Westchester Airport Ranked Among The Worst Nationwide For Lost Luggage

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — According to a recent Forbes Advisor survey, more than 60 percent of U.S. adults with vacation plans over the next six months have concerns about an airline losing their luggage and it turns out those concerns aren't unfounded, especially for those of us starting our travels at nearby airports.

Some airports have historically been more likely to lose or damage luggage during the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening process, and less likely to fully reimburse travelers for lost and damaged property, according to the study.

Forbes Advisor compared the country's 100 busiest airports across four key metrics, using data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, and concluded that four of the top 15 worst airports for lost and damaged luggage are located in or close to the Hudson Valley.

Westchester County Airport (HPN) had the dubious honor of coming in at No. 13 on the list, in a tie with Lihue Airport. HPN ranked seventh worst for property loss claim reimbursement, with just 10 percent of claims fully reimbursed. It came in as ninth worst for property damage claim reimbursement, with 22.86 percent of claims fully reimbursed.

JFK International Airport ranked No. 1 nationwide for lost and damaged luggage. It had the highest number of property loss claims (1.93 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) and property damage claims (1.48 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) between 2013 and 2022.

Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) ranked eighth worst for lost and damaged luggage. Between 2013 and 2022, EWR had the fourth highest number of property loss claims (1.05 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers) and tied with Albany International Airport (ALB) for having the fifth highest number of property damage claims (0.77 claims per 100,000 domestic passengers).

Albany International Airport came in at No. 12 on the list.

The airlines that were found to be most likely to mishandle luggage were American Airlines, followed by Skywest Airlines and United Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines was found to be the best on the list for handling luggage.

You can read the full article, along with details on the methodology, here.