Airlines hit record lows for lost baggage, bumped passengers

Air carriers in 2011 recorded their lowest rate of lost or mishandled baggage and the lowest rate of travelers bumped from overbooked flights, but complaints about service nonetheless rose 5.1% compared with 2010. The Los Angeles Times reports that the latest statistics from the U.S. Transportation Department measuring the performance of the nation’s airlines offer some good news for passengers—and some bad. In 2011, the Transportation Department received 3.39 reports of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, the lowest rate since the agency began keeping track of lost bag reports in 1988. U.S. airlines also reported a rate of 0.81 passengers bumped from overbooked flights per 10,000 passengers, the lowest rate since the department started keeping such records in 1995. Airline representatives attributed the improved performance to better technology, training and procedures. However, the department also received 11,545 complaints about airlines’ service, a 5.1% increase from 10,988 complaints in 2010, and 31% higher than the 8,821 complaints filed in 2009. Read the full story here.