It might be one of your worst fears when heading to the airport. Losing your luggage during the flight and never seeing it again.
Unfortunately, it happens more often than you might think, according to new research.
According to Compare the Market Australia research, roughly A third (32.1%) of Canadians have lost their luggage during a flight6.7% of those who lost their luggage never looked at it again.
In the study comparing the experiences of Canadians, Americans and Australians, Canada had the highest rate of flyers losing their bags during flights, followed by the United States at 27.6% and Australia at 24.5%.
The researchers surveyed more than 3,000 adults in three countries and asked if their luggage had been returned, how long it took, and whether they were covered by their airline or travel insurance.
How often do flyers get refunds?
Thankfully, if you lose your bags, the chances of getting them back are in your favor. Data shows that more than 90% of people in all three countries who said they lost their luggage managed to get it back at some point. I was.
Over 93% of Canadians and Australians returned their packages, but nearly 10% of Americans who lost their packages never saw them again, compared to 90.2% of Americans. I mean The Australian who ran out of bags has lost them forever.
This graph plots survey data from 3,000 Canadians, Americans, and Australians who said they had lost their luggage during their flight. Data collected by Compare the Market Australia. Chart created by Joey Chini, CTVNews.ca Canadians seem most likely to get compensation from their airlines if their luggage is nowhere to be found. 37% said they received a refund after their luggage was lost, compared to 25.2% of Australians and 23.4% of Americans.
Canadians also had the shortest average waiting time required to obtain maximum coverage compared to the other two countries. They said they had to wait an average of 18 days, but Americans and Australians said they had to wait longer to get less money. The American he is about 21 US$668 and the Australian about 28 US$512.
However, Canadians who chose to file a claim for lost luggage through their travel insurance company received a refund of around US$560 after waiting an average of 11 days. Meanwhile, the Australian waited an average of 26 days for a refund of about US$569 from his travel insurance company, while the American said he waited 15 days for his US$1,031 refund.
Some survey respondents were covered by both airlines and travel insurance.
What do you lose most often?
The survey found that 63.5% of Canadians said they had never had anything stolen or lost while traveling by air, compared to 72% of Australians and just under 60% of Americans.
Nearly 11% of Canadian survey respondents said they had lost clothes, 8.9% said they had lost electronic devices, 8.4% said they had lost jewelry or watches, 7.4% said they had lost wallets, 6.7% said they lost their wallets. 3.6% lost their passport or ID card, 1.8% lost something else.
Electronics are the items Americans are most likely to lose or have stolen, while Australians say clothing is the most likely item to be lost.
When asked how to protect themselves against loss or theft of their belongings, Canadians and Americans say keeping valuables close at hand is the best solution, while Australians buy travel insurance. I answered that is the best way.
Compare Pure Profiles commissioned by the market to survey 1,004 Australian, 1,008 Canadian and 1,009 American adults in November 2022.
