Have YOU lost checked luggage?

I always check my bag when travelling overseas although usually carry on when travelling in the U.S. It has been almost 12 years since I've had a bag delayed. I always carry on a change of clothes and essentials in case my bag is lost. My bag has been delayed four or five times. No discernable pattern for me. All were European carriers. Two of the flights were direct flights where I checked in with plenty of time. Two were connecting flights and connections were a reasonable length. In each case, the bag that was lost was a 22 inch black suitcase that converted to a backpack. They've never lost my red bag or my tan bag. By the way, I've has some delayed flights and extremely short connections (e.g. escorted by agent to gate) and in those cases my bag always showed up on-time, despite the fact that I thought they would not. 1) 2000 LHR - FCO - CAI, Alitalia, delivered next morning to hotel, Hairdryer stolen from bag. 2) 1999 GVA to ARN, SAS, delivered 5 days later to office 3) 1999, ARN to CDG, Air France, delivered next morning to hotel (My travelling companion who checked in at the same time had her bag arrive on-time. Her bag and mine were placed on the belt at the same time. Go figure) 4) 1997 IAD - FRA - ARN, Lufthansa, delivered next day to flat, (had two suitcases and a bike, one suitcase and bike arrived on time, one suitcase delayed.)

I rarely check a bag. The exception is for long trips to Asia (bringing gifts for family & friends). On trips to anywhere else, it's very rare for me to check a bag. That said, I did have my checked bag lost on a trip to Mexico (Seattle - Miami - Cozumel). It took 3 days before my bag was delivered to me at the Cozumel Airport. Fortunately I was in a place where all you really needed was a bathing suit, a t-shirt and flipflops - which I promptly went out and purchased. Glad I wasn't in Oslo in January. I have close friends who flew from Seattle to Hawaii a few years ago. The last time they ever saw their checked bag was as it disappeared down the conveyer belt after checking it. They spent a lot of time trying to track the bag across half the world. It was allegedly sent to Korea, for no apparent reason. The trail went cold in there in Seoul. I have a family member who is a flight attendant for an Asian airline (she flys to Seoul occasionally), and she actually went to the lost baggage desk in Seoul in person to try and find my friend's bag. They told her they never had it (don't know why they would have, it sounded crazy to me). They never got their bag back. Stuff happens. It doesn't happen very often, but it can happen to anyone. No guarantees. Something to keep in mind when packing.

Happens about 50% of the time going from the US to Europe if you have to change planes in the EU. What I found out the last time luggage didn't make it. Since 9/11 if luggage doesn't make it, it has to be scanned every stop. So 1 day for every stop it has to make. Last time to Seville, luggage got left in Seattle by mistake. Took 3 days to go it.
Had to be scanned in Seattle, Amsterdam, and Seville. Just going with carry-on from now on.

My checked bag got lost twice on a trip to Europe in 2007 and ever since then I do my damnedest to carry on a bag. The one time I had to check a bag, I did what Lee says and put all the necessities in my carry-on bag. A friend and I flew from Philadelphia to Manchester, England on US Airways (the Bermuda Triangle of international travel) and we had to run for the flight to Manchester because the plane to Philly was late. We made it but our bags didn't, and we didn't get them back for the whole 2-week trip until the night before we came home. We had to buy everything - clothes, toiletries, underwear and socks. Every day we called the airline and each person we spoke to gave us a different story: "The bags should arrive at your hotel the next day." They didn't. "You should have received your bags already. Your file is closed." Then, on the way home, the same thing happened. Our flight to Philadelphia from Manchester was late and we made our connecting flight to Chicago but our bags didn't. It took US Airways 5 days to get my bag back to me in St. Louis. We checked in early both times.

I think it is pretty random. Obviously connecting flights add an extra opportunity for the bag to be misplaced. We always check coming home because it is not that important if a bag is delayed. We have never had a bag delay on international flights, even with connections, return from Europe. Have not had a bag delayed on domestic flights for the past 15 years or so. Our only delayed bags were in the 80s when bags were sorted by hand and didn't make the connection. Delayed/lost bags are so rare these days that is very far down my lists of worries.

I am not so sure that the majority of posters here do "carry-on only." It may just be that the "checked-bag" group stays silent on this topic to avoid being lectured for their sins. LOL........Anyway, we always check our bags. None have ever been lost and nothing has ever been stolen........ The last time we had a "delayed" bag was on a domestic flight in 1976 - the airline delivered that bag to our house........We tend to check in early (type A personalities!) which seems to mean our bags are usually some of the last put on the carousel, but this only adds about five minutes......I don't understand the obsession some have with carting twenty pound carry-ons plus huge purses around airports to avoid checking, but I think everyone should handle their luggage issues in whatever way makes them comfortable.

