AirAdvisor: America’s Most Lawless Baggage Claims

Imagine finally getting off a long international flight and rushing to the baggage claim area only to find that your bags are nowhere in sight. You wait and wait, but they never come. You go to report the lost baggage and the airline assures you that everything arrived at your destination.

But where are your precious bags? What most people don’t know is that shockingly, these areas are open to the public on internal flights. What’s to stop someone walking away with your hand-picked souvenirs and complete summer wardrobe? Nothing but the honor system.

While you can’t hire security to follow your bags around, you can take steps to be vigilant at airports where the chances of theft are higher. That's why we set out to determine which US airports are the most likely spots to have your luggage stolen. We reviewed 55 airports for the following:

• Passenger volume
• Google ratings and Yelp reviews of each airport
• Lost luggage searches in the airport vicinity
• Average walking time from the gate to baggage claim 

The reality is, that the busier the airport and the longer it takes you to reach your bags, the more prone they are to theft.

Baggage Claims With the Highest Theft Risk in the USA

#1 – Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

While DFW isn't officially the largest airport in America, there's still lots of ground to cover when you need to reach your bags after getting off the plane. Additionally, nearly 17,000 searches occurred by passengers about lost luggage.

It takes nearly 43 minutes on average just to get to the baggage claim from your gate. 

To put this in perspective, the average walk time of the 55 airports was only 11 minutes. In Dallas you'll be walking 4 times longer, leaving a long period where thieves can weasel their way in. 

Was your baggage lost or stolen at a US airport, causing you to miss a connecting flight? You could be eligible for compensation. Check Your Flight.

#2 – Los Angeles International Airport

The award for the most lost luggage Google searches goes to LAX. Los Angeles International Airport also takes the prize for the highest instances of poor Yelp reviews. And that isn't a good thing.

#3 – Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport

Now, when it comes to passengers Atlanta's airport is the busiest in the country. In fact, it’s the busiest in the world. Picture 286,000 passengers passing through in a day and you can imagine it gets kind of chaotic. this definitely presents an opportunity for thieves. Plus, the 26-minute walk to the gate gives them a decent window to pull it off.

America’s Safest Baggage Claim Airports

Now, let's move on to something more encouraging – the safest airports for your bags. These airports have smaller distances to cover to get to baggage claims, better reviews, lower passenger numbers, and fewer searches for lost luggage.

#1 –  Helena Regional Airport

Montana's capital, Helena, has a small regional airport where having your luggage stolen is about as unlikely as it gets. The walk to get your bags is short, there are zero negative Yelp reviews, and relatively few lost luggage searches.

#2 –  Casper/Natrona County International Airport

This lesser-known airport in Wyoming shares the 2-minute walk to the baggage claim with Helena Regional Airport and is just about as busy (or not busy, depending on your perspective). Plus, no negative Yelp reviews mean the chances of your luggage making it safely to you here are good.

#3 –  Manchester-Boston Regional Airport

As Google’s top-rated airport on our list with 4.6 stars, Manchester-Boston in New Hampshire is a safe bet for your bags. Also with no negative reviews from Yelp and low lost baggage search volume, MHT should make for a worry-free trip.

Our Data

Source: AirAdvisor.com

**USE THE FOLLOWING CODE TO EMBED OUR DATA INTO YOUR WEBSITE**

<div class="flourish-embed flourish-table" data-src="visualisation/21615673"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script><noscript><img src="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21615673/thumbnail" width="100%" alt="table visualization" /></noscript></div><p>Source: <a href="https://airadvisor.com/en-us/blog/worst-us-airports-for-baggage-claim">AirAdvisor.com</a></p> 

Methodology

To make up the final score for each airport, we used a weighted average, allocating 15% of the overall score to the Google search instances for lost luggage and 20% for the gate distance, Google rating, and negative Yelp reviews. Finally, 25% was allocated to the airport’s passenger volume.

If you are traveling from the UK or EU to any US airport and experience a flight disruption, you may be eligible for up to $650 in compensation for delays or cancellations, depending on your circumstances. Contact us or find out how much you can claim.

Stay Alert and Keep Your Bags Safe

It's safe to conclude that some of the busiest airports in the US are where you need to be the most vigilant. Dallas, Atlanta, and LAX all present a high risk for stolen luggage. Additionally, larger airports mean more ground to cover so the window of opportunity for theft is bigger as you race from your plane to the gate. So, try to keep your luggage with you and avoid checking bags when using these airports, if possible. Don’t give the thieves the chance to ruin your day!

No feedback