I travel quite a bit and I have had excellent luck with my checked bag. Between some extensive travel with US Airways and Delta I can only remember 2 incidents where my bag was delayed. The second being this trip. Things have changed for the better with delayed luggage. I was on a Delta flight and my bag was routed to a different city by mistake. I checked in with the ticket counter and in a few minutes I received an e-mail from — http://www.wheresmysuitcase.com Delta’s online tracker for missing luggage. Through this website I was able to verify the location of my bag and also enter any updated delivery information. Potentially a stressful situation, this online tool put me at ease right away.
Added bonus–received a toiletry kit from the nice lady at the Delta counter in Peoria. Not a 100% replacement for my bag contents but definitely a step in the right direction.