Each year, the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) makes public its data on lost, damaged and stolen item accusations.
Reddit user, canonicalized, has put this information into a handy, interactive chart that is easy to read and digest and, if you are wondering what may have become of yours or others lost items, these numbers may provide some insight.
It’s pretty hard to get a claim paid, according to the chart. Results showed that not even two out of five claims were approved or settled.
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If you are filing a claim, you are more likely to get repaid if you file it in the first half of the year, according to the data, which found that there was a lower average of payments approved in the second part of the year.
The average amount people receive for claims also fluctuates. In 2014, for example, the average settlement for a claim was $428 but, in 2003, the average amount for a settlement was $213. Last year, travelers receive $215 on average.
Overall, those who settled came out ahead. On average, people received $199 for claims between 2002 and 2017. Those claims approved in full received around $154 on average. Those who settled claims got about $264.
There are a few airports that stood out. In fact, according to the TSA data compiled by Public Tableau, more than half, 53 percent, of claims came from just 19 different airports.
The top four airlines against which claims have been filed include Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. However, in good news, it looks like claims have declined over the last 16 years.
