The Worst Airlines For Losing Luggage – Is Yours On The List?

Does anyone else still just have that slight pang of anxiety when you see your suitcase disappear on the conveyor belt at an airport? That moment where you think, “I do hope I see it again on the other side…”

I don’t think it’s just me. You’ve planned for this holiday, and the last thing you want when you’re about to board a cruise ship is to arrive in your embarkation city and find that your suitcase won’t be joining you when you get on the ship.

Airlines don’t release stats on lost luggage – why would they, if they don’t have to? But a clever website has managed to rank airlines to find the worst offenders for losing luggage – with some surprising names in the top 20.

The Worst Airlines for Lost Luggage

Before I list the names, let me clarify. As I said, airlines don’t publish information on lost suitcases.

So instead, the website Luggage Losers has put together a very clever algorithm which scrapes mentions of lost luggage across various websites and social media platforms, in over 100 languages.

It then cross references that with the data that is available on lost luggage to provide a very clever estimate of the airlines and airports that are the worst offenders.

Also, the rankings are updated regularly, so this table is accurate at the time of writing but may shift. Check the website to see how things are changing!

Here’s the latest top 20 worst performing airlines, followed by some other notable entries in the list…

Rank	Airline	Probability of loss/delay of case	% Probability	Estimated no. of lost cases in the last 30 days
1	Frontier Airlines (US)	1 in 22	4.53%	55,656
2	Air India (IN)	1 in 39	2.56%	55,816
3	IndiGo (IN)	1 in 41	2.45%	72,201
4	Kenya Airways (KE)	1 in 75	1.34%	8,243
5	Iberia (ES)	1 in 76	1.31%	16,356
6	Aer Lingus (IE)	1 in 111	0.90%	7,734
7	SpiceJet (IN)	1 in 114	0.88%	8,205
8	Virgin Atlantic (GB)	1 in 127	0.79%	5,793
9	Aeromexico (MX)	1 in 132	0.76%	8,241
10	Spirit Airlines (US)	1 in 150	0.67%	12,536
11	British Airways (GB)	1 in 189	0.53%	21,810
12	Wizz Air (HU)	1 in 191	0.52%	5,310
13	Qatar Airways (QA)	1 in 211	0.47%	15,984
14	Royal Air Maroc (MA)	1 in 218	0.46%	3,884
15	Emirates (AE)	1 in 241	0.41%	15,529
16	Vueling (ES)	1 in 243	0.41%	7,215
17	Air Canada (CA)	1 in 269	0.37%	10,636
18	easyJet (GB)	1 in 274	0.37%	13,070
19	EgyptAir (EG)	1 in 287	0.35%	2,886
20	KLM (NL)	1 in 288	0.35%	6,251
…23	Delta Air Lines (US)	1 in 325	0.31%	40,228
…26	Jet2 (GB)	1 in 337	0.30%	3,878
…29	American Airlines (US)	1 in 350	0.29%	41,733
…31	United Airlines (US)	1 in 374	0.27%	30,597
…35	Ryanair (IE)	1 in 468	0.21%	13,571
…44	Southwest Airlines (US)	1 in 555	0.18%	19,287
…52	JetBlue (US)	1 in 664	0.15%	5,782
…65	Qantas (AU)	1 in 1,341	0.07%	1,455

Is your regular airline on this list? If not, click through to Luggage Losers to see the full table of 83 airlines.

I’m pretty shocked by some of the stats though. Imagine an airline having issues with almost 5% of passengers! Those are some crazy odds.

Here’s the worst performing airports too:

Rank	Airport	City	Probability of loss/delay of case	% Probability	Estimated no. of lost cases in the last 30 days
1	Liberty	Newark, NJ	1 in 49	2.04%	73847
2	London City	London	1 in 62	1.62%	4617
3	Gandhi	Delhi	1 in 68	1.48%	78493
4	Shivaji	Mumbai	1 in 85	1.17%	46171
5	Heathrow	London	1 in 128	0.78%	50777
6	Juárez	Mexico City	1 in 135	0.74%	27704
7	Gatwick	London	1 in 206	0.49%	18462
8	Hongqiao	Shanghai	1 in 253	0.40%	13851
9	Stansted	London	1 in 293	0.34%	4617
10	Denver	Denver, CO	1 in 370	0.27%	13849
11	Brussels	Brussels	1 in 398	0.25%	4616
12	Orlando	Orlando, FL	1 in 403	0.25%	9231
13	Pearson	Toronto	1 in 426	0.23%	9232
14	McCarran	Las Vegas	1 in 439	0.23%	9231
15	O’Hare	Chicago	1 in 481	0.21%	13848
16	Luton	London	1 in 488	0.20%	4616
17	Zurich	Zurich	1 in 523	0.19%	4616
18	KLIA	Kuala Lumpur	1 in 530	0.19%	9234
19	Dubai	Dubai	1 in 532	0.19%	13850
20	Frankfurt	Frankfurt	1 in 583	0.17%	9231
21	Dallas/Fort Worth	Dallas	1 in 607	0.16%	9234
22	Schiphol	Amsterdam	1 in 620	0.16%	9232
23	Charles de Gaulle	Paris	1 in 628	0.16%	9232
24	LAX	Los Angeles	1 in 765	0.13%	9232
25	Miami	Miami	1 in 797	0.13%	4617
26	Charlotte Douglas	Charlotte, NC	1 in 831	0.12%	4615
27	Sea-Tac	Seattle	1 in 849	0.12%	4617
28	El Prat	Barcelona	1 in 855	0.12%	4616
29	SFO	San Francisco	1 in 1,010	0.10%	4616
30	Changi	Singapore	1 in 1,125	0.09%	4617
31	Hartsfield–Jackson	Atlanta	1 in 1,879	0.05%	4616

Lost Luggage at the Port

While most luggage issues happen during air travel, it’s not impossible to run into problems at the cruise terminal itself.

