Former airline boss reveals the one thing he’d never do on a flight
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No matter how experienced a traveller you are, airports can be stressful. However, one former airline CEO has shared a simple piece of advice he claims could make flying easier. Doug Parker, who served as the American Airlines CEO between 2001 and 2023, recently appeared on an episode of the Airlines Confidential podcast, where he was asked to share his best travel tips.
![[American Airlines Boeing 777-200ER Banking]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1024561678.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
While he admits that ‘there are no silver bullets’ that he knows about and others don’t, he said that he always offers the same piece of advice to his friends and family while travelling: never check a bag. He explained: ‘It’s not that airlines don’t know how to get [the bag] there, but it’s just incredibly complex and it makes your experience much more difficult.
![[Luggages on Conveyor belt in the airport]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1446090290.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘So that’s my major tip to anybody, just figure out a way, no matter where you’re going, to get it into your carry-on and don’t check a bag.’. Many travellers prefer to keep their luggage as close as possible to avoid potential setbacks. And they might be onto something. Between 2021 and 2024, the Air Travel Consumer Report found that American Airlines ranked the highest of 15 US airlines in terms of the likelihood of mishandled luggage.
In the past three years, the airline was found to have lost or misplaced 1.7 million pieces of luggage out of more than 200 million. Travelling with a carry-on isn’t just about convenience, though – it’s easier on the wallet too. Checking a bag on an American Airlines domestic flight costs £32 ($40) or £28 ($35) if you pay online.
