Where Reid International ranks among airports for mishandled baggage

Harry Reid International Airport had the 12th most complaints for lost or mishandled baggage among 60 U.S. airports between 2015 and 2023, a new report says.

Upgraded Points, an Austin, Texas-based travel company that studies travel and credit card trends, said the airport serving Las Vegas had 1.38 mishandled baggage complaints per 100,000 passengers during the eight-year span.

The company also listed last year’s top 10 airlines for mishandled baggage complaints and every one of the top 10 flies to Las Vegas.

“Losing your luggage is a classic nightmare, turning a great trip into a frustrating ordeal,” said Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points. “We focused on airports and airlines with the highest rates of baggage mishaps to help inform future travelers while encouraging improvements in baggage handling processes.”

Representatives of Reid International did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The study analyzed property complaint data from the Transportation Security Administration’s Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room for the 60 busiest U.S. airports between 2015 and 2023. To ensure fair comparisons across airports of varying sizes, the data was normalized against annual passenger volumes.

For airline evaluations, the study reviewed the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Air Travel Consumer Report, examining the number of mishandled bags per 100 enplaned bags from January to September 2024 for the 10 largest U.S. carriers. It then compared those figures to 2023 to calculate year-over-year percentage changes. Mishandled baggage as defined includes items that are lost, delayed, diverted or damaged.

The worst U.S. airport for baggage mishandling was Orlando International Airport, with 1.81 property complaints per 100,000 passengers. It was followed by John F. Kennedy International in New York (1.72 per 100,000), Palm Beach International in Florida (1.71), Ted Stevens Anchorage International in Anchorage, Alaska (1.69) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International in Florida (1.68).

The top five airports with the least number of baggage mishandling complaints were San Francisco International in California (0.31), Kansas City International in Missouri (0.42), O’Hare International Airport in Chicago (0.58), Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina (0.59) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International in Minnesota (0.59).

The national average was 1.11 per 100,000 passengers.

The study involving airlines showed data for the number of mishandled bags per 100 checked bags and statistics were compiled between January and September 2024 and compared with the similar time frame in 2023.

The worst airline for mishandled bags was American Airlines, 0.9 mishandled per 100 enplaned bags.

It was followed by United Airlines (0.68), Alaska Airlines (0.64), Delta Air Lines (0.49), Las Vegas market leader Southwest Airlines (0.44), Spirit Airlines (0.43), Frontier Airlines (0.42), Hawaiian Airlines (0.4), JetBlue Airways (0.36) and Allegiant Air (0.24). The national average was 0.57 per 100.

The 0.57 per 100 figure was a 7.6 percent improvement from 2023. American, Alaska and Allegiant had worse rates than in 2023, while the other seven carriers improved from the previous year.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.