Austin airport ranks 4th most lost luggage in U.S., report says

AUSTIN, Texas - Just ahead of the holidays, a new report ranks Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) in the top five for airports most likely to lose your luggage.

There's always that slight risk when you check your luggage that it won't make it to your destination, but ABIA says they're working double time to make sure that doesn't happen especially during this peak travel time.

Elizabeth Ferrer, with ABIA, says the airport has seen an increase in travelers since the spring. So far this year, October was the busiest time for the airport due to Austin City Limits Music Festival and F1, but that doesn't mean these next two months can't be even busier.

"It will just continue to be busy until next Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, and then going through December," Ferrer said.

The increase in travelers also means an increase in luggage.

RELATED: Austin-Bergstrom advises passengers to expect busy Thanksgiving travel season

A recent report from Price 4 Limo ranked the top 10 airports with the most lost luggage. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport ranked number 4, only behind O’Hare International (ORD), Harry Reid International (LAS), and San Diego International (SAN).

American Airlines lost the most baggage, while Southwest lost the least among the four major national airlines, according to the report.

Ferrer says the Austin airport is only responsible for the bags checked in flying outbound. After that, the bags coming in are the airline's responsibility.

"Once they're coming inbound, when a plane lands at our airport, then the airline has their own baggage handlers that are responsible for getting them off the plane and to the terminal to get to the carousel," Ferrer said. "We at the airport take this very seriously about how making sure that the baggage is getting on the plane and that they are secured when they get on the plane."

She says ABIA has implemented a new baggage handling system for outbound bags to help speed up the process of getting the bags through.

"We are trying to improve our baggage handling system to help us also manage the increased growth at the airport," she said.

If you're traveling this week for Thanksgiving, give yourself at least 2 and a half hours from your boarding time to make sure you make your flight.