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The airlines most likely to mishandle your bags, ranked

We analyzed government data to determine which U.S. airlines fail to properly handle luggage

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Unclaimed bags at an airport
Unclaimed bags at an airport
Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call (Getty Images)

When you take an airline flight, the most important thing is getting to your destination safe and sound. But perhaps the second-most important thing is making sure your stuff gets there safe and sound as well. The Department of Transportation Office of Aviation Consumer Protection’s Air Travel Consumer Reports track which U.S. airlines fail to properly handle checked bags, whether that means luggage is getting “lost, damaged, delayed,” or “pilfered.” This Quartz analysis of those reports shows how often that happened in the first half of this year.

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Click through to see which carriers were the most likely to mishandle checked bags.

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10. Allegiant Air

10. Allegiant Air

An Allegiant Air plane
An Allegiant Air plane
Photo: Larry MacDougal (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 2.81 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, Allegiant handled 1.7 million bags and mishandled about 5,000 of them.

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9. JetBlue Airways

9. JetBlue Airways

A JetBlue Airways plane
A JetBlue Airways plane
Photo: Ric Tapia (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 3.53 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, JetBlue handled 6.9 million bags and mishandled about 24,000 of them.

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8. Spirit Airlines

8. Spirit Airlines

A Spirit Airlines plane
A Spirit Airlines plane
Photo: Julia Nikhinson (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 3.98 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, Spirit handled 6.3 million bags and mishandled about 25,000 of them.

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7. Delta Air Lines

7. Delta Air Lines

A Delta Air Lines plane
A Delta Air Lines plane
Photo: David Davies/EMPPL PA Wire (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 4.05 bags per 1,000

January and June, Delta handled 50 million bags and mishandled about 202,000 of them.

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6. Frontier Airlines

6. Frontier Airlines

A Frontier Airlines plane
A Frontier Airlines plane
Photo: Larry MacDougal (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 4.12 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, Frontier handled 4.4 million bags and mishandled about 18,000 of them.

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5. Southwest Airlines

5. Southwest Airlines

A Southwest Airlines plane
A Southwest Airlines plane
Photo: DeeCee Carter/MediaPunch /IPX (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 4.46 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, Southwest handled 66.6 million bags and mishandled about 297,000 of them.

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4. Hawaiian Airlines

4. Hawaiian Airlines

A Hawaiian Airlines plane
A Hawaiian Airlines plane
Photo: Larry MacDougal (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 4.48 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, Hawaiian handled 3 million bags and mishandled about 14,000 of them.

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3. Alaska Airlines

3. Alaska Airlines

An Alaska Airlines plane
An Alaska Airlines plane
Photo: Ric Tapia (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 5.52 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, Alaska handled 12.9 million bags and mishandled about 71,000 of them.

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2. United Air Lines

2. United Air Lines

A United Airlines plane
A United Airlines plane
Photo: Ric Tapia (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 6.86 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, United handled 37.5 million bags and mishandled about 257,000 of them.

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1. American Airlines

1. American Airlines

An American Airlines plane
An American Airlines plane
Photo: Ric Tapia (AP)

Mishandling Rate: 8.25 bags per 1,000

Between January and June, United handled 55.3 million bags and mishandled about 456,000 of them.

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