Are Canadian airlines worse about losing luggage than American or Australian carriers?
New data from Compare the Market reveals that one-in-four Australians and Americans, and almost one-in-three Canadians, report having had an airline misplace or lose their luggage.
Using survey data from more than 3,000 adults across all three nations, Compare the Market also investigated whether they got their belongings back, how much they were compensated by the airline, if at all, and how travel insurance payouts compared.
Asked if they had ever had their luggage lost while flying, 24.5% of Australians said yes, compared to 27.6% of Americans and 32.1% of Canadians.
The vast majority of travellers who had their luggage misplaced by an airline did get it back eventually (more than 90% in all three nations) and on average, it took a couple days to be returned. In all, 6.5% of Australians said they NEVER got their bags back, compared to 6.7% of Canadians and 9.8% of Americans.
As for who got compensated by the airline, 37% of Canadians were reimbursed, followed by 25.2% of Australians and 23.4% of Americans. On average, Canadians had to wait 18 days for a US$734 average payout. Americans had to wait 21 days for US$668 on average, and Australians had to wait 28 days for US$512.
Which means Canadians might be more likely to have their luggage lost, but they get more money for reimbursement, and that money arrives faster. I guess that’s something.
The study didn’t indicate what airline people were flying, or in what country their luggage was lost.
When asked what was the most common type of item that was stolen or went missing while traveling, Australians and Canadians said clothing, while Americans reported that it was electronic devices.
As for protecting their belongings, around half of all North Americans preferred keeping items on their person. In contrast, nearly two-thirds of Australians said they took out travel insurance as their preferred protection measure.
“Even if you do get your lost or delayed baggage returned to you, it could be days without your gear, forcing you to fork out extra for vital travel essentials,” said Compare the Market’s General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor.
