags.
Alaska Airlines lost or damaged 8,682 bags out of 1,430,197 total bags handled. Delta handles a much larger number of bags, dealing with a total of 5,705,942, therefore they lost or damaged a lot more -- 33,967 bags to be exact. Delta offers customers vouchers to be used on future flights as a refund, and asks them report the lost bag within 24 hours.
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Another regional airline, Mesa Airlines, came in at No. 5. Based out of Phoenix, they operate as American Eagle or United Express, depending on the location. Out of 619,525 total bags handled, they lost or damaged 3,676 bags, an average of 5.93 mishandled bags per every 1,000.
Republic Airways and Endeavor Air reported similar numbers, and were ranked No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. Republic Airways handled 874,948 bags, but lost or damaged 4,726 of them. Endeavor Air lost or damaged 4,860 bags out of 1,007,850 total bags handled, and makes customers report the missing luggage within 24 hours.
PSA Airlines is a small regional airline that operates out of Dayton International Airport. Despite handling just 1,130,847 bags, PSA lost or damaged 5,403 bags, with an average of 4.78 bags mishandled per 1,000. PSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, and follows their policies for lost or damaged luggage.
Coming in at No. 9 was Southwest Airlines. They handled 8,917,967 bags in total and only lost or damaged 41,245 of them, averaging 4.62 mishandled bags per 1,000. On their company website, Southwest Airlines says they will deliver your lost bag to any location if it's found. Otherwise, customers can file a claim to get a refund for the value of the items if the bag is never found.
SkyWest Airlines is a regional airline out of St. George, Utah, and travels to about 250 smaller cities throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. They were ranked No. 10 and only lost or damaged 11,191 out of a total of 2,481,721 bags handled, averaging 4.51 mishandled bags per every 1,000.
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