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As the holiday travel season heats up, more and more Montrealers are gearing up for flights — and bracing themselves for the chance that their bags might not make it to their destination.
A new study by Slotozilla dug into luggage mishaps across North America, and the results don’t paint a flattering picture for Canadian airlines — particularly one big one based in Montreal.
The study analyzed 475,000 Tripadvisor reviews for airlines across the continent to see how often passengers complain about lost luggage. Canadian airlines absolutely dominated the rankings, with the top three carriers most likely to lose your bags all hailing from the Great White North — and six total Canadian airlines in the top 10.
Leading the pack is Air Canada — Canada’s national airline headquartered in Ville Saint-Laurent — with a whopping 6.18% of its reviews focused on lost baggage. Out of 31,409 reviews analyzed, 1,942 disgruntled passengers complained about the airline losing their luggage. Flair Airlines and Sunwing took the second and third spots with 5.55% and 5.08% of reviews pointing to similar issues.
Meanwhile, WestJet and its recently acquired sister airline, Swoop, came in fifth and sixth, with 4% and 3.94% lost bag complaints, respectively. Porter Airlines was also mentioned in the top 10, placing eighth overall with 3.44% of reviewers mentioning baggage issues.
If you’re looking for a safer bet when it comes to baggage handling, the study revealed that Air Transat — also based out of Montreal — might be your best bet. The airline scored the lowest rate of luggage complaints among Canadian carriers, with just 2.14% of its reviews mentioning lost items.
For those planning trips this holiday season, Slotozilla also shared some tips to help you avoid travel headaches:
- Keep essentials like medications and a change of clothes in your carry-on.
- Clearly label your luggage with your contact information.
- Consider travel insurance that includes lost baggage coverage.
If your checked baggage does go missing, it’s important to know your rights. According to the study, airlines are required to compensate you for lost baggage if they admit the loss or it’s been missing for more than 21 days.
For itineraries within Canada and international routes, including to the U.S., the compensation limit is about CA$2,300. On domestic flights within the U.S., passengers can claim up to US$3,800. Plus, if your bag is officially lost, the airline must refund the baggage fee.
And now, here’s the full list of the 10 North American airlines with the highest rates of lost luggage complaints:
- Air Canada (Canada): 6.18%
- Flair Airlines (Canada): 5.55%
- Sunwing Airlines (Canada): 5.08%
- Frontier Airlines (U.S.): 4.83%
- WestJet (Canada): 4.00%
- Swoop (Canada): 3.94%
- VivaAerobus (Mexico): 3.50%
- Porter Airlines (Canada): 3.44%
- American Airlines (U.S.): 3.13%
- United Airlines (U.S.): 3.00%
So, perhaps knowing which airlines are more likely to lose your bags can help you take steps to protect your stuff — especially if your airline seems to have a knack for sending luggage on its own vacation.
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