We've twice had luggage not arrive when expected. We always check in early. Both incidents were quite a few years ago, and both involved long weather-related flight delays and missing connecting flights. The first time, our luggage was delivered to our hotel on the night we arrived in Vienna.. We flew PHL to CDG to Vienna. Judging from the various tags and stickers on our luggage, it took a quick tour of the middle east. The second incident was on our way home. The luggage was delivered to our home the day after we arrived home. Not a problem because all it contained was dirty laundry. Since we use public transit to and from PHL, it was kind of nice to have the luggage delivered to our home. As an aside, we tend to travel light and sometimes carry-on our bags. However, we try not to push the limits on this and we wish other travelers would also show some restraint. We've been in planes where carry-on suitcases, laptops, handbags, dutyfree shopping, etc., over-flow the available space and make long flights extra crowded. Sorry for the rant, but after watching a fellow passenger get clunked on the head with a wine bottle that rolled out of the overhead, I've become an advocate of checking excessive luggage.

Twenty years ago, on a flight from Frankfurt to CDG that was going on to Columbia, no one told the ground crew that there were bags on the plane that were just going to Paris. Had not one of the passengers spoken French and alerted the handlers, my bags would have gone to South America. I doubt that I would ever have seen them again. In this century, I had a flight to Frankfurt with a one hour change in Detroit. It was snowing in Denver and they took an extra hour to de-ice the plane, so we arrived in Detroit at just about the time the Frankfurt flight was to leave. Since there were 13 Germany bound passengers, they met us at the gate and took us by van around to the international terminal where we caught our flight. My carry-on bag was securely on my lap and arrived with me in Frankfurt, but I wonder when the four businessmen going to Stuttgart ever saw their checked bags. That, Cynthia is why I carry my 12 lb carry-on through airports, because lost and delayed luggage can and does happen.

Once. 5 years ago when headed from Boston to LAX. I checked in early, checked 1 bag and by time I got through to the gate, the weather had turned & flights started getting grounded as a major blizzard started to come in. In an effort to get people out ahead of the storm, I was out on a different plane than the one I was originally booked on. Because storm affected about 3/4ths of US flights were cancelled for a few days. I was in LA but had my carry-on with 2 changes of clothes & all my most important items. The hotel I was at had coin-op laundry so I was able to wash my clothes & got by no problem for the 5 days it took to get my checked bag delivered to my hotel. I'd say that a major blizzard was extenuating circumstances so don't blame the airline as they did get me to my destination on time. Other than that 1 time, never on an international flight has my bag been lost or delayed.

Bob, In my case, the answer is "NO", not so far. I'm not sure it would be correct to say that "the majority of RS posters carry on only". I'm one who always checks at least one bag (my main Backpack). While it's theoretically "carry on size", this is never the case once it's packed. I use the same method as others have mentioned here. I carry some "essentials" in my carry-on Pack, such as underwear, socks, toothbrush, Razor, etc. Washing items in the Hotel room sink, I could probably last for several days if my main Pack was "misplaced". Cheers!

What I tell people is this. Put everything you absolutely need, up to the weight limit, in a carry-on. Then put what you can live without in another bag to "check". Assume the checked bag will be lost or significantly delayed. Since it's stuff you can live without for days, just leave it at home. While I have never had a bag completely lost, I have had them delayed. However, think about this, there is a store down south somewhere, where airlines send lost and unidentified bags. They sell the stuff from the bags to offset the compensation they have to pay for losing the bags in the first place. It's a big store.

Spirit Airlines a few years ago... landed in Cayman Islands in winter clothes from Detroit and had no clothes, makeup, or anything for 5 of my 7 day trip. Changed planes in Ft. Lauderdale. So, I had to buy makeup at the grocery store, borrow whatever clothes I could and buy the rest at the gift shop at the Marriott...very expensive. Every day had to go to the airport to see if my stuff arrived and no one every knew anything! Finally it arrived... so I now check only if I have to or on the way home. They did finally give me back $400 but that took 6 months and lots of nagging. Also... skiing in Colorado and no bags or skis for 3 days. They did deliver as the drive back to the airport was over an hour. Can't remember which airline. (can't carry on skis, so after that I just rented, and only took my boots) If you carry on you can also be flexible to take a bump either on another flight or to another airport (which I have done)
On the way home I do usually check and carry on any gifts.

Lee, it is Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama I've never been there, but I've heard it can be a rewarding experience.

