Your bags don’t materialize during the first go-round of the baggage carousel.
No big deal.
Two rounds, and you get a little bit nervous.
Three rounds, and you panic–especially if all your underwear is in that bag.
Your flight arrives on time but your baggage doesn’t. It’s a chance you take when flying, and it may get worse this summer when air travel could reach record highs. About 207 million Americans are expected to take to the skies between Memorial Day and Labor Day, up from 204 million last summer and 158 million a decade ago, according to the Air Transport Association.
More travelers means more bags–and potentially more delayed luggage.
“The risk increases for passengers who are connecting,” said Chicago Aviation Commissioner Nuria Fernandez. “Delayed baggage is a fact of very busy air travel.”
And it will be busy this summer for local travelers who might be eager to fly, instead of drive, because of rising gas prices, she said.
O’Hare is bracing for about 76 million travelers this summer, a 3 percent bump from the same period last year, Fernandez said. At Midway, 17.8 million travelers are expected, a 15 percent increase from last summer. During the busy May-to-August season last year, about 1.35 million bags were reported mishandled–or lost, damaged, delayed or stolen–by passengers on domestic flights, according to monthly statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
But airline executives say they’re ready for the summer rush. Though they empathize with travelers inconvenienced by late luggage, they say it doesn’t happen as often as people think.
The 1.35 million mishandled bags reported last summer represented only about 6 percent of passengers, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation statistics.
“In the scope of things, delayed bags are a very small percentage, about 5 percent for Southwest,” said Mitchell Pintur, manager of Southwest’s Central Baggage Services department. “Lost luggage is an even smaller percentage of that figure. But we understand that when your bags are delayed or are missing, it is obviously emphasized.”
That’s an understatement, according to 36-year-old Michelle Carney, a Gold Coast resident still scarred by a 2004 trip to New York for New Year’s Eve.
“My friend lived in a walk-up apartment in Manhattan with no doorman, so one of us would have to wait around all day in case the baggage delivery service showed up,” Carney said. “It practically ruined my trip.”
Molli Megasko agrees.
Megasko, who lives in Streeterville, still has flashbacks about a bad bag experience in 2002. And it wasn’t even her bag.
“My three friends and I saved all our money to buy cute little dresses and clothes for a spring break cruise that was leaving from Ft. Lauderdale,” said Megasko, 22. “When my friend’s luggage didn’t show up at the airport, needless to say tears were shed. We spent all our money on nice outfits for this trip, and we felt so bad for our friend.”
Despite promises from the airline, Megasko said her friend’s clothes weren’t delivered in time for the cruise’s departure.
“It was madness, and we’re picky girls shopping in Ft. Lauderdale for nice dinner dresses,” Megasko said. “A lot of their shops sell tacky things and biker clothing, but we had to get something.”
Carney was luckier, since her bag was delivered before she would’ve had to buy an all-new New Year’s Eve outfit. But she was afraid to check them on the way home to Chicago–or anywhere else.
“Up until about a year ago, I wouldn’t go anywhere for longer than four days because I wouldn’t be able to carry on enough clothes for the trip,” Carney said. “Losing bags is such a frustrating experience, and airlines are unresponsive about it.”
Not so, said Southwest’s Pintur. Southwest is taking extra steps to keep customers and their bags together this summer. At Midway, Southwest is dispatching baggage service employees to “carousel duty” so that they can more quickly respond to customer concerns, he said.
American Airlines is ready, too, but customers won’t see additional precautions, spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan said.
“We’ve been in this business 80 years, so we understand–unlike other carriers that are younger–how our traffic peaks in the summer, and we can handle it,” Fagan said.
Customers also can help prevent baggage delays or loss, airline executives say.
“Give yourself at least an hour before your flight to minimize complications,” Pintur said. “Make sure there is proper identification on the bags, and update any information on tags like your address or phone info.”
Fagan said many baggage delays are caused by weather, so she advised travelers–especially those making connections–to give themselves enough time between flights.
Whether you have one flight or three ahead of you, pack smart.
“If you have a very valuable item with you, don’t put it in checked luggage,” Fagan said. “That includes computers, medicine or jewelry. Carry on some clothing items in case there is a delay.”
Carney has learned that lesson, plus gained a new perspective on checking luggage.
“When I go down to baggage claim now, I always think there’s just a 50/50 chance I’ll get my bag on time,” Carney said. “So now, when I see it on the carousel, I’m so excited, saying: ‘Oh, there’s my bag. It’s here!’ “
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HANDLE WITH CARE
Want to save yourself the rage, heartache and downright annoyance of losing touch with your luggage? Airline experts–many of whom admitted to being separated from their own bags at one time or another–offer tips to help you track it or get it back quickly if it disappears.
Buy better baggage
Maybe that cheap luggage works better for your wallet, but it could increase your chances of losing a bag. “When purchasing luggage, recognize that durability is an important factor,” said American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan. “The standard is not the same for luggage that you are handling yourself and putting in a car. Don’t get bags that may come open, that a handle may be broken off of, because that will make it hard for the airline to identify your belongings, or your tag may even go missing.”
Arrive at the airport on time
Taking extra time the morning of your flight to find your favorite skinny jeans might mean those same jeans will be MIA when you reach your destination. Timing is key to getting luggage on the right flight, said Southwest and American Airlines representatives.
So don’t cut it down to the hour or 45-minute required arrival time. Get there early on peak travel days, said Mitchell Pintur, manager of Central Baggage Service for Southwest Airlines.
Label luggage inside and out
Laying an itinerary of your trip on the top of your belongings may make it easier to deliver your delayed luggage to you at your destination, said Lisa Davis, editor of Downer’s Grove-based Frequent Flyer magazine. “Double-check your baggage tag, too, to make sure it’s going to the right destination,” Davis said. “This is especially important if you are making a connection.”
Carry it on
If you’re leaving for a four- or five-day trip, don’t take your whole closet. That’s the advice offered by an American Airlines spokeswoman who says travelers should bring clothing items that can be mixed and matched easily. This allows you to pack lighter and possibly cram everything into carry-on baggage.
That advice was echoed by Chicago Aviation Commissioner Nuria Fernandez, who said more and more Chicago airport passengers are limiting their luggage to two- and three-bag carry-on allowances.
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TRACKING `MISHANDLED’ BAGS
Airlines are required to report “mishandled baggage”–luggage that is damaged, stolen, lost or delayed–as well as the total number of airline passengers to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which compiles the data on a monthly basis and posts the results in reports on www.dot.gov/airconsumer. Here are 2005 statistics from the department:
JANUARY (43.37 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 341,891
FEBRUARY (42.48 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 258,072
MARCH (52.85 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 332,685
APRIL (49.28 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 255,465
MAY (52.23 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 267,379
JUNE (54.32 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 337,163
JULY (56.84 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 404,322
AUGUST (53.89 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 339,804
SEPTEMBER (45.88 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 205,919
OCTOBER (48.89 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 239,452
NOVEMBER (47.82 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 239,301
DECEMBER (47.76 million travelers)
Mishandled bags: 369,240
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kkyles@tribune.com
