Worst airports and airlines for lost or damaged luggage – Forbes Advisor

With the summer travel season in full swing, baggage mishandling is a top concern for many summer vacationers.

According to a recent Forbes Advisor survey, more than half (60%) of American adults planning a vacation in the next six months are concerned about airlines losing their luggage. In the past, some airports were more likely to lose or damage their baggage during the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inspection process, and it was unlikely that travelers would be fully compensated for lost or damaged items. rice field.

To determine which airports are most likely to experience lost or damaged luggage, Forbes Advisors used data from the TSA to find the 100 busiest airports in the country based on four key metrics. Compare airports.

We also analyzed US Department of Transportation data to identify which airlines are most likely to mishandle their bags.

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important point

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) tops the list of airports with the most lost and damaged luggage, followed by Miami International Airport (MIA) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
• New York has three of the 15 worst airports for lost or damaged luggage: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Albany International Airport (ALB), and Westchester County Airport (HPN).
• American Airlines tops the list of airlines with the most mishandled baggage, and Hawaiian Airlines reported the lowest rate of mishandled baggage.
• Between 2013 and 2022, none of the 100 busiest airports covered more than 48% of lost or damaged baggage claims.

Top 10 airports with the most lost and damaged luggage

1. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – New York

John F. Kennedy International Airport scores: 100 points out of 100

• From 2013 to 2022, both property damage claims (1.93 per 100,000 domestic passengers) and property damage claims (1.48 per 100,000 domestic passengers) were the most common, with JFK Airport It tops the list of worst airports for damaged baggage.

2. Miami International Airport (MIA) – Miami

Miami International Airport score: 89.88 points out of 100

• Between 2013 and 2022, Miami International Airport ranked among the 100 busiest airports for property damage claims (1.48 per 100,000 domestic passengers) and property damage claims (domestic 1.06 cases per 100,000 passengers).

3. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – Los Angeles

Los Angeles International Airport score: 87.12/100

• Los Angeles International Airport had the seventh highest number of property damage claims from 2013 to 2022 (0.81 per 100,000 domestic passengers).
• LAX is also tied with Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport for the 11th highest number of property damage claims (0.70 per 100,000 domestic passengers) among the 100 busiest airports. lining up.

4. Norfolk International Airport (ORF) – Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk International Airport scores: 80.37 points out of 100

• Between 2013 and 2022, only 22.92% of property damage claims incurred during the ORF’s TSA review process were fully reimbursed, making it the 10th lowest amount.
• Norfolk International Airport had the 13th highest number of property damage claims over the past decade (0.70 per 100,000 domestic passengers).

5. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) – Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport scores: 80.06/100

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport had the ninth highest number of property damage claims over the past decade (0.77 per 100,000 domestic passengers).
• FLL was also tied with Los Angeles International Airport for the 11th highest number of property damage claims among the 100 busiest airports (0.70 per 100,000 domestic passengers).

6. Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) – Boston

Boston Logan International Airport scores: 79.29 points out of 100

• Boston Logan International Airport is tied with Southwest Florida International Airport for the ninth-highest number of property damage claims from 2013 to 2022 (0.71 per 100,000 domestic passengers).

7. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) – Las Vegas

Harry Reed International Airport scores: 78.99 points out of 100

• Between 2013 and 2022, only 15.88% of property loss claims incurred during the TSA inspection process at Harry Reed International Airport were fully reimbursed, the 14th lowest percentage.
• LAS also ranked 15th worst in terms of property damage claims (only 24.37% of property damage claims were fully reimbursed).

8. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) – Newark

Newark Liberty International Airport scores: 78.07/100

• Between 2013 and 2022, Newark Liberty International Airport had the fourth-highest number of property damage claims among the 100 busiest airports (1.05 per 100,000 domestic passengers).
• EWR also ranked fifth with Albany International Airport in the number of property damage claims (0.77 per 100,000 domestic passengers) over the past decade.

9. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) – Honolulu

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport scores: 76.84 points out of 100

• Between 2013 and 2022, Honolulu Airport had the 8th highest number of property damage claims among the 100 busiest airports (0.79 per 100,000 domestic passengers).

10. Dulles International Airport (IAD) – Washington DC

Dulles International Airport score: 76.23 points out of 100

• Over the past decade, Dulles International Airport had the fourth-highest number of property damage claims among the 100 busiest airports (0.81 per 100,000 domestic passengers).
• IAD also had the fifth-highest number of property damage claims among the airports covered (0.97 per 100,000 domestic passengers).

Top 3 airlines with the worst baggage handling

American Airlines tops the list of the worst airlines for mishandling baggage, with an average of 5.34 mishandled bags per 1,000 suitcases. SkyWest Airlines and United Airlines rounded out the top three airlines with poor baggage handling.

Baggage Accident Compensation

U.S. Department of Transportation regulations stipulate that airlines must compensate if baggage is lost, delayed, or damaged in transit. Refunds are capped, but higher amounts may be paid if the airline chooses. For domestic travel, the maximum amount the airline must pay for lost, delayed or damaged baggage is $3,800 per person. For international travel, it’s about $1,700 per person.

No one wants to spend the first day of their vacation in what they wore on the plane. For example, if you arrive at a beach resort for a walk on the beach and are waiting for your luggage in sweatpants, delayed baggage insurance can help.

Baggage Delay Insurance covers essential items such as clothes and toiletries purchased while waiting for your luggage, up to your insurance limit. The best travel insurance packages package baggage insurance with coverage for medical expenses, travel delays, travel interruptions, and more.

Please note that Baggage Delay Compensation will not be applied until after the specified time stated in the policy. Better travel insurance has a shorter wait time of 3-6 hours before benefits start.

If your Baggage is lost or damaged, Baggage Insurance will cover the depreciated value of your Goods up to the limits of your policy. The most generous travel insurance will cover $2,500 or $3,000 for lost luggage, but this is usually secondary to other insurance claims. This means that you must first file a home insurance claim or ask the airline for coverage.

methodology

airport ranking methodology

To determine which airports are most likely to experience lost or damaged luggage, Forbes Advisors compared the 100 busiest airports in the country on four metrics:

• Number of property damage claims per 100,000 domestic passengers: 30% of score.
• Property damage claims per 100,000 domestic passengers: 30% of the score.
• Full reimbursement rate for property damage claims: 20% of the score.
• Percentage of fully reimbursed property loss claims: 20% of the score.

Data for all indicators comes from the TSA. All data reflects claims filed for property loss or damage incurred during the TSA inspection process at each airport. For each scoring factor, we used the total number of claims filed with the TSA between 2013 and 2022.

To find the top 100 busiest airports, we consulted the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ 2022 Passenger Rankings, which ranks airports based on total domestic passenger traffic in 2022.

Airline Ranking Methodology

To determine which airlines are most likely to mishandle baggage, Forbes Advisors conducted a survey of the eight largest domestic airlines for which available data is available in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report. I analyzed the data. We calculated the average number of mishandled bags per 1,000 carry-on bags over the 10-year period from 2013 to 2022.

Mishandled Baggage includes Checked Baggage that has been declared lost, damaged, delayed or stolen by the Passenger.