Most of our flights are now on EasyJet, so they are just one hop with no connections, and our main bags are always checked. We have never lost a bag through problems with the airline or the baggage handlers. Sometimes, we have had to wait at baggage reclaim. Personally, I prefer to be without heavy bags while waiting in the departure lounge, and have no wish to carry them up the stairs into the plane. I am interested in the replies to this posting, as "carry on only" seems to be a popular policy.

I always check a bag on a longer trip. I have never had my bag lost or delayed, nor have a had anything stolen from my luggage. On my most recent trip, leaving out of Heathrow headed home on Virgin Atlantic, I discovered that my bag handle would no longer retract. They put my bag with the "fragile" baggage. I feared that it would be damaged enroute, but it was just fine, sitting with the golf clubs and other larger luggage, when I arrived at baggage claim in Chicago.

I generally check my luggage when it won't cost extra. So for most of the flights I've taken. Luggage was only lost once, from Sacramento CA to Rapid City SD, and then only for one day before I got it back. I think a lot of the fears about losing luggage are overrated. But then again, I LIKE checking luggage when I don't have to pay for it - I hate lugging crap around if I don't have to, I don't mind the extra 10 minutes at baggage claim.

On a American Airlines trip from Denver to Newcastle, England, in 1995 I had a bag go missing for 5 days. Tags on the bag, when it arrived, showed it got to LHR, then went to Dallas, Amsterdam, LHR and finally to Newcastle. I was visiting my daughter for 10 days, and we had plans to go to Scotland, so instead we sat in not-so-scenic Newcastle for 5 days waiting for my luggage. Since then, my husband and I generally carry-on our bags to Europe but usually check them on the way home (because we often bring olive oil or ouzo or whatever). In 2003 and 2005 (with UA/Lufthansa), our bags were not on the plane when returning to Denver but were delivered safely to our house two days later. All of these involved connecting flights.

I always check at least one bag (I used to check 2 on the way home depending on how much I bought or how little I wanted to fold everything the same way as I did going over). I've had luggage delayed twice. Once coming back from Copenhagen (2000) and once going to Madrid (2009). Both flights on Air Canada connecting through Toronto. I received the luggage by the next day. For the flight from Copenhagen, there was bad weather in Toronto so I missed my connecting flight, which I think was part of the problem. The delayed luggage to Madrid may have been impacted by the length of my layover in Toronto. So, my feeling is that the problem was at the connecting point, not the point of origin.

Well if the stats really are that checked bags to Europe are lost 50% of the time, someone is really suffering to pick up my share. I've checked a bag for every trip and have made 10 plus trips in the last 12 years and not lost a bag. I'm knocking on wood. Pam

I always check my bags. In the mid 1990s, my wife's bag went astray between DC and Paris (I forget which airline). It finally showed up at the hotel about 36 hours later, but we had made lemonade out of lemons and used the (tiny) allowance we were given for lost clothes to shop in Paris. We actually enjoyed shopping using our high school French as much as we enjoyed the usual sites of France. I've never lost my own bag, but I did have mine looted on a flight in Russia. Cigarettes, an alarm clock and some personal items were stolen right out of the bag. Never got anything back for those, but I have a cool crime report in Russian as a souvenir.

My husband, MIL, me and my daughter. Seattle to LHR connecting to CDG. I knew the connecting time wasn't enuf. To make matters worse our hotel had had water problems and sent us to another of their locations. Trouble was the staff at hotel #1 did not tell the next shift where they had sent us. So if, and I'm sure they did, BA had tried to bring our luggage they weren't able to find us. Three days....no luggage. My daughter took it very personally. At least we didn't have to think about what we were going to wear each day. My husband, who would rather run errands that sight see, even went to CDG with information on how to find us.
We always check in in plenty of time. BTW. Tim Hotels was the willing accomplice.

Back in the days when I checked bags I came close to losing a bag flying USAir across the USA. My bag never showed and I was told to come back to the airport later as my bags were on the next flight. I arrived before the next flight arrived only to see my bag sitting there. It had been on my plane, except the ground crew neglected to unload all the bags when they were supposed to. I did, however, save an entire planeload of bags being sent halfway around the world. In the late 1980's, I took a charter flight on a major airline from LAX to Guaymas, Mexico (GYM). As I was standing in line waiting to check in, a baggage handler came down the line tagging all the bags. Except the tag he was using was GUM which is the code for Guam. I told him of the mistake and he said they were the same place (they weren't.) When I reached the desk, I told the airline agent of the problem, her eyes widened and she quickly got on the phone as most of the bags had already gone down the conveyer belt. Fortunately all the improperly tagged bags were found and all made it to Guaymas. I haven't checked a bag in over a decade.

