Do "Priority" luggage tags get luggage delivered quicker?

35 replies

drgmarshall

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 10 May 2012

Total posts 106

General Question for Platinum or Gold FFers. One of the perks of top tier status is getting Business or even First Class "priority" labels on checked bags; even when flying economy etc. But, how often do FFers actually get their bags returned quickly at the Carousel at the end of the flight? It seems to me that only about 5-10% of the time are my bags delivered within the first 20-20% of bags coming off the carousel. To me, this is a really good potential perk of loyalty but one that airline "procedures" at the end of the flight seem to constantly fail to deliver. Any thoughts?

btaus

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 15 Dec 2016

Total posts 171

No. Flown Cathay Pacific once in business with my Platinum One (oneworld Emerald) status and when I'm claiming bags in HKG, all the no-status economy passengers got their bag first, then Priority bags, then no-status business class passengers, which was sort of crazy.

Last editedby btaus at Sep 28, 2017, 10:12 AM.

flychrisfly

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 09 Jun 2011

Total posts 40

It's at about 50% for me... Love love love it when it happens. Hate hate hate it when it doesn't. Better on single sector flights, where as transfers from a connecting flight seem to have less success.

MRYJDrake

Air New Zealand - Airpoints

Member since 31 Oct 2016

Total posts 206

My experience is limited to Air NZ, and of course the plural of Anecdotes isn't Data, but my experience has always been high with those... Walking out of 1A and 1C, through the zipzap gates and walking away from the baggage carousel before people have even started to pool around the area.

sdtravel

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 18 Jun 2015

Total posts 81

Depends on the airline, destination & route. International i find it does work most of the time. Domestic not at all.


Also just because it has an orange tag on it doesnt mean its given priority. I checked in with a friend with no status a while ago. I had 2 bags they had one. All were tagged priority with the orange flag. When i got to sydney the first was out in no time but my second bag took ages to come out and do did my friends. When i got home i saw it was tagged under the no status's name so the computer or whatever sorts them didnt recognise it.

ausJCP

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 28 Aug 2014

Total posts 132

It's very hit and miss all over the world.

I've never consistently experienced receiving my priority-tagged checked baggage first on the carousel, except when arriving into LAX domestically on AA! Every time... always the first bags to come out!

Imagine my surprise... This is perhaps the only thing done well by AA at LAX...

markpk

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 29 Nov 2013

Total posts 456

My experience:

  • Domestic QF - generally yes. Some airports have good and bad months
  • International QF - to NZ, yes all the time; to the US - generally no; coming back to Oz, generally yes.

readosunnycoast

Member since 05 Oct 2011

Total posts 117

No. Flown Cathay Pacific once in business with my Platinum One (oneworld Emerald) status and when I'm claiming bags in HKG, all the no-status economy passengers got their bag first, then Priority bags, then no-status business class passengers, which was sort of crazy.
Last edited by btaus at Sep 28, 2017, 10.12 AM.

charby

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 03 Nov 2015

Total posts 1

Hello. I have been working in the baggage services department at syd international for a few years as a contractor for multiple airlines. Bags with separate priority tags do get loaded and unloaded first. Most carriers also require bags with priority tags to be placed in separate compartments as well. the airlines (such as virgin australia) have a scanning system and if there is a priority or no priority tag, the bag will only scan into the priority compartment only. if there is no electronic scanning system such as cebu, and there is no separate priority tag, then yes, it could get missed


Last editedby charby at Sep 28, 2017, 11:42 AM.

readosunnycoast

Member since 05 Oct 2011

Total posts 117

You could scarcely call one flight a reliable sample for data. I reckon the bags come out early about 85-90% of the time when they have a prioroty tag. Often if the term PRIORITY is merely printed on the baggage tag it doesnt apply. The exception to this is domestic travel in the where mostly they dont take any notice AT ALL.

ACM

Member since 05 Sep 2017

Total posts 31

My view would be invariably it does work, but human nature being what it is we remember the times it does not. A recent trip involved 4 sectors on MH (my first experience with them) and they got it right 4/4.

jkinsella

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 28 Sep 2017

Total posts 1

I've found most of my trips this year have been lucky with collecting luggage first off the rack. Mostly with Oneworld airlines such as QF, CX, QR, BA.

mspcooper

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 09 May 2013

Total posts 442

I'm QF and VA platinum. Domestic: i have never seen priority tags any priority (however, i think the luggage gets piled in as they arrive and loaded in with last check in as the first bag to go in and when they place it back on the small vehicles, the last loaded bag usually goes in the bottom of the pile and hence arrives late-what a great theory eh ;-) ) International: i have received my cathay, emirates and singapore bags very promptly in the first 5mins.

UANTHONY

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 18 May 2017

Total posts 2

My experience is that it works for 80% of my trips going from SYD, coming back whether tagged first of business they never come out in the first lot. Find SYD to be the worst airport for this.

LP

Member since 30 Jun 2016

Total posts 11

VA almost always have my bags out in the first tranche, from a large sample size of flights. SQ are consistently good as well, travelling as VA WP.


I've only flown QF a few times and am red/bronze, but the last time I checked my bag it came out third on the carousel.

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