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Katherine Scott and Tim Biggs Hundreds of bags were delayed at Hamburg Airport last month. A global shortage of baggage handlers has resulted in a spike in the number of delayed or lost baggage. Photo: Getty Images Lost and delayed baggage continues to plague the airline industry amid soaring travel demand and a widespread shortage of baggage handlers. Several airlines have taken extreme steps to contain the crisis, with US carrier Delta Air Lines this week flying with delayed baggage, and no passengers, from London to Detroit. Icelandair, meanwhile, puts its own baggage handlers on flights to Amsterdam to ensure baggage is dropped off at the city’s overwhelmed Schiphol Airport. Amid horror stories about lost and delayed bags, travelers are turning to baggage tracking devices to try and make sure they can find their belongings, even if airlines can’t find them. Shane Miller used Apple AirTag to find his own delayed bag at Melbourne Airport, after waiti...

A worker at an outsourcing firm Qantas has registered to replace Aussie staff has claimed the national carrier lost ‘one in 10’ baggage bags – although the company vehemently denies that figure. The ‘spirit of Australia’ was brought to justice by the Transport Workers Union in late 2020 when it was ruled that the airline had illegally fired nearly 2,000 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff before shifting their jobs to foreign-owned providers including Swissport. The Swiss company has since been forced to seek employment firms, some of which are not aviation-specific, to manage worker shortages for Qantas and Jetstar flights – a decision that infuriated company staff who accused them of being poorly trained and up to 10 percent of all misplaced luggage. “I would tell everyone, don’t check-in bags when you fly with Qantas now, or even better if you can avoid it, don’t fly Qantas at all,” an anonymous Swissport worker told...