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Question of the Day - 15 August 2022

Q:

Is it me, or is baggage claim at the Vegas airport the slowest in the country?

A:

We couldn’t find any comparative studies. So it’s hard to say, or even speculate about, whether or not Reid is among the slower airports for getting baggage from the plane to the carousel. 

Any number of variables account for the relative speed of baggage delivery at airports. These include how many bags have to be handled overall, how many planes have landed around the time that you do, how far the luggage has to travel from the airplane to baggage claim, the availability of carousels, the availability of baggage handlers, the efficiency of the individual airlines, the particular subcontractor that the airlines usually employ for baggage handling, how much oversized luggage is on the flight (skis, golf bags, trunks, boxes, etc.), and perhaps most importantly, the order in which your bag is loaded onto and unloaded from the plane. 

It’s generally known that bags from early-arriving passengers are first on and off the plane — and this is borne out from our personal experience. So if every moment counts, hand in your bag as early as you can. Of course, all bets are off if you have to change planes en route. 

If it’s any comfort, nearly 220,000 bags were “mishandled” by U.S. airlines in April 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. That includes delayed, damaged, stolen, and lost. To us, that means 100,000 or so airline passengers had baggage hassles, upwards of 3,000 per day. That’s a lot. So you're by no means alone if yours is delayed.

As far as we’re concerned, if our luggage shows up within a reasonable amount of time, which we would consider between 10 and 30 minutes, especially in the 10th busiest airport in the world, we’re ahead of the game.

 

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Comments

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  • VegasMatt26 Aug-15-2022
    Baggage Woes
    On one trip to Vegas I flew AA from the East coast & switched planes in Chicago. My flight from ORD to LAS was delayed taking for for like 20 minutes waiting for crew to arrive. I got to Vegas and went to the assigned carousel, our luggage had not yet arrived but I spotted my bag (i have colored tape on it to spot it easier) and it was sitting with a few other bags by the AA baggage office. When picking it up an agent asked to see my claim sticker she joked that my baggage got here before I did that it was put on the wrong flight but atleast it was the right destination.
    
    On a trip to Fort Worth about 20 years ago I was flying AA and my baggage was left behind in Chicago and the baggage office at DFW said when it arrived it would be delivered to my hotel. I did finally get it, 14 hours later :-P

  • jim Aug-15-2022
    Lucky
    I guess it's just been good luck,  but I've always thought that I got my bags faster at LAS than any other airport. I always assumed that it was set up to be fast so that they could get you to the casino as quickly as possible. 

  • Kevin Rough Aug-15-2022
    It's bad
    Land at LAS and the wait from getting off the plane until I have bags in hand can easily be close to an hour.  A bad day at other airports is only 30 minutes.

  • [email protected] Aug-15-2022
    Generally Slow
    I fine it generally takes 30-45 minutes for the luggage to arrive at the carousel at LAS.  However, I always fly Delta, which means the gates are at the end of the tramway, and the carousel that Delta uses is at the very end of the baggage area, so that may contribute to long waits.
    
    They really very a lot.  At my home GSO airport it always seems to take close to a half hour to get bags even though the airport is not busy at all.  On the other hand, I’ve flown into MKE three times this summer and every time the bags got to the carousel before I did!

  • [email protected] Aug-15-2022
    Never a problem 
    I visit LAS 3-4 times a year. I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes for a bag. Sometimes it beats me to the baggage claim. 
    DTW on the other hand is a whole different story. 🤦‍♀️😡

  • Randall Ward Aug-15-2022
    baggage
    I fly to Vegas frequently and have never experienced a delay, often my bag beats me to the claim.  

  • Dawn Aug-15-2022
    Baggage Blues
    You've never been at BWI have you? LOL. Worst in the US in baggage (especially in the evening). I know because it's my "home" airport. I think Reid is excellent! 

  • Bob Nelson Aug-15-2022
    Long haul
    I’m fairly certain the airport slot operator pays the baggage handlers to take the tunnel to the baggage claim.

  • Brent Aug-15-2022
    The questioner needs to get out more
    Based on my completely unscientific, but absolutely first-hand survey, I offer the following US airports where baggage claim is slower than LAS:
    
    Denver
    San Francisco
    Orlando (a 1 hour wait is the best you can hope for)
    San Jose
    New Orleans
    O'Hare
    LaGuardia
    DFW
    
    Baggage claim is faster than LAS at the following US airports:
    
    Love Field (Dallas)
    Kansas City (but the rest of the airport is a nightmare)

  • Texas Transplant Aug-15-2022
    I think it is how far the bag has to travel at the airport.
    I think a lot has to do with the layout of the airport itself.
    
