More than one million checked bags disappeared, arrived damaged, or turned up late on US flights in just the first six months of 2026. That works out to nearly 5,800 mishandled suitcases every single day, and new government data now reveals exactly which airlines are behind the worst of it.
For travelers who have spent decades building a wardrobe of well-chosen pieces, carrying medication that cannot simply be replaced at a pharmacy abroad, or packing gifts and keepsakes picked up on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, this is not a minor inconvenience. It is the kind of setback that can unravel a carefully planned holiday before it even begins.
The Airlines With the Worst Track Records
New figures from the US Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report, analyzed by travel company Global Work & Travel, show a wide gap between the best and worst performing carriers when it comes to handling checked luggage.
| Rank | Airline | Bags Enplaned | Bags Mishandled | Mishandled per 100 Bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Airlines | 34,541,265 | 251,976 | 0.73 |
| 2 | Envoy Air | 5,224,762 | 37,723 | 0.72 |
| 3 | United Airlines | 29,253,054 | 192,191 | 0.66 |
| 4 | SkyWest Airlines | 14,734,864 | 81,434 | 0.55 |
| 5 | Republic Airways | 4,887,188 | 25,990 | 0.53 |
| 6 | Alaska Airlines | 14,126,041 | 74,896 | 0.53 |
| 7 | Frontier Airlines | 4,816,542 | 24,733 | 0.51 |
| 8 | Spirit Airlines | 1,870,785 | 8,719 | 0.47 |
| 9 | PSA Airlines | 6,044,565 | 26,731 | 0.44 |
| 10 | Delta Air Lines | 40,560,183 | 153,022 | 0.38 |
| 11 | Southwest Airlines | 46,350,429 | 148,875 | 0.32 |
| 12 | JetBlue Airways | 7,188,577 | 22,135 | 0.31 |
| 13 | Allegiant Air | 3,474,622 | 4,068 | 0.12 |
American Airlines came out worst by a clear margin, with a mishandling rate of 0.73 bags for every 100 checked. That translates into nearly 252,000 lost, delayed or damaged suitcases in just six months, more than any other carrier in the country. Envoy Air and United Airlines were not far behind.
At the other end of the scale, Allegiant Air posted the lowest mishandling rate of any airline in the report, at just 0.12 per 100 bags. JetBlue and Southwest also performed comparatively well.
There is a silver lining buried in the numbers. Across the industry, the overall mishandling rate has actually fallen, from 0.52 per 100 bags in the first half of 2025 to 0.49 this year. That is progress, but it is cold comfort if your particular suitcase happens to be one of the unlucky ones.
It Is Not Just Bags Going Missing
The same report flags a second, less talked about risk. Flight cancellations climbed sharply this year, with 85,998 scheduled operations cancelled in the first six months of 2026, a rate of 2.23 percent, up from 1.57 percent over the same period in 2025.
For travelers juggling connecting flights, prebooked tours or nonrefundable accommodation, a cancellation at the wrong moment can cascade into a far more expensive problem than a delayed bag.
What Experienced Travelers Should Do Before Checking a Bag
Jürgen Himmelmann, co-founder and chief executive of Global Work & Travel, said most people hand their suitcase over at check-in and give it no further thought until they are standing at the carousel wondering where it went. He recommends a few precautions worth building into every trip.
Photograph everything. Take a clear picture of the outside of the suitcase and another of what is packed inside. If it goes missing or turns up damaged, those photos make identifying it and proving what was lost far easier.
Never check the irreplaceable. Passports, medication, jewelry, electronics and anything that cannot simply be repurchased should travel in a carry-on, not in the hold.
Strip off old tags. Leftover baggage stickers from previous trips can confuse routing systems and send a suitcase to the wrong destination entirely.
Tag the inside, not just the outside. A card with contact details placed inside the bag means it can still be identified if the external tag is torn off or damaged.
Pack a buffer for longer trips. Anyone traveling for weeks or months rather than a short break should keep a few days of essentials in their carry-on, since a delayed bag on a long stay abroad is a far bigger disruption than on a quick getaway.
Himmelmann was careful to note that no one should choose an airline purely on the basis of this one statistic. Price, routing and schedule will usually matter more. But the data makes clear that things can go wrong even on a carefully planned trip, and knowing what to do if a suitcase does not arrive matters just as much as planning the itinerary itself.
Source: Global Work & Travel
Amanda O’Brien is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London.