How to keep your bags from bagging you on summer flights

With record numbers of vacationers planning to take to the skies this summer, travel experts are warning airline passengers to start thinking hard about what they haul.

Mishandled baggage in the United States rose 23 percent from 2004 to 2005, to a rate of about six bags per 1,000 passengers. Concerns are growing that the number will shoot up in the coming months.

"Everything's going to be crowded, from the parking lots to the check-in counters, and service is going to be down," predicted David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association, a nonprofit consumer group.

If you travel with carry-on luggage only, you can, of course, avoid luggage hassles. Just be sure to check, and stick to, the airline's size/weight restrictions on carry-on since they may enforce them more strictly when planes are full.

If you need to check luggage, here's some advice from Stempler and others:

Book direct flights whenever possible. Connections and extra flights increase the risk of lost luggage.

Shop with your trips in mind so you can travel with as little luggage as possible. Ask yourself: "Will these two tops go with this one bottom? Can I replace a bulky outfit with a lightweight one?"

Don't overstuff your suitcase. As Transportation Security Administration official Charlotte Bryan noted at a recent congressional hearing on lost luggage: "You can open a bag and things fall out. They sometimes don't get back in, or they get damaged."

If you have lots of clothing or gear, consider shipping. In addition to the U.S. Postal Service and United Parcel Service, companies such as Sports Express of Durango, Colo., will pick up bags and ship them for a fee to hotels and other destinations.

Make your bags easily identifiable so no one picks them up by mistake at the luggage carousel. Buy colorful luggage or, if you own a black suitcase, distinguish it from others by using bright yarn, tape or luggage straps.

Put your name on both the outside and inside of each bag. You might also consider putting an itinerary of your trip inside your bag to make it easier for the airline to locate you.

Allow yourself extra time at the airport. Stempler said it's prudent to arrive 90 minutes before a domestic departure and 2-2 ½ hours before an international trip: "I've been on planes where so much luggage has arrived late that the last 10 or 15 bags don't get put on the plane."