Look at United and Northwest who do use scanning. Their bag numbers are not any better than anyone elses. There's also a lot more that goes on than you realize. Many larger airports have complex bag belt systems that automatically route bags. Sometimes they route them to the wrong airline. And that airline does not always take them back to where they belong, or at least not in time for the flight. The down side is that these systems are put in and controlled by the airport, not the airline.
When I worked bagage service I had a couple times where I would have a city call looking for a bag. Nowhere to be found. Suddenly we get a call from another airline in their hub (and at that an airport we didn't even fly into) wondering why they have this bag.
What people don't realize either, is that once the airline pays out on your bag, it will not be returned if it is found, unless you return the money. And yes, they do sometimes get found after payment.
|