Few things are as frustrating to travelers who planned their trips well with the purchase of cheap airplane tickets and discount hotel rooms then to reach their destinations only to find that their checked bags did not arrive.
Worldwide over 1 percent of airline passengers who checked luggage prior to boarding planes in 2010 found that their bags did not show up at their arrival airports. This equaled an average of almost 12 in every 1,000 passengers experiencing mishandled bag problems.
This was an increase from 2009 when a little over 11 in every 1,000 passengers experienced mishandled luggage. Even though it was disappointing to see the mishandled bag rate increase in 2010, it is down significantly from the almost 19 passengers per thousand in 2007 because of sophisticated baggage tracking technology since introduced.
Part of the explanation for the increase in the mishandled rate last year was the rise in the number of airline passengers to 2.44 billion from 2.21 billion in 2009. Other contributing factors included the volcanic dust from Iceland in May 2010 and the heavy snowfall across the northern hemisphere in February and December which resulted in flight delays and baggage problems.
During those three months the mishandled rate periodically soared to 15 to 20 percent.
All but a very small fraction of the missing bags were delivered or retrieved by their owners within 48 hours. The remaining bags were either unclaimed or had been stolen.
The airlines have a major financial incentive to improve their baggage handling. While the worldwide airline industry profit for 2010 was $16 billion, compensation for lost and mishandled luggage as well as the cost of returning lost luggage to their owners cost airlines just under $3 billion. www.cheapfares.com