Skift Take
The torrent of bag fees means fewer bags to mishandle, and DOT liability increases gave airlines a bigger kick in the behind to get their act together.
The largest airlines in the U.S. set a record in 2012 for their lowest annual rate of mishandled bags, but two factors behind the improvement may get overlooked: passengers are checking fewer bags, and airlines have to pay more per bag when yours is never seen again.
The DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report, issued today to cover the full-year 2012, found that the 15 largest carriers in the U.S. mishandled 3.09 bags per 1,000 passengers last year, compared with 3.35 in 2011.
Despite the rate drop, In reality these 15 carriers received 55,722 more mishandled bag reports in 2012 versus 2011, but there were nearly 60.4 million more emplanements.
That 3.09 rate is the lowest since the DOT began tracking lost bags in 1987.
Virgin America didn't report mishandled bags in 2011, but achieved the lowest rate among the 15 reporting carriers at 0.87 per 1,000 passengers in 2012.
American Eagle, a perennial leader in mishandled bags, notched the highest rate in 2012 a