Your suitcase is typically handed over to a porter, tagged with your stateroom number, and loaded onto the ship – without you seeing it again until later that day.

Rare scenarios where things can go wrong:

• Incorrect stateroom number on the tag
• Luggage delayed or missed during port loading
• Unlabelled bags causing confusion

Cruise lines are very experienced at handling luggage logistics, and mishaps at this stage are rare – but they do happen.

Suggested read: Cruise Line Loses Passenger’s Luggage In The Sea

Luggage Tips for Cruise Travel

A little bit of prep can save you a lot of potential pain – here are some helpful tips for luggage when you’re preparing for a cruise.

1. Use Trackers (AirTag or Tile)

Place an Apple AirTag, Tile, or similar GPS tracker in your suitcase. If your bag gets lost in transit, you’ll often know where it is before the airline does.

It won’t stop your case from getting lost, but at least you’ll know it definitely is (and hasn’t been accidentally taken by someone else).

2. Split Packing

If you’re traveling with a partner or family, mix outfits across bags. That way, if one bag is delayed, everyone still has essentials.

It’s a classic tip but one I think that makes a lot of sense. It might be a little more fiddly if one of you is more organised and the other is a last-minute packer, but you won’t regret it if one case does go missing.

3. Essentials in Carry-Ons

Another golden rule of any kind of travel is to make sure you keep anything essential in your carry-on bags.

This includes the obvious stuff like your travel documents and your medication, but also think about what you might want in the first few hours of your cruise – even if your suitcase doesn’t go missing, you might not get it until the evening of embarkation day.

Pack swimwear in your carry-on and you can kill some time by the pool while you wait for your cabin to be ready.

4. Label Inside & Out

External tags can fall off. Always include a card inside your bag with your name, ship, sailing date, and phone/email.

Then if something does happen to the external tag, there’s still a way your bag can be identified and you can be contacted.

5. Take Photos of Packed Bags

Photograph your luggage inside and out before flying. It’s proof for insurance and helps when describing your suitcase to the airline.

6. Use Luggage Tag Holders

The luggage tags you get from your cruise line can be damaged in transit, which can cause problems for it reaching your cabin.

Luggage tag holders will protect the tags and make sure they get to their final destination – your cruise cabin.

Read more: Cruise Luggage Tags – Every Question Answered!

Your Suitcase Disappears: What Now?

If your suitcase doesn’t make it to the destination airport, here’s what you need to do:

• Report it to the airline: There’ll be a baggage desk at the airport. Go and tell them everything and fill out a claim form.
• Check your tracker: If you have a tracker in the case, use it and show it to the baggage desk. This will help them identify what’s gone wrong, and what can be done to resolve it.
• Contact your travel insurance: Let them know about the issue and start a case.
• Carry on to your cruise port and board: Unless the airline tells you differently, you’re very unlikely to get the case before you sail and so you’ll need to continue with your travel plans. Assume that you’ll get the suitcase returned to you at home at a later date, if it can be found.

• Visit Guest Services onboard ASAP: It’s going to be busy on the first day, but speaking to Guest Services is a must. They’ve seen this before and can help you – they might even have a few freebie essentials like toiletries that they can offer
• Visit the onboard store and buy missing essentials: Pick up what you need – and make sure to keep receipts! You’ll need them to claim back on your insurance later.
• Shop in port for anything else: If you’re missing outfits for the cruise, you’ll get better prices if you shop in port rather than onboard (where you might only find cruise line branded merch, anyway).
• Use the laundry services onboard: Don’t buy tons of new clothes you don’t want. Buy a couple of outfits and get them cleaned – and then make sure to add the laundry charges to your travel insurance claim.

The Importance of Travel Insurance

If there’s one safety net that can really help when your suitcase goes walkabout, it’s travel insurance.

No, it won’t magically summon your missing case from the luggage void – but it can save you hundreds of £s/$s in emergency costs, and make the whole process a lot less stressful.

Most decent travel insurance policies will include cover for two key things related to luggage – Baggage Delay Cover and Baggage Loss Cover.

1. Baggage Delay Cover

This kicks in if your luggage is delayed for a certain amount of time (usually 12–24 hours). You’ll typically be able to claim for emergency purchases—think toiletries, a few clean clothes, or even a swimsuit so you don’t miss out on pool time.

Some policies will give you a set amount per day, others work on reimbursement with receipts. Always keep those receipts and check the details before you travel so you know what you’re covered for.

2. Baggage Loss Cover

If your luggage is officially lost – usually after 21 days – it can be classed as missing permanently. That’s when baggage loss cover kicks in, and you may be reimbursed for the value of your suitcase and its contents (up to a maximum amount, depending on your policy).

You’ll likely need:

• Proof of ownership or value of contents
• A copy of your baggage claim form from the airline
• A full list of what was lost

Don’t Leave Insurance to the Last Minute

It’s a common mistake, but travel insurance should ideally be booked when you book your trip, not just the week before departure. Early purchase means you’re covered for more scenarios in the run-up to travel – like trip cancellation or needing to rebook flights if something goes wrong.

Final Word

Lost luggage is frustrating – but it doesn’t have to be a disaster. With smart packing, the right tech, and a bit of insurance, you can cruise with confidence.

And remember, these mishaps are rare – most passengers and their suitcases make it to the ship just fine.

Related Posts

• The Best Carry-On Bags For A Cruise
• Can You Carry Your Own Luggage On and Off A Cruise Ship?
• Cruise Packing Fails: The Most Useless Items People Brought Onboard