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Washington Post: Checking a bag is a total nightmare this summer

July 14, 2022 Media

When travel experts offer advice about dodging disasters this summer, one piece is ubiquitous: Carry-on luggage is the only way to go.

“I would never, ever check a bag,” said travel agency executive Marc Casto, president of leisure brands in the Americas for Flight Centre Travel Group, in an interview last month. “We spent two years living in our shorts and flip-flops. We really don’t need that many things to bring with us to a different destination.”

Sometimes that is true. But other times, it’s impossible to commit to carry-on life. Say your flight’s overhead compartments are full, and you’re forced to gate-check your bag. Or you have booked a rock-bottom fare that — whoops — only allows for checked luggage. Or you’re traveling with a pet, which counts as your carry-on.

“There are times where you just have to suck it up and check a bag,” said William McGee, an aviation expert and consumer advocate who just checked bags for the first time in seven years. “Unfortunately, this summer is not a good time for that.”
McGee, a senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, only suffered some delays and damage to his bags on parts of his trip to Greece and the United Kingdom — which he counted as a victory.

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Know your bag

Make sure you have tagged your luggage properly and can identify it if it goes astray, McGee said. Take photos of anything that is being checked as well, and hold on to your claim ticket.

“That little strip that the airlines put on there — that is not the equivalent of an ID tag with your personal information,” he said.

Arrive early

McGee said he arrived at airports three hours early to maximize the chance of his bag getting on the plane.

“If you’re going to check in at the very last minute, if you’re one of those people that needs an escort to security because you just got there late — … the probability of your bag not making it … [is] higher than if you had checked in two hours earlier,” he said.

Report any problems right away

Don’t leave the airport without reporting a missing or damaged bag, McGee said, even if the line is long.

“You can’t come back the next day and say, ‘Oh, by the way, you damaged my bag yesterday,’” he said. “They’ll be like, ‘Well, no, maybe it was the taxi driver or the hotel.’”

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Understand what you’re owed

The Department of Transportation says airlines are liable for up to $3,800 for lost, damaged or delayed bags. The maximum liability for international flights is about $1,780.

McGee said travelers should also look at their airlines’ contract of carriage and check for the compensation rules in Canada or Europe if they’re flying to those destinations.

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