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U.S. NEWSMonday 23 November 2015
Holiday Travel:
Don’t let the airlines lose your suitcase this Thanksgiving
SCOTT MAYEROWITZ Travelers wait in line to check in their luggage at Miami International Airport in Miami. Heading own checked luggage, first
AP Airlines Writer into winter, fliers should take extra precautions with their checked luggage, December and Janu- on the airline’s website in
NEW YORK (AP) — Head- ary are traditionally the worst months for lost bags. 2011 and then on its mobile
ing into winter, fliers should app in 2012. Bag tags are
take extra precautions with (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) scanned when the suitcase
their checked luggage — is dropped off, loaded onto
December and January but just delayed, accord- to baggage handling overhead bins. And, over- a plane, loaded onto a
are traditionally the worst ing to SITA. And it takes come after carriers spent all, fewer bags are being connecting flight and then
months for lost bags. about a day and a half millions of dollars to up- checked because of bag again before being placed
To avoid problems, arrive to reunite passengers with grade their systems. fees.“We continue to invest on the carousel at bag-
at the airport early enough their bags. Another 14 per- Tug drivers now get re- in technology and in pro- gage claim. Passengers
to let your bag get to the cent are damaged or have al-time updates of gate cesses so we understand can see all those scans.
plane, and print out a copy their contents reported sto- changes so they can where bags are at all times, American Airlines followed
of your itinerary from the len. And nearly 6 percent change their path and en- and we can manage the suit in August, allowing
airline’s website and stick of bags are lost or stolen sure that bags make their failure points,” says Bill passengers to see when a
it inside just in case all the completely. connection. Scanners al- Lentsch, senior vice presi- suitcase was loaded or un-
tags get ripped off. December and January low bags to be tracked dent for airport customer loaded from a plane. Right
In the U.S. during the first tend to be the worst months throughout the system, pre- service and cargo opera- now, it is only available on
nine months of this year, 3.3 because there are a lot of venting a suitcase bound tions at Delta Air Lines. the airline’s website but will
bags for every 1,000 pas- infrequent travelers check- for Chicago from being Airlines are also starting to eventually be part of the
sengers didn’t make it to ing multiple bags, and a loaded onto a plane to empower passengers — or mobile app.
their destination on time, few snowstorms can add to Detroit. Gate agents have at least keep them better Sitting on a plane ready for
according to the Bureau delays and suitcases that printers to help tag bags informed. takeoff and knowing that
of Transportation Statistics. miss connections. that are checked at the Delta was the first airline your suitcase isn’t in the
That’s not great if you are The overall improvements last minute because of full to allow fliers to track their hold below might be frus-
one of those people whose trating. But airlines say they
bag is delayed or lost. But would rather have passen-
consider this: during the gers know it then and talk
2007 peak in air travel, immediately to a baggage
airlines were mishandling representative, once on the
more than twice as many ground, instead of standing
suitcases — 7.2 bags per at the carousel waiting for
1,000 passengers. a suitcase that isn’t there. If
Globally, the baggage- your bag is late, you might
mishandling rate has fallen be able to get some bonus
61 percent from its peak in frequent flier miles or even
2007, according to SITA, an a voucher toward a future
aviation communications flight. Since 2010, Alaska
and technology provider. Airlines has promised that
That has saved the industry suitcases will be on the car-
$18 billion. ousel within 20 minutes of
The vast majority of bags the plane arriving at the
— 80 percent — aren’t lost gate. q
