Why do airlines still mislay 25 million bags a year?

[wandering_fred]

The British view on checked luggage....


Happy wandering
Fred

 

[theblank]

i'm still paranoid that someone else will take my bags. Not only in airports but any transport systems.

At a couple of airports in Indonesia recently, they had staff checking passengers bag tags against boarding passes as leaving the arrivals area. I think it was both Bandung and Surabaya, maybe even DPS (domestic). I cant remember if I have seen this before or not, but I imagine that in large airports such a check would be a huge logistical nightmare to implement.

Though I guess RFID tags would go a long way in solving much of those issues.

 

[wandering_fred]

Bag tags were checked in SUB a couple of days ago. DPS not.

Happy wandering (with luggage)
Fred

 

[ozfflyer]

it would be so easy to steal a bag at any Australian domestic airport. Simply walk up to a baggage carosel, pick up a bag & walk off. Most baggage carosel would surely have video camera surveillance but that would not stop a thief.

 

[Andz]

it would be so easy to steal a bag at any Australian domestic airport. Simply walk up to a baggage carosel, pick up a bag & walk off. Most baggage carosel would surely have video camera surveillance but that would not stop a thief.

Like most crime in AU, you will be caught, however sentencing is pathetic and you would probably get off with a warning by crying in front of the out of touch judges.....

 

[Andz]

We can send machines and people to the moon and mars but can't deliver a bag on an agreed contract... with no consumer penalties...a $10 voucher to by undies is pathetic.

 

[woodborer]

Transport 4.3 billion bags. 25 Million have their own adventure. Work to do to improve things, but doesn't seem that bad overall...

 

[ozfflyer]

Like most crime in AU, you will be caught, however sentencing is pathetic and you would probably get off with a warning by crying in front of the out of touch judges.....

hardly. Most crims in OZ get away with it, esp if under 18. Cops say why bother.

 

[ozfflyer]

We can send machines and people to the moon and mars but can't deliver a bag on an agreed contract... with no consumer penalties...a $10 voucher to by undies is pathetic.

you can't say airlines are responsible if someone steals you bags off luggage carosel.

 

[trooper]

What % of bags go missing? What % of spacecraft/space missions have had failures?

 

[harvyk]

Transport 4.3 billion bags. 25 Million have their own adventure. Work to do to improve things, but doesn't seem that bad overall...

What % of bags go missing? What % of spacecraft/space missions have had failures?

That's the thing, people are terrible when it comes to big numbers.

25 million sounds big, but it's only about 0.5%. In the simplest form you need to fly on 172 flights in a year checking 1 bag each time before your risk reaches 1. (Ignoring that some routes / carriers are more prone to losing bags)

 

[juddles]

I agree with harvyk regarding the difficulty with big numbers. 25m bags is not very much at all IMHO given the variety of bags pax check-in, and the ever-tightening connections that the usual cause.

And further to harvyk's analysis, going by this article, for your bag to actually be stolen or lost would require you to do those 172 flights a year for 20 years straight!

 

[dajop]

That's the thing, people are terrible when it comes to big numbers.

25 million sounds big, but it's only about 0.5%. In the simplest form you need to fly on 172 flights in a year checking 1 bag each time before your risk reaches 1. (Ignoring that some routes / carriers are more prone to losing bags)

Reading the article, that includes both misdirected and lost bags. The article also suggests only 20% of this figure end up (permanently) lost so only 5 million, or 0.1%.

 

[dajop]

it would be so easy to steal a bag at any Australian domestic airport. Simply walk up to a baggage carosel, pick up a bag & walk off. Most baggage carosel would surely have video camera surveillance but that would not stop a thief.

I guess, unless someone makes it systematic (stealing many bags), the biggest deterrent would be the pot luck nature of the crime. Sometimes you could hit the jackpot, others you could really miss out, so would it be worth it when you might end up with a case full of smelly second hand clothes!

 

[oz_mark]

I guess, unless someone makes it systematic (stealing many bags), the biggest deterrent would be the pot luck nature of the crime. Sometimes you could hit the jackpot, others you could really miss out, so would it be worth it when you might end up with a case full of smelly second hand clothes!

Funny thing is that people reporting lost bags always seem to claim they have $10,000 in cash, or they're carrying a picasso, so maybe the bag of smelly clothes is the odd one out

 

[theblank]

When thinking about it, its a fairly low risk a bag would be stolen. for one, the perp doesnt know whats inside the bag he is stealing, and there is a fair chance that the real owner is standing very close by and will notice.

I think its far more likely someone would accidentally take the wrong bag - but then again, if it happened, then wouldnt the last bag left on the carousel, look similar to the nicked one, so a fairly obvious clue

 

[cgichard]

I think its far more likely someone would accidentally take the wrong bag - but then again, if it happened, then wouldnt the last bag left on the carousel, look similar to the nicked one, so a fairly obvious clue

Yes, that's exactly what happened to me once at LHR. Fortunately the label revealed it belonged to some well-known London journalist, and when the Heathrow baggage staff contacted him via his newspaper, he was still in a taxi on his way into London from the airport. So he had to turn round and come back, bringing my bag wih him. Not a word of apology from him for delaying and inconveniencing me.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

i'm still paranoid that someone else will take my bags. Not only in airports but any transport systems.

At a couple of airports in Indonesia recently, they had staff checking passengers bag tags against boarding passes as leaving the arrivals area. I think it was both Bandung and Surabaya, maybe even DPS (domestic). I cant remember if I have seen this before or not, but I imagine that in large airports such a check would be a huge logistical nightmare to implement.

Though I guess RFID tags would go a long way in solving much of those issues.

I've had the bag tag checking in the last 12 months at Denpasar domestic, Jogjakarta and ISTR Jakarta domestic