Question of the Day - 15 August 2022

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

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. 

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.

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!

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. 🤦‍♀️😡

I fly to Vegas frequently and have never experienced a delay, often my bag beats me to the claim.  

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! 

I’m fairly certain the airport slot operator pays the baggage handlers to take the tunnel to the baggage claim.

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)

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

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.

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.

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. :-)

HMM ,there are 4 couples that i know , that have no  problem with luggage ,either going or coming !!!!!!!!!!!!!! always on time  and quickly , also.

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.

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. 

...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!"

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.

If the attendant doesn't offer an 800 number, you should politely ask for it. Hey, everybody knows that  :).

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?