INDIANAPOLIS -- About 11,000 complaints about luggage lost from airports are made each day and recovering that luggage proves to be problematic for many.

About 2 billion pieces of luggage are checked and placed in the hands of airline personnel each year.

Luggage gets moved around a lot during the journey and typically winds up in baggage claim, where, in most cases, rightful owners are reunited with their items.

In some cases, travelers are left scratching their heads, wondering where their stuff went.

According to records kept by the U.S. Department of Transportation, regional carriers have compiled the most complaints about mishandled bags over the last 10 years.

Complaints involving American Eagle, which serves Indianapolis, were up 50 percent in 2006 over the previous year.

On average, one person on every 70-passenger plane couldn't find at least one bag at the end of their trip.

The airline with the worst recent baggage record is Atlantic Southeast, which tallied 17 complaints for every 1,000 passengers.

The airlines with the fewest mishandled bags are Hawaiian, Jet Blue and Northwest, which has the most flights out of Indianapolis.

Airlines estimate about 90 percent of lost bags are given back to their owners within 24 hours, but no one keeps track of how many never return home, Call 6's Rafael Sanchez reported.

Many times, luggage that is not returned to owners winds up in Scottsboro, Ala., home to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, which buys suitcases that haven't been claimed within 90 days.

The center is set up like a department store, with areas that have clothing, electronics, sporting goods, jewelry and lots of empty bags.

Margaret Johnson, who shops at the store, said she understood that the items come from people who have lost their luggage.

"I am sorry you lost it, but I am really enjoying it for the price that I got it. That's life," Johnson said.

The store sometimes gets calls from people who are hoping to find a lost valuable, but once it is processed, priced and placed on the store shelf, the original owner has no rights to it.

After the 90-day period, airlines can offer customers up to $3,000 for lost luggage on domestic flights.

Based on the research, the months customers are most likely to lose luggage are December and January.

Airlines said lost baggage complaints are increasing because there are simply more bags for them to deal with. More people are checking luggage because of security measures.

Regional carriers said they are particularly vulnerable to severe weather, especially when it hits their hubs.

More Info: Air Traveler Rights -- includes limits on reimbursement for lost luggage

Baggage Complaints Against Airlines -- 2005, 2006

Airline Consumer Contact

Report Air Travel Service Problem To DOT