Q: Why Do 26 Million Checked Bags Go Missing Every Year?
My answer: Because they contain valuable things.
When I used to travel with checked baggage, it almost always got stolen or lost. Bad luck? No. I would pack expensive cameras. I now only put cheap clothing and nothing metal in checked baggage. Everything valuable comes with me by hand, and when that isn't possible is shipped using a more secure carrier like FedEx. Since not packing valuables, I've never had a single bag lost.
The fact is that baggage handlers at airports are criminals who make money stealing things. There are exceptions, I am sure a few are honest. Not many though.
26 million bags were not lost - most were delayed in connection. Which means you ran to your next flight and made it just in time, but your bag travels slower than you do. In any case, you got it back a few hours or a day later, all contents intact (or did you cheat the insurance? haa? :)
Few (although some) baggage handlers have the time to ruffle through your bag ni the short time they strive to load, unload, and transfer hundreds of bags from one flight to the next twenty.
The fact is that most baggage handlers are honest, while a few are not. Like in any business.
Sorry, but you're wrong.
26 million bags were not lost - most were delayed in connection. Which means you ran to your next flight and made it just in time, but your bag travels slower than you do. In any case, you got it back a few hours or a day later, all contents intact (or did you cheat the insurance? haa? :)
Few (although some) baggage handlers have the time to ruffle through your bag ni the short time they strive to load, unload, and transfer hundreds of bags from one flight to the next twenty.
The fact is that most baggage handlers are honest, while a few are not. Like in any business.
Edit: Thanks for the downvotes. Lovely. For refuting the OPs ridiculous claim that:
"The fact is that baggage handlers at airports are criminals who make money stealing things. There are exceptions, I am sure a few are honest. Not many though."
I worked in baggage handling for 10 years. I never saw anyone steal anything from any bags. Nobody opened any bags without witnesses (supervisors). I saw delayed bags due to - in order by reason - 1.) misconnection due to delayed flights, 2.) baggage airport system failures 3.) Weather (indirectly causing point 1, 2 and 4) 4.) Human error (rare).
I have found that if you have anything valuable-ish in external pockets to your luggage, it will usually disappear. e.g. change in a bag; CD's & DVD's etc.
I'm sure the baggage handlers that do that don't make it obvious to their co-workers.
> When I used to travel with checked baggage, it almost always got stolen or lost.
Your experiences seem to be exceptionally bad.
I'd be interested to hear what airline and routes you traveled. And did you have connections? Also, do you mean that some objects were stolen or the whole bad disappeared?
I regularly traveled internationally with lots of expensive gear in my checked luggage and never had it lost or stolen. But usually I travel on direct flights with no connection.
My answer: Because they contain valuable things.
When I used to travel with checked baggage, it almost always got stolen or lost. Bad luck? No. I would pack expensive cameras. I now only put cheap clothing and nothing metal in checked baggage. Everything valuable comes with me by hand, and when that isn't possible is shipped using a more secure carrier like FedEx. Since not packing valuables, I've never had a single bag lost.
The fact is that baggage handlers at airports are criminals who make money stealing things. There are exceptions, I am sure a few are honest. Not many though.