No passenger wants to be the one waiting at the baggage carousel when it slowly comes to a halt — without their bag on it. But in 2024, over 2 million air travelers had checked bags that were lost, delayed, or damaged on domestic flights in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). While that number represents a small share of the 494 million bags that were checked domestically throughout the year, it’s still a good idea to arm yourself with knowledge the next time you’re booking a flight. To aid in that endeavor, we’ve dug into the data to find out which airlines lose the most — and least — bags.
10. Allegiant Air
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.20
Of the 10 major U.S. airlines in the report, budget carrier Allegiant Air had the lowest rate of mishandled baggage in 2024. While the carrier is known for its no-frills experience (and low fares), Allegiant proved to be a safe bet in at least one area: checked bags.
9. JetBlue Airways
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.35
The second-best U.S. airline for checked bags in 2024 was New York City-based JetBlue Airways. The airline mishandled a little over 48,000 of the 13 million bags it checked in last year. Unfortunately, JetBlue didn’t perform quite as well when it came to on-time performance, with the second-worst percentage of on-time flights, after Frontier Airlines.
8. Frontier Airlines
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.40
You’ll probably want to pack light if you’re traveling on Frontier Airlines, since the low-cost carrier charges for both checked and carry-on luggage that doesn’t fit underneath the seat in front of you. If you do have to check a bag, however, at least there’s a fair chance of it arriving on time at the carousel — Frontier had the third-best ranking for checked baggage performance.
7. Hawaiian Airlines
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.41
More than 25,000 Hawaiian Airlines customers faced delayed, lost, or damaged bags in 2024, but if it’s any consolation, the chances of arriving in paradise without your bag are still low — that number represented less than half a percent of bags that were checked on the airline for the full year.
6. Southwest Airlines
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.42
Southwest was long known for its generous checked bag policy, in which every customer received two bags free of charge, but the airline recently announced it would begin charging for checked baggage for the first time. It remains to be seen if the airline’s new policy will have any effect on its bag handling record, which was middle-of-the-pack in 2024 (before the change was announced).
4. Spirit Airlines (tie)
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.44
Like Frontier, Spirit is known for its a la carte pricing model, charging for everything from carry-on and checked bags to a bottle of water on the plane or even a printed boarding pass at the airport. However, if you pay for bags before you arrive at the airport, you can save some on baggage fees.
4. Delta Air Lines (tie)
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.44
Delta ranked No. 1 when it came to on-time performance among U.S. airlines in 2024, but baggage was another story. The Atlanta-based airline was near the bottom of the rankings for mishandled baggage, tying with Spirit Airlines. However, like on many airlines these days, you can at least keep track of your bags via the Fly Delta app, which provides real-time tracking updates.
3. Alaska Airlines
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.58
Alaska Airlines was among the worst U.S. airlines for its baggage handling, but fortunately the airline has offered a 20-minute on-time guarantee since 2010. (Delta has a similar policy.) If your checked bags on Alaska don’t arrive on the carousel within 20 minutes of your flight’s arrival, you’ll receive a $25 discount code or 2,500 bonus miles for the inconvenience.
2. United Airlines
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.66
United had the second-highest rate of mishandled baggage among U.S. airlines in 2024. Because United is one of the largest carriers in the U.S., that translated to quite a few lost bags throughout the year — over 500,000 bags on United and its regional codeshare partners operating under the United Express brand were late, lost, or damaged.
1. American Airlines
Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.79
Wondering which airline has the highest chance of losing or misplacing your checked luggage? According to the BTS data, the answer is American Airlines. The carrier mishandled more than 880,000 checked bags and also ranked at the bottom in the 2023 report, so it might be worth choosing a different carrier if you have the option and plan to check bags. At the very least, be sure to toss an Apple AirTag or similar Bluetooth tracker in your bag before you head on your trip, so you can always keep an eye on its progress throughout your journey.
About the data: To compile this list, we consulted the Air Travel Consumer Report from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) for data from January to December 2024. The numbers of mishandled bags reported above represent checked bags that were lost, damaged, delayed, or pilfered for domestic nonstop scheduled passenger flights.
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