Many flights, check on the way home nearly always, very rarely on the way there, never a delayed bag. The one luggage related incident I did have was FRA to DTW to MSP to CID. Delay getting into Detroit, missed connection, switched to another flight, some reason moved to another flight, then flight cancelled due to mechanical, had to stay in DTW that night at their expense. Had we been able to get to MSP though, we would have had a cancellation due to weather, and had to stay there at our expense. Finally arrived at CID the next day, went to pick up our checked bags... they did not arrive. Went to the airline counter, they already had them, they had arrived the night before on my original flight. So the airline delayed or lost me, but not my luggage, not sure how that fits your survey.

Never lost. Never delayed in Europe or going over to Europe. Many delays in the US or the US leg of a flight home from Europe, but they have always been delivered 24-48 hours later. If you really want the boring details, send me a pm.
And never a problem with Southwest.

I travel a lot for business and some for pleasure and I stopped checking bags years ago. If you travel enough, trust me, you will lose at baggage roulette and have your bags delayed. (Having a bag go permanently missing is much rarer, but can happen.) Maybe having to spend your first couple days on vacation hassling with the airline and buying new clothes and toiletries is just one of those 'some day we'll laugh about this' stories, but it's completely devastating on a short business trip. My favorite lost baggage story happened not to me but to some colleagues. We were all on the same flight to a conference on the East Coast that began with a formal reception that we were co-hosting. Somehow the Seattle-based bags didn't make the Chicaco transfer and my colleagues ended up having to go the the reception wearing the sweatpants and tshirts they were wearing on the plane. Me, I had gone with a carry-on only and wore a lovely sequined top over a velvet long skirt...Lots of bemused looks by the other attendees at my colleagues' "West Coast casual" dress.

For all checked bags. Put your name, phone number, and email address on a piece of paper inside the suitcase on the very top of your stuff. If all the tags get ripped off the outside, you will still eventually get your things back.

Once, on a flight from Costa Rica back to LA. Had to change planes in Dallas and had to claim my checked bag and go through a very long customs process, almost missing my connecting flight through to LA. When I finally (at the 11th hour) handed my bag off to an agent to presumably put it on my connecting flight I just had a funny feeling and wondered if I'd ever see the bag again. Well, I did but not for a long time. It didn't make it to LA. It was eventually delivered to my home in LA after a bit of a wait.

Yes, I have lost checked luggage once in 1981 on the way to a two day interview. I had to wear the same clothes three days in a row. I got the job. That was the last time I checked luggage except when we fly from Glasgow and back. The planes are so small everything larger than a handbag/shoulder bag has to be checked. We have never lost one there.

2007-2008 was an odd travel year for us. We had FOUR instances of mis-handled luggage in a 12-18 month period. It's not as though we fly somewhere every month - we travelled four times in that period, and on each trip something along the way got screwed up. Two of these were on domestic flights and two were international. Didn't check in particularly early or late on any of these. In every occasion, our luggage was found and returned to us (though in two instances 3 days later), and one instance wasn't the fault of the airlines - another passenger picked up our bag instead of his and took it home. On the other occasions, it was the airlines fault, and somewhere between it getting mis-directed and returned to us, things were stolen out of the bag. Decades ago I had a brand new custom made backpack get trashed by the airline handlers. Beat up the internal frame and ripped the waist buckle clean off. I avoid checking luggage whenever possible, but sometimes avoidance is not possible, especially when travelling on regional carriers with limited carryon allowance.

While I have never (yet) had a bag get lost, I've heard several first-hand stories, none of which had connecting flights. In all of them, the bag was eventually returned to the owner. In one instance, the bag was simply never offloaded and was returned to its owner weeks later - after he made a lot of noise they finally searched the hold and found it! And there was one time that a bag was inadvertantly taken by another passenger (and restored to the owner a couple of days later) - a good reason to have some distinctive mark on your checked bags. I have had bags delayed: 1. Not loaded on my flight from Tel Aviv to JFK, caught up with me before my connection the next morning. 1992 2. Not properly sorted in Heathrow, delivered to my hotel within 6 hours. 1988?
3. Missed my connection in Heathrow to SFO. Most of the passengers on the flight had connected to it, only one other passenger had a bag missing. They were on the next flight out, some 28 hours later. Because I didn't want to be bogged down for the connection, all I carried on the plane were things I wanted for the flights, my notepad and my binoculars. At least, since I was staying with a friend, it was easy to stop at Target to get toiletries and I could borrow a nightie and pop my clothes in the dryer after washing them out by hand. A few years ago, my travel agent told me to avoid flying through Heathrow because they had a notorious reputation for baggage "misdirection."

