Take, for example, European airlines. "On average, out of 350 passengers on a Boeing 747 of German Lufthansa or Spanish Iberia, seven passengers lose their bags on one flight. Six suffer the same fate on flights provided by Luxair and Austrian Airlines. Five passengers lose their luggage on British Airways and Air France flights," calculated the Association of European Airlines.
Moreover, the loss rates are growing year by year. For example, one can compare statistics for the first quarter of 2006 and 2005. Here's the result. In January-March 2006, there were 15.2 lost baggage items per thousand travelers, while in the same period last year this figure was 14.7. And this is despite the fact that the association's study only took into account the traditional 25 airlines, since discount carriers refused to provide their data.
Airlines offer many excuses in their defense. They cite airport overcrowding and their huge areas. They also mention not always well-thought-out transit connections, when a company simply does not have time to move luggage from one plane to another. But organizations that protect passenger rights have a different opinion. They believe that airlines do not spend enough money and time to improve baggage service.
In fairness, it is worth noting that not everything is so bleak in this matter. Airlines spend about $2 billion annually to find lost luggage, then deliver it to the passenger or compensate them for material damage. 85% of lost suitcases are returned to their owners within two days. This is, of course, gratifying. But in reality, they are not always returned intact and undamaged. Naturally, it makes sense to seek compensation from the airline only if the loss is truly significant. Otherwise, for a meager compensation, you will only waste a lot of time.
Here is a real-life case: a colleague was flying from Frankfurt on a flight of a decent German airline and did not receive her suitcase at home. It arrived to her after 24 hours in the middle of the night with an unfriendly courier and without the cell phone charger that was in the pocket. The airline, though, promised to compensate for the loss. But for that, she needed to come to the company's office on a weekday, and during daytime hours, and complete all the paperwork. And you know how difficult it is to carve out an extra hour in a work schedule. Our colleague, excuse me, gave up on compensation. And how many more such passengers are there?