I've had good luck in Asia. In the US, Priority seems to mean first-on, last-off. I've gotten to asking them to leave them off my bags for US destinations.

The idea is not bad - but I would advocate that the carriers first get their act together on handling the PRIORITY tagged luggage better first before introducing a second tier.

IME it works well in APAC, it can/may work in NA - and it never works in EU (one could speculate that an effort was made in EU not to make it work)

I've had a fantastic set of experiences in some 5 years of Star Gold so far, regarding priority baggage. It might be because I tend to fly on 747s on "quality" airlines mostly (think ANA and Singapore Airlines), but without exaggeration I can count with one hand the number of times that my bag wasn't in the first "lot" which were unloaded from a flight. Those times that the bag wasn't swift in being sent down the belt, I would normally find that somehow the priority tag has made its way off the bag for one reason or the other.

In fact, at places like LHR the bags are more often than not already waiting for me on the carousel. Especially when ANA insists on putting the "First Class" tags on my bags, as a Star Gold member. Even LH managed to deliver my bags in the first lot both ways back last December.

Having said that, I have never set foot on the NA region since becoming Star Gold so can't offer my experiences from that region. Certainly between Europe and Asia, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

Because in some airports, a priority tagged bag seemingly already means last on carousel. Having a First Priority? That's just about right on cue for handlers in those airports to just send it off to Havana or somewhere suitably exotic.

More seriously, as OFFlyer said, I would be more concerned about getting the elementary things right, i.e. actually delivering the orange tagged bags before rather than after all the other bags. Once that's sorted, maybe they can try the two-tier priority thing, but I don't fancy their chances too much.

If you want to see military-style accuracy in "ranks" of bags being sent down the carousel, look no further than SQ where on every flight's belt, the bags will always come out in the First Class -> Raffles -> Economy order. Always.

I finally had my first positive experience with *A priority tags on arrival in MAD from ARN with JK a couple days ago. I have learned to just take a seat and watch the show as those less experienced actually think bags will appear without at least a 15 minute wait.

On this occasion when the carousel actually started I was amazed to see my 2 bags to be the first out and had to run over to grab them. After I had arranged everything for the dash to the taxi, I noticed that not only were my bags the first but the only bags to enter the terminal. I got some real looks as I made my way past those that had been lurking over the carousel for now over 20 minutes.

This follows an experience in ARN 2 months ago arriving from MAD with JK along with several JK executives in the C cabin. Overheard some interesting comments when their bags along with mine were among the last to make it on the carousel.

As for my recent Asia experience in June; arriving SK in NRT from CPH in C somewhere in the middle and arriving CPH from NRT was last bag off.

That follows an IAD and 2 EWR intercontinental arrivals where they were meaningless as well.

I have never had much problems with Priority Luggage but I do most of my travelling intra-Asia.

Horrible wait yesterday on UA LAX to MEX. It was almost an hour...

Exactly the sort of member carrier which could use First Priority * tags. LH have First tags which are the standard * tags with a blue HON border, so adopting for those airlines that wish to - add FIRST to the body of tag and remove HON. This saves airlines having to put their own First tags and * Priority tags on interline pax's luggage.

Some peak shorter flights have almost every piece entitled to Priority handling so First Priority on these routes would make a big difference.Such a pitty that other airlines executives don't claim checked baggage from their airline.

I have decided, after extensive experience, that these tags mean nothing to the baggage handlers. It made me feel good, still

No more baggage handling/priority tag tiers please...
They shouldn't exagerrate this priority thing, I think it's good as it is if they can just make it work.
Instead they should try to educate the baggage handlers and implement routines so it does work, it's all about attitudes and motivation!!
I think many baggage handlers don't realise why the tags exist, that in fact the owners of those bags are the most loyal customers and contribute to a large part of their salaries.

Maybe, but what's wrong with having a two tier system ? There is no reason why it couldn't work.

I have to laugh every time they stick one of those Star Alliance 'Priority' tags on my bags - because they don't seem to come out any faster. Recent flight on UA between Dulles and Zurich - my Priority-tagged bag was the absolute last bag to come off the belt. In fact, I had started looking around for lost baggage help when it finally came in to sight. In the end, about 30-40 minutes lost.

this seems to be a problem of europe and usa etc.

in asia, in most countries i have been to the baggage everytime comes first.

for example in NRT if i have a connection time to bus or train i calculate 30mins from the time my plane arrived to the bus or train departure.

as in japan it is working all the time, i only missed my bus one time, by one minute but that time i only had 20min to connect.

i think there is not need for new tags for first/business, but they should get it worked alliance wide.

i think if the HONs and others here complain in an letter to LH or other leading star carriers, they will listen to this problem.

if we dont complain and complain and complain again the airlines will not change anything. or force the airports to handle the things the way it should be.

dp

Interesting topic...

From my experience with LH, the standard priority tag does not owrk at all...

But recently I travelled with my dad, who is a HON and hell, those HON Priority tags in Germany really work like mad! Upon arrival in DUS from BOS via FRA our luggage came WAY before the other luggage, even way before standard priority tags, which came as usual mixed with normal baggage.

In Germany those HON Priority tags really work!

Take care
AF_FP