Do 'priority' luggage tags make a difference?

I find with VA, NZ, SQ and UA the priority tags mostly work quite well. It is not very often at all that I have to wait too long. So mostly I think it works. There will be people with experiences that are bad, however i always look at the amount of times that it happens as a percentage of all flights. if it happens more than a certain percentage then there is an issue.

VA domestic and SQ international I find works very well. I'm almost always in the first few bags released and the majority I see on the conveyor first have priority tags.

I travel to Japan on SIA  a couple of times a year,  and always find the bags already taken of the carousel after I have cleared immigration. Never have to wait.

I have always found that if I have priority baggage with Qantas, it always comes out first.

It's pretty clear your bags either come out dead first or dead last no in be

I think the truth is that the "priority"  of your luggage is being stored on the luggage tag itself (the b&w one with your flt # and destination printed) - your status/class of travel is being recorded in the tag and hence being prioritized accordingly. The actual "priority" tags should make little difference at major airport and perhaps will make the difference at smaller airports with more manual labour involved

Qantas domestic is the worst.

As a virgin platinum, I have always had good experience with Virgin and it's partners travelling both domestics and international.

I think it's baggage handler specific? Presume all of them service all airlines? It must be hard to implement consistently.

Normally have bags come out near the front with JL or CX.

Most recent trip was with QF (LAX-MEL). Had 2 checked items, both tagged with F tags. One was the 3rd bag out at MEL. Other was in the middle. (They also sent the second officers bags to BNE)

Egypt Air - Consistently out first! (lol)

I think it varies a bit depending on aircraft type. On some aircraft the baggage is in containers, so the Priority luggage comes out together, just could be first, last, or in the middle.

On 737s the bags are just loaded into the hold. I have seen them sorting the bags as they take them off the plane. Probably less of an option when the bags are in containers.

SQ have always come out with the first batch.  Last year on Aegean J I had my bag come out first both times i flew them.

I remember first class with Gulf Air flying to LHR - the bags of First Class pax were taken off the belt and set aside in roped off area for collection...ahh the good old days. Qantas should be ashamed they are the worst first rate carrier in terms of priority tags meaning anything. The docile and ad nauseam response "we don't control baggage its contracted out" just doesn't cut it-what a pathetic and no sense of responsibility attitude. Get your act together Qantas. As a Platinum FF it's very annoying.

My theory is that baggage handlers attempt to get priority bags out first, but ultimately will get bags moving as fast as possible, regardless of what order they arrive in. They are not going to hold bags back because the priority ones haven't arrived...

There may be other considerations as well... perhaps your bag is being inspected or re-scanned?