Years ago - returning to the States from London, decided to spend a long weekend in Chicago on the way back. No bag showed up. British Airways agent was too helpful - "Did you check the baggage carousel?" Anyway, 3 days later, just as I was getting ready to leave Chicago, checked one last time at the front desk. My bag had just been delivered along with a note saying, "You forgot to pick up your luggage." Priceless!

I went to Europe for the first time in 1987. Took a flight from San Diego to LAX. Then to NYC. Then to Shannon Ireland. My luggage never made it to LAX!!!. For some reason it was sent to San Antonio??? I spend the entire two weeks in Europe with what I had in my carryon bag. Needless to say I had to pick up a few shirts, underwear etc. I never got the bag back until one month later I received a phone call on a Sunday morning from Dublin saying they had my bag. Now I didn't even fly into Dublin, but anyway I got it back two days later, everything still nicely packed. Fast forward to this last spring when I went to Europe again with carryon only (or so I thought) Return trip was partially on Air France which had different carry on requirements. Had to check both our roller bags. Positive I would never see them again. But there they were in SLC when we got there. We kept them with us for our last leg of our flight home (didn't want to temp fate too much)

Only once have I had the airlines "lose" my checked bag. In 1999 on a trip to Italy we had to change planes in Amsterdam. We went to Rome, my bag went to Athens - go figure. I spent the first two days in Rome with what I had in my carry-on, then my bag was delivered to my hotel. Not too bad, could have been worse.

Bag Tags are MUCH improved. You'll see your entire flight itinerary on computerized tags for the most part now. Last time I flew Delta there were 3 different stickers on my checked bag identifying it, including the computerized destination tag. At BOS, I saw an airline worked with a handheld gun scanning every bag as it came down the ramp to the carousel. That said, I've only had bags delayed or sent ahead when I didn't make a connection. Knowing I've been lucky, I always have a carryon with a complete change of clothes including sleeping needs and toiletries with me.
The lost luggage store is in Alabama- http://unclaimedbaggage.com/p/store/about_store

I've had bags delayed numerous times. The worst was flying (with 5 people) from San Francisco to New York in 1999 for a family reunion with 3 formal to semi-formal dinners. The agent at the check-in counter grabbed a luggage tag from the agent next to her and our bag of shoes (10 pairs) and baseball mitts for the traditional ball game went missing. We got the agent to give us the info that was on the misplaced tag. We knew before leaving SF that our bag went to Paris, but we couldn't get anyone in NY to believe us and follow up looking for it there. We got it back 16 days later, after we had returned home. Since that time, I have always made sure to read the luggage tag before I allow the bag to be put on the conveyer belt. I've also had bags delayed 24-48 hours numerous times. I try to carry on if possible. If not, I will ALWAYS take at least a full change of clothes in a day bag, and add that back into my regular bag upon arrival. I figure I can always rinse nightly if needed.

I have never LOST luggage but I have experienced DELAYED luggage frequently. That has never happened on a direct flight but on those with connections to Europe my rate of getting delayed luggage stands at about 25%, i.e. one out of 4 trips did not ship my luggage properly. Which is why I do direct trips as much as possible on the way TO Europe, connecting flights more often on the way home. Usually I got it delivered to my doorstep within 2 days. But Dec. 2009 it took 10 days to catch up with us while we were travelling through Germany .... Seems that poor winter weather conditions which might shut down an airport temporarily increase your risk immensely! My husband went on a business trip to Paris 2 weeks after that fateful 2009/2010 trip and also got his luggage delayed, though fortunately on his way home. btw most of the delayed luggage issues happened in the 1990s for me. However, that is also due to the fact that in the 2000s I travelled mostly with young kids and made sure I got direct flights and no connections. Once the kids grew up and we started risking connecting flights again (cheaper tickets) luggage started getting delayed again ...

I once ended up being one of the last people to get off a plane at Heathrow and by the time I got to the carousel another passenger had taken my case and left his own very similar one. Fortunately he noticed and came back just as I was filling in the lost baggage forms. In 2007 I was on a business trip to Seville. I flew direct from London and had no problems, but a number of colleagues flew from other cities in the UK changing in London and almost all of them had their luggage delayed for at least a day. Obviously big problems with the Gatwick baggage handling that day.

Coming home from 8 months in France, I had two big overweight checked bags and a carry-on. I bought a bottle of wine for hubby at the duty free and took off for NY with a delay. Arrive in NY, had to change terminals but TSA let me keep the bottle if I checked the carry on, so I did. Again a delay and arrival in Indianapolis with no bags, not even the carry on. Hubby stopped the car at CVS on the way home so I could buy a toothbrush. The three bags were delivered to the door the next day.