I’ve had my fair share of luggage worries while traveling, but nothing compares to the feeling of standing by the carousel, waiting… and your bag just doesn’t show up. If you’ve been there, too, you know exactly what I mean.
That’s why I dug into recent data to find out which airlines in the UK are the worst for lost luggage. And what I found was surprising — especially which airline topped the list.
The numbers I’m sharing are based on research carried out by Ink Digital, published in Forbes and other outlets. They analyzed average monthly Google search volumes related to lost, delayed, or missing baggage for major airlines flying in and out of the UK.
It’s not based on internal airline reports but on what people are searching for — which, to me, gives a more honest picture of how often passengers are dealing with luggage problems.
Let’s get into the facts.
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British Airways is the worst offender (by a mile)
British Airways, the UK’s flagship airline, came out as the worst for lost baggage. It racked up an average of 6,938 monthly searches for lost luggage. It’s nearly five times more than the next airline on the list.
What makes this even more surprising is that BA is seeing fewer people check-in bags. More passengers are sticking to carry-ons, but the airline still seems to struggle with the ones they do handle.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), British Airways carried around 451,500 metric tons of cargo in 2023, which is down over 100,000 tons from 2019 (CAA, 2024). You’d think less luggage would mean fewer mistakes — clearly not.
Other airlines you should watch out for
This is how the rest of the top ten airlines stack up based on average monthly searches for missing luggage:
- British Airways – 6,938 searches
- KLM – 1,372 searches
- easyJet – 1,208 searches
- Emirates – 1,048 searches
- Lufthansa – 987 searches
- Ryanair – 985 searches
- Turkish Airlines – 803 searches
- Qatar Airways – 598 searches
- American Airlines – 557 searches
- Aer Lingus – 523 searches
These numbers are based on UK searches alone. So even though some of these are international airlines, they’re being searched by passengers flying into or out of the UK.
What surprised me most about these findings is that premium airlines dominate the top spots. The biased assumption that budget airlines are more likely to mishandle luggage doesn’t seem to hold up.
The research methodology used by Ink Digital focused on analyzing average monthly search volumes related to lost luggage. Using Google Keyword Planner, they tracked searches specifically about lost, delayed, or missing baggage for major airlines operating in the UK.
It’s worth noting that these raw numbers don’t account for the total number of passengers each airline carries. Airlines with more flights and passengers naturally have more opportunities to lose luggage. A more balanced comparison would look at the rate of lost luggage per 1,000 passengers, but this data wasn’t included in the study.
Why these numbers matter
Now, to be fair, search volume isn’t the same as a lost luggage report filed with the Civil Aviation Authority.
But when thousands of people are searching for how to find their lost bags with a specific airline, something’s clearly going wrong. And when you compare that to real complaints filed, the story lines up.
A separate analysis by Simple Flying using CAA data found that Ryanair and British Airways had the most lost luggage complaints filed between 2018 and 2022. BA had 844 complaints and Ryanair had 954 during that time.
And as you can imagine, luggage goes missing more often during peak travel times which is around like holidays like Christmas. So you see that the numbers quite reflect what travellers are actually experiencing.
What you can do to protect your luggage
After see all this data on the UK airlines most likely to lose your luggage, you’re probably wondering: what can I actually do to protect my luggage?
I’ve traveled enough to know that even the best suitcase can’t save you from a poor airline experience. But knowing which airlines struggle the most with baggage handling can help you plan smarter, pack better, and maybe avoid a ruined trip.
If you’re flying from the UK, and especially if you’re checking in luggage, this data might help you plan better. This ranking doesn’t mean you’ll definitely lose your bag on British Airways or easyJet, but it shows which airlines are searched for the most when things do go wrong.
I avoid checking bags where I can or using trackers like AirTags just in case. And when I do check a bag, I now take photos of it, note what’s inside, and keep receipts for anything valuable.
I recommend you use a tracking device (like an AirTag or Tile). It’s cheap and reliable. You’ll know where your bag is, even when your airline doesn’t. For instance, United Airlines (which doesn’t appear in the UK top 10) has integrated Apple’s Share Item Location feature for AirTag and similar devices into its app.
So, if you don’t want to lose track of your luggage, check out these quality Air Tags.
Also, label your luggage clearly, inside and out. Include your contact details in case the tag on the outside gets ripped off. Avoid checking bags when you can. Carry-on might mean less space, but it also means no waiting by the carousel. Take photos of your bag before check-in. If it goes missing, you’ll have something to show the airline.
Have you ever had your luggage lost by one of these airlines? Comment below—I’d love to hear how it turned out.
