My experience over the past couple of years has been what feels like lower odds than simple random would deliver.

I have seen the bags in front about 4 times.

Mixed in the middle most of the time.

On the back end about 10 times or so (the very LAST on the belt once).

My first time with the yellow tag was always my best.
DTW-NRT-CAN
Priority tagged my backpack. I was first through immigration (a new window opened just as I walked up, I was around the 5th person off the plane), my bag was the first off the plane, therefore was first through customs.

Went from plane to taxi within 15 minutes.

The problem is simple.

The departing baggage handlers take great care to honor the priority tags, and make sure your bags are loaded on the plane first. ;)

NWA just needs to start issuing No-Priority tags. Then the baggage handlers at the departing location will load them last and you'll get them first.

TTL is what I say... I got 10,000 miles for mentioning my troubles with late bags twice in a row.

Why this is irritating
 

Since FC passengers get off the aircraft first, they paradoxically have to wait LONGER for their bags if they do not come of earlier. This is especially true on international flights when getting through passport control early is important.

Northwest sucks at handling these tags..CO doesnt
 

Continental is great at getting my bags off first...

Oddly, I'm a NW Platinum and it never comes off first :(

So most recent flight IAH-DTW-(KIX)-TPE, WBC tagged bags were out first including my mom's.

Seems that international gateways load the flights ok and they come out OK. Domestically, it's a mess....

The same here. I just flew SAT to HNL and return on CO. Bags came off first
both times. Are you paying attention NW operations?

^I recently flew to SAT with a non-elite friend so I got the "priority" tag and he didn't. His bag came out before mine (actually, way before mine) in both SAT and MKE. DL is just as bad. CO priority is the only one that seems to work.

Same thing happened to me on a MSP-ORD flight... but in this case, they left behind the luggage for HALF the passengers on an A320. When filing my claim, I joked to the agent that it had a priority tag, so it must have been the first one they forgot. She laughed and thanked me for not being a royal prick (like most PAX).

As a bag handler for NWA maybe I can shed some light on the issue.

When you receive your bags in asia or europe the bags are generally loaded into containers and the flights have a dedicated container(s) for priority bags and are loaded at the door of the aircraft, thus are the first off and first dumped. It generally works the same way coming back to the states, the only exception being that sometimes some gate checks are loaded in the bulk compartment of the aircraft and take longer.

The problems come when there is a domestic flight, where there are a number of issues ranging from short turn times at the hubs to outsourced stations, and beleive it or not, actually not seeing the priority tag.

We honestly try to get the priority bags off first, but seperating them from the rest of the bags is sometimes harder than one can imagine especially in poor weather,plus we are trying to get everyone their bags as quickly as possible.