It isn’t the handler. Maybe it’s the scanner. Probably not the slow-moving trailer.
It is your layover.
Specifically. How short it is.
The 2026 SITA Baggage IT Insights report dug through data from 500 airlines and nearly 3,000 airports to find out where bags go to die. Or get lost. Or just stay put while you don’t.
Tight connections were the winner. They caused 39 percent of all mishandled bags in 2025. No other reason came close. Ticketing mistakes—bad tags, wrong routing numbers—came in second at 18%. Then bags that just never got on the plane at all, at 16%.
You sprint. You make that 20-minute dash across Terminal C. Your legs are burning. Your suitcase? It takes a different route.
A larger airport doesn’t mean the bag has farther to go. Smaller hubs help. Slightly. But mostly, it comes down to time.
The Math Against You
When you transfer planes, the bag has a job.
Unload. Scan. Sort. Reload.
It has to do this while you are running through the concourse.
Here is the kicker: Airlines hold the gate for passengers. They don’t wait for suitcases.
Your scheduled connection is 90 minutes. A delay happens. You board at 25 minutes out. You made it. Good for you.
The bag didn’t make it.
This gets worse if you leave the country. The SITA data shows the mishandling rate within the US sits at 1.65 per 1,000 pax. On international routes with connections, it jumps to 9.12. That is more than a five-fold increase. Why? More transfers. More people. More volume. Chaos.
Can you control this?
Not really. Airlines book connections based on Minimum Connection Times. These numbers assume every flight is on time. They assume no terminal changes at the last minute. They assume magic.
If you check a bag, book longer layovers. Just accept it. And please, for the love of travel sanity, book one ticket. Two separate tickets mean separate responsibilities. If Airline A loses your bag but you fly to your destination on Airline B, good luck getting it back. The airline that dropped the ball has zero obligation to find it. One ticket is pricier, maybe, but it ties them to you.
It’s Getting Better Though
Surprisingly?
Mishandled bags are at a pre-2020 low.
Despite handling a record 5 billion passengers in 2025, mishandling dropped by 23%. The US DOT sees three years of straight improvement.
Why?
Technology. Automatic sorting. Rerouting programs that fix errors before you even file a complaint.
We are getting better at this. The data doesn’t lie. The systems are working.
You still need to plan for that layover. You still can’t trust the clock.
But maybe your bag will be waiting for you after all. Or maybe not.
