The U.S. airlines most likely to mishandle your bag
More than one million checked bags have been mishandled by U.S. airlines in the first six months of 2026, according to newly released government figures.
The latest Air Travel Consumer Report, issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in August, contains new data covering flight delays, cancellations, baggage, wheelchairs and scooters, oversales and consumer complaints.
Analysis of figures by travel company Global Work & Travel found that U.S. airlines reported mishandling 1,052,493 bags between January and June 2026, out of more than 213 million bags enplaned.
That equates to around 5,815 mishandled bags every day during the first half of the year.
However, the likelihood of encountering baggage issues varies significantly by airline.
American Airlines recorded the highest mishandling rate at 0.73 bags per 100 enplaned passengers. It also recorded the largest total number of mishandled bags, with 251,976 between January and June.
Envoy Air followed at 0.72 per 100 bags, while United Airlines recorded 0.66.
At the opposite end of the table, Allegiant Air had the lowest rate at just 0.12 bags per 100, followed by JetBlue at 0.31 and Southwest at 0.32.
There is some good news for travelers overall. Across the reporting airlines, the baggage mishandling rate has fallen from 0.52 per 100 bags in the first half of 2025 to 0.49 in 2026, while the total number of mishandled bags dropped from 1,152,475 to 1,052,493.
The latest monthly figures suggest the improvement has continued. In June alone, airlines handled more than 39.3 million checked bags and mishandled 194,063, compared with 221,543 during June 2025.
Take a Photo of Your Bag Before You Check It In: Jürgen Himmelmann, Co-founder and Chief Executive of Global Work & Travel, said, “Most travelers hand over their suitcase at check-in and don’t think about it again until they’re standing at the baggage carousel, but there are a few things worth doing before your bag disappears down the belt.”
Take a clear photo of your suitcase and another of what’s inside it. If your bag is delayed, damaged or goes missing, having recent photographs can make identifying it and explaining what you’ve lost much easier.
“I’d also avoid putting anything genuinely irreplaceable in checked luggage. Passports, medication, keys, electronics and anything you’d struggle to replace should stay with you in your carry-on where possible,” said Himmelmann.
One of the simplest things travelers can do is remove old airline baggage stickers and tags before every trip. You don’t want outdated routing information sitting alongside the label that’s supposed to get your suitcase to this week’s destination.
It’s also worth putting your contact details inside the suitcase rather than relying entirely on the external baggage tag. If the outside label is damaged or removed, airport or airline staff can still identify who the bag belongs to.
For anyone heading abroad for weeks or months rather than taking a short holiday, go one step further and pack enough essentials in your carry-on to get you through the first couple of days without your checked bag. A delayed suitcase is frustrating on a holiday, but it can become a much bigger problem when you’re arriving in a new country to work, study or start a longer trip.”
The figures also demonstrate why passengers should pay attention to the airline operating their journey rather than assuming baggage performance is broadly the same across the industry.
The DOT’s June data shows that American Airlines mishandled 52,460 bags in a single month, compared with 32,516 at United, 30,965 at Southwest and 24,119 at Delta.
Flight Disruption Is Another Risk Travelers Should Prepare For: The same government report reveals significant differences in airline cancellation performance.
Across reporting marketing carriers, 85,998 scheduled flight operations were canceled during the first six months of 2026, representing 2.23% of scheduled operations, compared with 1.57% during the equivalent period in 2025.
Jürgen added, “The lesson isn’t that travelers should choose an airline based on one statistic alone. Price, route, connections and schedule will usually matter far more.
“What the data does show is that things can go wrong even when you’ve planned the trip carefully. Knowing what you’d do if your suitcase didn’t arrive or your flight was canceled is just as important as planning what you’re going to do when you get there.”
Methodology: Global Work & Travel analyzed the August 2026 Air Travel Consumer Report published by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection.
The baggage ranking uses the report’s January to June 2026 Mishandled Baggage: Ranking of U.S. Reporting Operating Carriers (YTD) table. The DOT defines the measure as the number of bags mishandled per 100 bags enplaned.
The report covers baggage data collected by the Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
The Gayly online. 9/28/26 @ 6:55 p.m. CST.