Priority Baggage
 

Has anyone else noticed that priority bags are coming off mixed within regular bags more and more often these days?

I sat on three planes and watched baggage handlers throwing bags with priority tags on a conveyer belt mixed in with the others (2 @ SFO and 1 @ ORD)!

This perk costs UA nothing to administer, so I hope that it isn't going away, or being treated more as a marketing tactic!

Priority Luggage Handling is the biggest joke in the industry. It varies from airline to airline and from port to port and from day to day.

Anyone have a contact at WHQ to evict change.

For UA, I have found that on international flights, priority baggage usually comes out early, which is a big convenience when clearing customs. Domestically, I don't think it matters at all. On the other hand, it's a rare occasion when I have to submit my luggage to the TSA for inspection, damage, and theft on a domestic flight, so my sampling may be too small.

Because this horse hasn't been beaten before

Priority tags only means that baggage handlers can zero in luggage with potentially better loot.

Just kidding (somewhat). :rolleyes:

It means absolutely nothing unless you happen to be connecting to SQ, NH or TG. And even then, it does happen occasionally that your bag gets delayed a bit, although very rarely. ^ ^ ^

It was my understanding that Priority bags should be loaded last and unloaded first. Of course, it was also my understanding that pets traveling in the cargo hold should be taken planeside and loaded right before departure, and unloaded and taken into the terminal immediately upon landing. They also should be walked, given water and fed at each stop.

Yeah, right. Tell that to my dog who travels IAD-FRA-TLS at least 2 to 3 times each year on UA-LH. He always spends a very long time on the tarmac at FRA as they wait to load him last onto the CRJ (even in sub-zero temperatures in December or January) and they usually repeat the same procedure in TLS. They unload him first and then make him wait until all the luggage is out before taking him to the terminal. They NEVER walk him at FRA (even with 3 to 4 hour layover), no matter what the LH Biz Lounge folks say (his bladder content is usually dark orange by the time we land in TLS and we can walk him). As for food and water, whatever... :mad:

Ooops, I am going off topic again. Sorry. :rolleyes:

I'd agree with others that it is the biggest joke. On larger planes, they have special cans for the priority bags and they're loaded with the others. On other planes, I believe the priority bags will be put in a special section in the hold (unless you're connecting, then they go with connecting bags). They aren't the last ones on the plane (on the big planes, if your bag is last on it goes in a special section and is one of the last off). It isn't free because there's a productivity loss from looking through the bags to find the priority ones to get out first (when you've got a couple hundred bags from a flight this can take a while). The real thing they focus on with baggage is making sure that connecting bags make it on the next flight since lost//delayed bags cost a lot of money.

Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.
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I recall a few times coming into ORD with the Priority baggage sticker.

Seriously, I was one the last bags to come out if not the LAST bag :(

That's what I call priority @:-)

On the ORD to SFO route, my luggage almost always comes on an earlier flight regarless of having a priority tag or not. I usually get off the plane, head to baggage claim and find my luggage waiting along side the belt for the ORD flights.

Leaving them vulnerable to theft, damage or misplacement.

I rarely check bags anymore, but on a recent PIT-ORD-SFO trip, my checked bags came out pretty early with the Priority Tags on. Whether it was related or not, I don't have experience. On the way out to PIT, the agent didn't put any Priority Tags on either bag.

Maybe it's dumb luck, but priority baggage has worked for me in terms of getting my bags out fairly early on for the last few years. I have noticed in the last few months though that the bags are now mixed and my bag was indeed one of the last out of SFO while I was running late. I hope this doesn't happen when I return to LAX, as baggage claim usually takes forever there.

in general, priority tags seem to get me nothing in the states. some overseas destinations are good, e.g. nrt; even lhr last week, where i generally consider it lucky to get my luggage at all.

but, when traveling to poorer countries, i make sure not to have a priority tag. i also use funky luggage etc. for those trips.

What I've observed is this -

On domestic flights, the orange Priority labels mean zip in terms of your bag being first out on the belt, regardless of what anyone says. I believe these tags flag your bag as "priority" in terms of the baggage handlers making sure it gets loaded on your flight(s); IOW it will not be one of the bags they offload if overweight, if it is late checked they make the effort to get it on your plane, will receive priority to make connections (I've had priority tagged bags make a 10 minute connection at ORD that I barely made as a pax), and in general they are supposed to (and IME seem to) give "priority" to making sure your bag gets on the plane(s) you're on.

On international flights, United First tagged bags definitely receive expedited handling and come out First. My experience with orange Priority tagged bags on international flights is that, more often than not, they do come out before non-priority bags, but not always. LHR is probably the most consistent at processing arriving bags in the "correct" order. YMMV.

Consider yourself highly lucky - last time I checked a bag on ORD-SFO it rode on my flight and from gate arrival to first bags hitting the carousel was about an hour. :td:

To echo the other comments, the only time I've seen it make a difference was on international flights, and particularly on other *A carriers.

The most amusing for me was ORD-LAX-CHC, with the LAX-CHC segment on Air New Zealand. I had checked a backpack in the business class line at O'Hare, where it didn't receive a priority tag and was just thrown onto the conveyor, but ~24 hours later at baggage claim in Christchurch, it was one of the first items on the belt -- but now enclosed in a clear plastic bag with several priority stickers attached.

On the way back home (SYD-SFO-ORD) with the same checked backpack, it got a priority sticker in SYD and was among the first off the belt in SFO, but one of the last at ORD. And no clear plastic bag treatment either (the straps were well secured both ways, but it was nice to see somebody cared... I just wonder who?).