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 2025, over 2.4 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 471 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: 0.09

Of the 10 major U.S. airlines in the report, budget carrier Allegiant Air had the lowest rate of mishandled baggage in 2025. 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: 0.31

The second-best U.S. airline for checked bags in 2025 was New York City-based JetBlue Airways. The airline mishandled about 43,000 of the 13.7 million bags it checked in last year. Unfortunately, JetBlue didn’t perform quite as well when it came to on-time performance, ranking seventh among U.S. airlines, with over a quarter of flights arriving behind schedule.

8. Southwest Airlines

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.38

Southwest was long known for its generous checked bag policy, in which every customer received two bags free of charge, but the airline last year started charging for checked bags for the first time. And despite bags already getting more expensive this year, at least Southwest managed to deliver the vast majority of them on time.

7. Frontier Airlines

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.41

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 fourth-best ranking for checked baggage performance among U.S. airlines. 

5. Delta Air Lines (tie)

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.43

Delta ranked No. 1 when it came to on-time performance among U.S. airlines in 2025, but the airline (and its branded codeshare partners flying under the Delta Connection brand) ranked in the middle of the pack for baggage handling. 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.

Delta is also one of the only airlines to offer a baggage guarantee: If your bag doesn’t land on the carousel 20 minutes after your domestic flight parks at the gate, you can submit an online form to receive 2,500 bonus Skymiles. (You must do so no later than two hours after your flight’s arrival.)

5. Spirit Airlines (tie)

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.43

Spirit tied with Delta in the 2025 baggage rankings. 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. Alaska Airlines

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.52

Alaska Airlines ranked in the bottom half of U.S. airlines for its baggage handling, but the airline has offered a 20-minute on-time guarantee (similar to Delta’s) since 2010. 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.  

3. Hawaiian Airlines

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.54

Nearly 35,000 Hawaiian Airlines customers faced delayed, lost, or damaged bags in 2025, but if it’s any consolation, the chances of arriving in paradise without your bag are still low — that number represented about half a percent of the 6.3 million bags that were checked on the airline for the full year.

2. American Airlines

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.66

American Airlines emplaned more bags domestically than any other airline in the report — over 110 million — but mishandled more than 720,000 of them, ranking as the second-worst airline for lost and delayed bags in 2025. 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. 

1. United Airlines

Number of bags mishandled per 100 enplaned: 0.72

Wondering which airline has the highest chance of losing or misplacing your checked luggage? According to the BTS data, the answer is United Airlines. Because United is one of the largest carriers in the U.S., that translated to quite a few lost bags throughout the year — over 550,000 bags on United and its regional codeshare partners operating under the United Express brand were late, lost, or damaged. 

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 2025. The numbers of mishandled bags reported above represent checked bags that were lost, damaged, delayed, or pilfered for domestic nonstop scheduled passenger flights.