A new survey about shows Canadians beat Americans and Australians for the most lost luggage during air travel.
New data from a Compare the Market Australia survey shows that one-third of Canadians have lost their luggage, followed fairly distantly by Americans at 27.6 per cent and Australians at 24.5 per cent.
The survey questioned 3000 adults in the three countries. While it only compares Canada, Australia and the U.S., the data does show the results are not even close, with Canadians most often left holding the proverbial bag when it comes to waiting for luggage to appear on that airport carousel.
However, the news gets a bit better for Canadians from there.
Respondents were also asked if they got their luggage returned, and if so, how long that took. For those who never got their bags back, they were asked if they were able to collect travel insurance or received compensation from their airline - how much they got, and how long they had to wait.
Just under 7 per cent of Canadians never saw their lost luggage again, on a par with Australians, which was significantly better than the hopes Americans have of being reunited with their belongings: 10 per cent never got their bags returned.
Canadians appear to have the best shot at being compensated by their airline if their bags disappear. We also apparently have the least time to wait - and receive top dollar.
- 37 per cent of Canadian respondents reported they received airline compensation for lost luggage, compared to only a quarter of Australians and 23.4 per cent of Americans;
- Canadians waited on average 18 days for a payout, where Americans wait an average of 3 weeks and Australians, 24 days; and
- The average compensation amount for lost luggage reported by Canadians was USD $734, considerably more than compensation reported by U.S. residents at $668, and nearly a third more than the average amount that Australians reported receiving.
Some respondents double dipped with both airline and travel insurance compensation for their lost bags.
When it came to travel insurance payouts for lost luggage, Canadians trailed the field. Americans waited an average of just over 2 weeks to receive USD $1031, Australians waited the longest at 26 days for compensation averaging $569, and Canadians only waited an average of 11 days - but received the least: only about $560.
