[lbwtaylor]

I don't think your experience is common, at least not post COVID.

Just this year, flying direct to Hawaii, checked a bag because of baby gear. United cancelled the flight and due to staffing, would not/could not return checked bags (so I could fly Alaska) for almost 24 hours.

The bags has not left SFO. They literally took a day to move them from the back to the front.

I only made my new flight by finding the right person who was willing to task someone to go pull my bag early.

[ghaff]

I rarely check luggage and delayed luggage for various reasons—or no apparent reason at all—is not at all an unusual occurrence in my experience. And there’s no guarantee your luggage will be able to just catch up with you at some random location in a day or two.