Luggage delays can be stressful and costly

An average of 16.6 bags per 1,000 air passengers were delayed in 2007, compared with 15.7 the previous year, the Air Transport Users Council said.

BA, the poorest performer in 2006 with 23 bags per 1,000 delayed, was ranked second worst in 2007 with 26.5 bags.

A BA spokesman said the one-bag rule and heightened security had not helped.

The Air Transport Users Council (AUC) said complaints made to them showed luggage delays could be stressful, inconvenient and expensive for travellers.

WORST-PERFORMING AIRLINES TAP Air Portugal British Airways KLM Alitalia Air France

Its figures relate to members of the Association of European Airlines, but not all carriers submitted figures, including Virgin Atlantic Airways and Aer Lingus.

Among those that did, the worst-performing airline last year was TAP Air Portugal with a delayed bags ratio of 27.8 per 1,000 passengers.

Other below-average performers included KLM (19.7 bags delayed per 1,000 passengers), Alitalia (19.7), Air France (17.6), Luxair (17.2) and the UK's bmi (17.0). The best-performing airlines were Air Malta and Turkish Airlines with a lost bag ratio of 4.5 per 1,000 passengers in 2007.

Airlines operating through "hub" airports such as Heathrow fared the worst last year, the AUC said.

It said this was partly due to the increased levels of hold luggage as a result of the one-bag rule at UK airports.

AUC chairman Tina Tietjen said: "But, whatever the extenuating circumstances, when passengers hand their bag in at check-in, they should expect to see their bag at the other end."

British Airways apologised to customers affected by baggage delays last year.

BA director of operations Gareth Kirkwood said: "While our performance at the vast majority of global airports remains good, we continue to experience a wide variety of difficulties at our main home at Heathrow.

"Although Heathrow Airport continues to suffer from a very stretched infrastructure running at almost double capacity, we also accept that on occasions our own levels of service have not been as high as we would like."

A BAA spokesman said its baggage infrastructure was "very resilient" and the opening of Terminal 5 in less than two months would bring much needed terminal and infrastructure capacity.