Priority baggage handling?
 

I have repeatedly notice that bags that are tagged "priority" are often the last off the plane. This was made exceptionally clear last week when I was flying with a friend and he checked in with me at the 1K counter at SFO. Our bags were check at essentially the same time but mine was marked priority and his was not. His was literally one of the first bags off while mine (and all of the other priority customers) came around about 20 minutes later? Is this really a problem - should I avoid getting priority tagging?

It does vary, but on the whole I've found my bags come out in the first load, or at least the second. There are some exceptions, but I've often found this is where they have had a late connection to my flight and a load of checked bags were loaded late.
Then again, I don't check bags for trips of a week or less...

Welcome to FT, uber1K_Flyer!

The PRIORITY tag seems to mean different things to different people (and different airports). Sometimes it means the bags will be off first. Sometimes it means they come off last. And sometimes it means "damage me first". Since there's no real definition of what PRIORITY means, it's hit or miss whether you'll get what you expect.

The general census seems to be sometimes / some stations priority tags work and in other cases the tags are ignored. That's been my personal experience also. Would not say priority bags go to the back of the queque on a regualr basis. basicly just a non-benefit in most cases. :td:

Priority Bag Tags - Don't do me any favors!

Priority Tag..What does it do?

Indeed. Sitting in the window seat wincing as I recognise my bag being chucked onto the loading belt... I can recognise it because it's the one with three wheels and the broken handle.

Time to get a new bag, Red_Fox! :D

On a recent BOS-LAS r.t. both priority tagged bags were among the first half dozen on the belt, at both ends of the trip, and the transit hub on each trip was DEN. This was impressive. Out the door in 5 minutes at BOS, previously unheard of!

That's my third bag in 18 months. I even shelled out on Samsonite this time...

The only time the Priority tags have helped me was one time on a regional jet where one of the 2 cargo bay doors was stuck closed - because of this, they couldn't fit all of the outgoing pax bags on the plane. Those with priority tags were guaranteed to be put onboard though - so my bags made the flight while some other pax didn't

I almost felt worse for the pax on the inbound flight though - their bags were stuck inside the plane for god knows how long!

Yikes, I like Samsonite too, seems very durable. Do you check bags often?

I find in general the priority tag means much more internationally. My bags always seem to come off very quickly in HKG/BKK/ICN, while here at home (primarily IAD) it's hit or miss.

And of course you have Murphy's Law - when you are in absolutely no hurry the bags come right off. And when fighting a tight connection (i.e. thru Int'l customs) they come off last!!

For example, I arrived UA 856 HKG-SFO last Tuesday - my 2 bags were #1 & #3 off teh belt - when I had plenty of time for connection. And surprisingly my bags were also in the first 5 off on the continuation to IAD!! And of course, my ride was late picking me up due to traffic!!

I used to. I went through a period with work where I would regularly be away for two weeks or more, so I carried my life around with me....
I bought one of the Samsonite stand-up roller jobbies (with the four wheels); it took about six months for the wheel to go wobbly (a bit like a shopping cart) and then fall off. The handle is fairly recent; it's actually a strip of metal underneath the soft material, so it was a bit like a razor; took a bit of work to get the remains off. Still, it's better than my last bag; I was about to set off for the airport when a wheel fell off leaving a gaping hole in my suitcase. I didn't fancy mine being that bag you see that spills your underwear onto the reclaim belt!

I go with trusty Costco's Kirkland Signature line. Decent price and if it ever has a problem just take it back for an immediate refund. Can't get much better than that. I always check my bags and I've had one case where the 26" bag started tearing (looks like it was due to some severe abrasion) so I simply took it back and got it exchanged.

On topic, the only airport where I seem to receive priority handling is in SFO. Otherwise it just comes out when they want it to come out! What a waste of paper. If they didn't bother with it anymore they might be able to shave a few pounds on every flight and save some fuel. :)

Domestically, I don't think the priority tags mean anything. However, internationally, they usually come through first, and are often removed by an agent who stands by them and personally hands them over. Domestically, I think it is one more service that never really materialized.

Where did you get an extra wheel? My suitcase only has two. :D