Worst airlines for damaged luggage revealed in baggage study

Aww, snap! The UK CAA saw 823 damaged luggage claims over the past 5 years. 10% came via Ryanair. Photo / Getty Images

A new study has named and shamed the worst airlines for damaging passengers' luggage.

Research commissioned by suitcase manufacturer Trifibre compiled data from damaged luggage complaints submitted to the UK Civil Aviation Authority from 2015 to 2020. According to their findings, Ryanair has dropped the ball on luggage complaints, accounting for over one in ten of the 823 claims submitted by unhappy travellers.

UAE carrier Emirates landed in second place, making up six per cent of the damaged luggage claims. Italian airline Alitalia was third, with five per cent. 40 bashed bags and broken cases came to CAA via UK airports.

According to the findings reported by The Sun, there was worse news for unhappy air travellers: less than half of claims made for damaged luggage resulted in compensation.

The average time taken to reach a settlement was reported as 154 days. Again Ryanair was singled out as the longest to reach a settlement, with one incident taking an astonishing 868 days to be resolve.

JUST IN CASE

What can you do to make sure your holiday plans arrive in one piece?

According to Air New Zealand, luggage on domestic routes is protected under the Contract and Commercial Law Act. However, this will only protect your belongings in certain circumstances and up to a total value of $2000.

On international routes, the carrier says that their obligations are further limited.

"We strongly recommend you arrange travel insurance that covers delayed, lost or Damaged Baggage, just in case," says their customer advice.

Chris Cox, Managing Director at Trifibre told The Sun that the safest thing is to take your most valuable items as hand luggage.

"The results provide passengers with the inside knowledge they need to make informed decisions about the carrier they choose to travel with and the airports they use," he said.

There was further evidence that the type of suitcase and weight of luggage can also have an effect on your belongings arriving in one piece.

"Where possible, we recommend taking items on as hand luggage to be stored in overhead compartments or under seats, as this reduces the chances of your baggage being mishandled."