Most luggage that is lost on flights by United States carriers ends up in Scottsboro, Alabama, in a store called Unclaimed Baggage. The store has a contract with the airlines and buys back luggage that can't be united with an owner. The store sells almost everything imaginable, from high-end digital equipment to artwork.
More facts about lost airline luggage:
- Approximately 10,000 bags are lost every day in the U.S., but according to the Department of Transportation, only 0.005 percent of checked bags are permanently lost.
- Odd lost luggage finds include a Barbie doll with $500 US Dollars inside, a live rattlesnake, a full suit of medieval armor, an expensive GPS system that belonged to the U.S. Navy and a 50-carat emerald.
- According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. airlines with the highest percentage of baggage complaints in 2010 were American Eagle Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines. The airlines with the lowest percentage of baggage complaints in 2010 were AirTran Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways.