These US Airlines Have Mishandled the Most Bags in 2026, According to New Data

Most travelers have experienced that sinking feeling at baggage claim when the carousel stops and their checked luggage is still nowhere to be seen.

While lost or delayed bags are sometimes just an unfortunate part of air travel, there are some airlines that statistically mishandle checked bags more often than others.

The situation can be extra frustrating in 2026, as most carriers have significantly raised the cost of checking luggage on domestic and short-haul international routes to an average of $45 for the first bag.

Despite the elevated fee, US airlines have collectively mishandled 1,120,760 checked bags in the first six months of 2026, according to new data from the Department of Transportation (DOT). That’s an average of about 0.5 bags mishandled per 100 bags enplaned.

Although those numbers can seem shocking, they’re similar to mishandled baggage rates for the same stretch in 2025, which saw an average of 0.52 bags mishandled for every 100 loaded into planes’ cargo holds.

If you’d like to avoid your carefully packed luggage being on the wrong side of those statistics, it’s a good idea to know which airlines routinely have the highest rates of mishandled bags. The DOT’s monthly air travel consumer reports compare the 13 largest US airlines and how many bags each carrier mishandles per 100 loaded onto planes. A mishandled bag includes baggage that is lost, delayed, damaged, or stolen.

In the first half of 2026, American Airlines had the highest rate of mishandled bags, with an average rate of 0.73 mishandled bags per 100 enplaned, the DOT data shows. Closely following is American’s wholly owned regional subsidiary Envoy Air, which mishandled an average of 0.72 bags per 100 enplaned. United Airlines was next, with a mishandled baggage rate of 0.66 bags per 100 enplaned from January to June 2026.

On the flip side, low-cost carrier Allegiant Air had the best baggage handling rate, with just 0.12 bags mishandled per 100 enplaned.

Travelers who want to keep close tabs on their checked luggage can put devices like Apple Air Tags into their bags and track them during each stage of the flight. Many airlines now integrate Air Tag data into their baggage tracking process, allowing travelers to share the device location with customer service representatives through their mobile apps.

Here’s a look at the DOT’s full US airline rankings for the most mishandled bags per 100 enplaned for the first half of 2026:

1. American Airlines: 0.73 bags

3. United Airlines: 0.66 bags

5. Republic Airways: 0.53 bags

6. Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines: 0.53 bags

7. Frontier Airlines: 0.51 bags

8. Spirit Airlines: 0.47 bags

10. Delta Air Lines: 0.38 bags

11. Southwest Airlines: 0.32 bags

12. JetBlue Airways: 0.31 bags

Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler