Freeport City Travel Forum

I am taking two plane trips to get to the bahamas. From Texas to florida, then to the Bahamas. Does anyone know if people loose their luggage when they don't take them as a carry on?

I made the same trip many years ago. I didn't lose my luggage en route, but my hotel room was broken into...don't get a room on the ground floor...

Bill

There is always the chance that luggage will be lost. But usually it catches up with you in a day, so take a small carry-on piece with essentials (change of clothes/undies, toothbrush, deodorant, etc.) in case your luggage takes a different route from you.

Luggage usually gets lost when connecting flights arrive and leave within a very reduced amount of time between arrival of first flight and departure of the connecting flight. Not sure how this may have changed since changes in security and luggage is now supposed to go on the flight with the passenger.

Are you going on the same airline with a connecting ticket? (That is - are you going on AA and American Eagle all the way or transferring from one airline to another one like Chalk or Bahamasair?) If you are going to transfer, it will be much easier if you do everything as a carry-on. But on the smaller planes you can't take as big a carry-on as you do on the bigger ones. So you may have to gate check the larger bag(s).

Note: I think it is rare for gate checked luggage to be lost. or sent to the wrong place.

However, there is no more chance of your losing your luggage on that trip than any other trip within the US. My sister lost her luggage (temporarily) on a flight from NY to Jacksonville without any change of planes. Also luggage isn't usually completely lost - it just doesn't get to your destination exactly when you do.

I almost always take two carry on sized bags and check one, and (knock wood) they've not lost them yet. I do take a change of underwear, a bathing suit an extra shirt along with all my medications, cameras, dive gear and/or computers in my carry on. You don't need a lot of luggage to go to the Bahamas anyway.

I have flown to and from the states to the Bahamas MANY times in the past 3 years. The airlines has lost my luggage 2 times. I always got it back anywhere form 1 - 3 days later.So...carry your toothbrush, make-up, comb & brush, deodorant and a lite change of clothes in a carry-on and let the rest go below. It makes traveling so much easier!