- The number of passengers making claims for lost luggage has soared 30% compared with 2019, per an insurer.
- More lost baggage claims come as the industry faces staffing shortages and high travel demand.
- Most of the missing luggage eventually reappears, the insurer told Bloomberg.
This summer's travel chaos has led to more passengers making claims about lost luggage, according to insurer Mapfre SA.
Bloomberg reported the news.
Mapfre said that compared with 2019, lost baggage claims have increased 30% this summer. The majority of the missing bags are eventually found, meaning no reimbursement is needed, Mapfre told Bloomberg.
Mapfre, based in Spain, didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal working hours.
The surge in lost baggage claims may not come as a surprise given that the airline industry is grappling with a staffing shortage as the COVID-19 pandemic eases. This has made it difficult for airports and carriers to provide all of the services needed for a smooth journey.
The Department of Transportation's Air Travel Consumer Report said US airlines lost, delayed, or damaged nearly 220,000 bags in April — an 135% jump from the same month last year.
In recent weeks, there have been many reports of lost luggage and airport warehouses being filled with stranded bags because of the lack of resources available at airports and within airline companies.
A passenger who lost their baggage worth $10,000 said she had her wedding dress inside, while another said their missing bag contained their parents' ashes. One traveler told Insider he had to spend almost $1,600 on replacement clothes and other items after his luggage got lost when flying from San Diego to Rome with Air Canada.
Some passengers told Insider they're using AirTags to locate their missing luggage but the airlines they traveled with contradicted the data from the tags.
In response to the lost luggage nightmare, Delta Air Lines chartered an Airbus A330 from London to Detroit on July 11 to deliver 1,000 delayed bags to passengers.