This airline is the most likely to mishandle your luggage
American Airlines mishandled 626,000 bags in 2019
The American Airlines network was most likely to mishandle customers' baggage in 2019, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report issued by the Department of Transportation this month.
American Airlines partially blamed the poor performance on the Transport Workers Union of America and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the grounding of Boeing's 737 MAX jetliners for the problems. American Airlines has alleged mechanics connected to the TWU-IAM Association deliberately slowed down their operations, something the unions have denied, Simple Flying reported.
"Last year, we faced significant operational challenges that impacted our results, including the grounding of the MAX, and, most significantly, a higher number of aircraft out of service," the company said in a statement. "A big contributor to our high AOS numbers was the illegal TWU-IAM Association slowdown, which disrupted our operation during the peak period."
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 13.19 | +0.20 | +1.54% |
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 151.01 | -4.12 | -2.66% |
BOEING HEADS TO COURT AMID FIGHT OVER RELEASE OF 737 MAX DOCUMENTS
American Airlines mishandled 8.6 bags per 1,000 in 2019. That's more than 626,000 bags out of more than 72 million.
American Airlines' numbers are well above its competitors. United Airlines mishandled 5.53 bags for every 1,000 and Allegiant Air mishandled 1.75 per 1,000 The discount airline had the lowest rate of mishandled bags.
In this Dec. 16, 2019, file photo a worker looks up underneath a Boeing 737 MAX jet in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
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American Airlines officials expect the company's handling of luggage to improve this year.
"Over the last several months, our operational performance has shown significant improvement, and we are carrying that momentum into 2020," the company said.