California Travelers: Don't Take Luggage to These 10 Airports

The Christmas travel period is quickly approaching. AAA estimates that 7.51 million Americans will fly to and from their destination, up 4.7% from the end of year travel period last year. If you’re among those folks, you’ll want to read this before you call for your Uber to the airport.

What type of traveler are you? Are you a master Tetris packer who can fold and squish everything you need for a week long vacation into a single carry-on and backpack? Or are you notorious for overpacking and know that you’ll have to cough up the checked luggage fee so the airline can deal with getting all of your stuff from Point A to Point B?

Getty Images

This article is for travelers who fall into the second category. Earlier this year, Forbes discovered through a travel survey that lost or damaged luggage was one of the top concerns people have while traveling. That’s why they pulled data to determine which of America’s 100 busiest airports were most likely to mishandle your luggage.

The Bottom Line for Idaho Travelers

Only one Idaho airport has enough traffic to be included in the Forbes list, the Boise Airport. If this is your point of origin, your luggage is in pretty good hands. Out of 100 airports, Boise ranked #90 with a property loss rate of .41 per 100,000 passengers. They had an identical rate of passengers claiming property damage. Of those claims, 29.41% of passengers were able to get their lost luggage reimbursed in full. 36.76% got their damaged luggage reimbursed in full.

Get our free mobile app

The bad news? Three of the destinations that AAA forecasts as the most popular year-end destinations for Idaho travelers appear on Forbes’ “Top 10 Worst Airports for Lost and Damaged Luggage”, so there’s a chance that when you arrive back at BOI, your luggage may not show up or will be damaged when you pull it off the carousel. Those include Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Hawaii.

The Bottom Line for California Travelers

When it comes to leaving California for a trip, there’s good news and bad news. The good news? Only LAX is in the Top 10 Worst Airports for Lost and Damaged Luggage. The bad news? Two more major California airports are sitting just outside in the Top 20.

Getty Images

SAN (San Diego International Airport) ranks #11 on the list with a property loss rate of .48 and property damage rate of .57. 16.04% of people had their lost bags reimbursed in full. 26.06% had their damaged items reimbursed in full.

OAK (Oakland International) ranks #18 on the list with a property loss rate of .66 and property damage rate of .46. 19.88% of people had their lost bags reimbursed in full. 26.29% had their damaged items reimbursed in full.

The Final Word

Whether you’re leaving from Idaho or California, if any of these are your point of origin or destination, you may want to plan on perfecting your Tetris packing and travel carry-on only.

Flying to These 10 Destinations From Idaho or California? Don't Take Luggage With You

According to Forbes, these are the 10 airports are the most likely to lose or damage your luggage. While ranking the airports, they not only considered the rate of complaints filed but how many of those victims were fully reimbursed.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: 19 Items Absolutely Banned From Carry-On Luggage at the Boise Airport

Baggage fees stink and you'll do anything you can to avoid paying them, including dragging some more items on the plane with you. Unfortunately, won't get away with it if you try to bring these items through security as a carry-on.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

LOOK: 19 Items Absolutely Banned from Checked Bags at the Boise Airport

You may be familiar with what you can and cannot pack in your carry-on. But how familiar with items banned from your checked luggage? These are 19 of the more than 50 items that can't fly in your checked bag according to the TSA.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart