Virgin America tops list of most reliable baggage handling among U.S. airlines
Skift Take
Partially due to Virgin's small schedule and some to do with its excellent customer service, Virgin gets the top spot. More noteworthy is US Airways' appearance as the best of the legacy airlines.
U.S. airlines are on pace to post their best year for their handling of passenger luggage. Here is a list of how many bags per 1,000 passengers each airline lost, delayed or damaged in the first six months of 2012:
Virgin America plane at Los Angeles International Airport. Photo by J Brew.
1: Virgin America 0.88
2: AirTran Airways 1.43
3: JetBlue Airways 1.79
4: US Airways 2.10
5: Delta Air Lines 2.11
6: Frontier Airlines 2.12
7: Hawaiian Airlines 2.73
8: Alaska Airlines 2.76
9: American Airlines 2.77
10: Southwest Airlines 2.89
11: United Airlines 3.75
12: Mesa Airlines 4.49
13: SkyWest Airlines 4.84
14: ExpressJet Airlines 5.48
15: American Eagle Airlines 5.52
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Up Next
Hotels
How Data Quality Issues Impact Global Hospitality Operations
There are wide discrepancies in data quality for hotel transactions across global regions, with the largest occurring in Asia-Pacific. Because hotels and agencies need to harness data quality to thrive, they must take a more nuanced regional approach to monitoring potential issues.
Sponsored 
Airlines
How Allegiant’s Florida Resort Became a Drain on Its Profits
Allegiant wanted to go into the hotel business with a sprawling resort in southwest Florida. Now, just over a year later, it’s looking to offload the costly hotel.
Tourism
Disney's Gamble: More Cruise Ships, Parks, and Premium Prices
Disney is expanding its cruise fleet and investing billions in its theme parks internationally. Yet maintaining premium pricing across a much larger footprint won't be easy.
Online Travel
NYC Enforcement Boss on Short-Term Rental Law: 'It's Working' - Exclusive
The short-term rental market in New York City in 2025 is largely unrecognizable when measured against the short-term rental scene in 2023. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective.
Online Travel
Trivago Pushes AI-Powered Ads, Tries to Reduce Reliance on Google
Trivago's CEO said changes to Google ads are primarily what caused repeated revenue declines over the past couple of years.