When Staci Grubaugh traveled to Guadalajara, a city in the Mexican state of Jalisco, in 2004, her luggage was lost on the way there. And it happened again when she came home.
"Somewhere in the layover, my luggage got lost," said Grubaugh, a media production senior. "It was confusing, I did not speak very good Spanish. It took about two days for me to get my luggage."
With Spring Break coming up next week, a lot of travelers could face similar problems.
Julie Rodriguez, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport spokeswoman, said March is the busiest traveling month of the year for the airport. March 19, which is the second Sunday of Spring Break, is expected to be the peak travel day.
"When you come to the airport in March, expect it to be busy," Rodriguez said. "The planes are very full and the airport is very busy. "
Sky Harbor airport is enforcing the one carry-on and one personal item per passenger policy.
"If you arrive at the security checkpoint with more than that, [officials] will send you back to check in the luggage," Rodriguez said.
But Grubaugh's case indicates that checking your luggage could lead to lost bags.
Airlines in the United States misplaced about 10,000 bags in 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
US Airways, which exited bankruptcy last year and merged with Tempe-based America West, had the highest mishandled-luggage rate of major carriers. The former US Airways mishandled 9.62 bags per 1,000 passengers, which means the luggage could have been pilfered, damaged or lost.
America West ranked sixth with 4.33 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers.
Valerie Wunder, spokeswoman for the combined airline, said that with the merger there are more resources, which will help the airline to improve performance.
"In Philadelphia alone, US Airways spent $2 million on ground equipment and hired 400 personnel -- primarily on the ramp -- to improve the system," Wunder said. "As a result of these new resources, US Airways baggage numbers have improved systemwide 44 percent from 2004 to 2005."
Wunder said customers whose luggage is mishandled may be entitled to interim services, such as toiletries, while away from home.
Passengers should be aware of where bags travel from check-in until they are placed on the plane, Wunder said.
"It may need additional screening, which the [Transportation Security Administration] handles," Wunder said.
Passengers should not check cameras, medication or personal items, Wunder added.
"Passengers should arrive early, put identification not only on the outside of the bag but on the inside as well," Wunder said.
Grubaugh said it was rough to be two days without her luggage.
"The whole transition thing of going to another country, and then not having luggage, was an interesting way to adapt," Grubaugh said.
Travelers should have any essentials in their carry-on luggage or avoid checking bags in if they can, Grubaugh said.
Expensive things should be packed really well or carried onto the plane, Grubaugh added.
"The sad part of my story is that my bag that [was lost] coming home had all my souvenirs and crafty things, and they all got broken," Grubaugh said.
Reach the reporter at tatiana.hensley@asu.edu.
