Many TPGers only travel with carry-on bags and refuse to check luggage. But for longer trips, it's sometimes hard to avoid checking a bag. (As far as I'm concerned, it's basically why Apple AirTags were invented.)
Airlines have vastly improved their technology, so you can follow your checked bag's progress during travel and receive alerts about what luggage carousel it will land at. However, if you have recently checked a bag, you may have noticed an odd trend: The listed carousel number is often wrong.
So when does this become an actual issue and not just an inconvenience? Here's what you need to know.
If you've played this game of "luggage roulette," you probably waited for what felt like an incredibly long (like a nail-biting, is-my-bag-ever-going-to-appear long) time, only to find your bag circling on an endless loop on another carousel. You are not alone, though.
In a brief TPG Lounge poll on Facebook, we identified 16 airports where readers recently had this experience. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Ronal Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) all appeared as repeat offenders.
"This just happened last Tuesday at EWR. The announcement, app and the carousel sign were incorrect," one TPG Lounge member told us. As someone who flies out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) way too often, I can add that this has happened to me recently, too; United Airlines finally got my bag to me after a lengthy 45-minute delay.
Another TPG Lounge member who works at an airline gave us this inside bit of information: "As an airline employee in Denver, we usually send up the luggage on the announced and posted carousel. Every now and then we have to use a different one right next door. The reason usually is because another airline is blocking where we drop-off the bags."
While this makes sense, the frequency with which we've been seeing this discrepancy makes us wonder if there's some way to get compensated for our time (and our agita when we're staring at an empty carousel).
Related: Lost vs. delayed baggage: How are they different and how do you protect yourself?
The answer is, well, sometimes. In the case of two airlines, you can be rewarded for standing at the right carousel when your bags don't show up — if you've been waiting long enough.
Both Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines offer a guarantee for you to be reunited with your luggage. If your bags are not at the carousel within 20 minutes of your flight arrival time, you'll be entitled to 2,500 miles in compensation. (Alaska also offers the option of a $25 discount code for use on future Alaska flights; however, since Alaska miles are worth 1.45 cents each according to
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