    I fly in and out of Dallas/Fort Worth airport and almost always get my baggage in 10 - 12 minutes at most.    
    
    This speed most likely has a lot to do with the layout of the airport.  From where the plane's jetway is, to the luggage area can be as short as 150 - 200 feet.  My guess it is one or two conveyors at most to get it to baggage claim. This makes it fast to get the luggage.   
    
    At McCarran, passengers have to take a shuttle to get to the baggage claim area which may be a mile away.  Luggage has to take the same trip but I am sure it goes through a series of multiple  conveyors,, switching stations, etc. which slows it down.
    
    FYI, many years ago when i was in college, I had a job delivering lost Newark Airport luggage.  I was paid by the distance I had to drive and how many bags.   This was well before the bar coding.  During the Christmas rush I worked a LOT of hours and made a LOT of money in a week or so

  • alohafri Aug-15-2022
    Baggage
    The worst, IMHO, is Chicago-Midway. We had to wait 45 minutes for our luggage after a trip from Vegas. At LAS, I think the longest we've ever had to wait was 15-20 minutes.

  • jay Aug-15-2022
    Can't carry it don't bring it
    If you can't carry it don't bring it.
    
    We did 17days in Vietnam and brought only a medium sized backpack each - we were not backpacking. Roll your clothes and they don't wrinkle, 2 pairs of shoes and a pair of flip flops. 
    
    If your heading off to Mexico/DR/etc your going to be in beach wear most of the time, takes no space. If the airline doesn't lose your luggage your still risk losing stuff from pilfering by min wage airport workers and even more so if your outside of the US/Canada as labor is even cheaper there. 
    
    Bring a foldable duffle bag so when you buy crap you can bring it home. Who cares if your luggage gets delayed on the way home.
    

  • cabber Aug-15-2022
    Baggage claims at airport
    I do believe Toronto (where I live) holds the world record so far in delayed and lost luggage. The situation is on the news practically every day. :-)

  • Reno Faoro Aug-15-2022
    BAGGAGE PROBLEM ?
    HMM ,there are 4 couples that i know , that have no  problem with luggage ,either going or coming !!!!!!!!!!!!!! always on time  and quickly , also.

  • Johnnyo Aug-15-2022
    The Kid
    I've been flying to LAS, 3-4 x a year for over 20 years. I've never hadda problem w/ my luggage. Longest wait maybe 15 minutes. Reno/Tahoe is even faster.

  • Timothy Grant Aug-15-2022
    Baggage
    Easily the slowest of my travels.  I usually fly AA from the east coast.  I can get off the plane at LAS, take a leisurely stop at a rest room, walk the tram, wait for a ride and walk to the baggage carousel and still have to wait an average of 20 plus minutes. 

  • Raymond Aug-15-2022
    You never know, but...
    ...in my experience a lot depends on the airline.  I haven't had a problem at LAS when flying DL or UA, only once each on FR and AA (which is the worst for me elsewhere), but oh my, Southwest.  I budget up to an hour to get my bag and console myself that since I'm using points, I'm not out a lot of money for such bad service.  The last time I flew in using SW, I had to educate a "Customer Service" agent who was providing no service that "I don't know" is not a valid answer, especially when the customer has been waiting for his one bag for over an hour.
    
    "Have you considered picking up the phone and making some calls?  It just may help!"

  • Roy Furukawa Aug-15-2022
    Not Even Close
    McCarran, err, Harry Reid Airport is pretty good in comparison to some other airports. I flew into Maui Kahului airport once and waited at least twice as long as anything I've experienced  at LAS. Then again, LAS is the only airport we've ever had our luggage stolen too. :(  Police even had pictures of the guys walking it out to the parking lot, but no one is going to investigate that. Another good use for Apple Airtags or the like.

  • Hoppy Aug-15-2022
    Re: Raymond 
    If the attendant doesn't offer an 800 number, you should politely ask for it. Hey, everybody knows that  :).

  • [email protected] Aug-18-2022
    to Jay
    Sounds like you either fly direct, or fly with people who can watch your bags, or both.  If you've ever flown along with a connection and had to shlep your carry-on suitcase around an airport during a 2 hour layover including into restrooms, restaurants, and stores you would probably check baggage every chance you get, too!  Delays and lost luggage have become so rare these days that checking most of my luggage while keeping a change of underwear in my carry-on has definitely become my go-to approach. Plus, as a Silver Medallion flyer my checked bag is free, so why not take advantage?