Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines both offer a 20-minute checked baggage guarantee. If your bag has not arrived at the baggage carousel within 20 minutes of gate arrival, you may be eligible for compensation.
20-Minute Baggage Guarantee Details
For Alaska Airlines and Alaska Airlines regional domestic U.S. flights operated by Horizon Air or SkyWest, as long as you are not traveling on an employee pass or on a complimentary ticket issued by another airline (partner award tickets do qualify), and your bag does not arrive at the carousel within 20 minutes of gate arrival (based on the time shown in the system), you can receive one of the following as compensation:
- A $25 voucher that can be used toward Alaska Airlines flights
- 2,500 Alaska Mileage Plan miles
In most cases, 2,500 miles are worth more than a $25 voucher. So unless you have no use for Alaska miles at all, I would recommend taking the miles.
In addition, oversized or special items such as child seats and sports equipment are not covered by this guarantee. Even if they take more than 20 minutes, you are out of luck.
My Experience
I flew Alaska Airlines from Seattle to San Jose. The flight itself was uneventful, and after getting off the plane I took my time walking to baggage claim, where I found everyone still waiting for their bags.
Even though I was walking pretty slowly, it did not take long before it was already 25 minutes after gate arrival, and only then did my bag finally show up. I grabbed my luggage and headed straight to the airline's baggage service counter. Under Alaska's baggage guarantee terms, you must request compensation at the airport within 2 hours.
After I found an Alaska baggage agent, I explained that I wanted to claim the 20-minute baggage guarantee. The agent asked someone nearby, then took out a voucher for me.
After I got home, I logged into the website and entered the code from the voucher. The miles posted to my frequent flyer account almost instantly. Very convenient.
Bottom Line
If you are flying Alaska or Delta, remember that if your checked bag takes too long to arrive, you can go to the counter and ask for compensation. The process is straightforward and does not take much time.