out of our control most times
i find that it is difficult to get anyone to actually look for the bags and just today in PMI, four pax late, with multiple bags. started looking for the bags and then pax show up before all the bags are located. then the agent comes into the flight deck telling me that pax are already on board. not much since in getting them off and sit waiting for their bags to be found. we pushed with one minute to spare. but then the push back tug driver then noticed that he had a flat tire and then we had to wait for another tug.
do you as captain go downstairs and help (or force them to look for bags?) i have a few times and have jumped up into the hold to help look for the bags and never found any that match the number!
and that might be why the bag people are not very motivated to look in any timely manner.
i ask the agent to get the names and make some note as to their lateness, but i suspect that nothing is done. i have had names in my hands, and give them to an agent, and something inside tells me that the list finds it way to the first trash bin in sight.
i made a few PA's as the last pax boards, but i don't think that does any good either.
so my conclusion is that until the airline management get motivated enough to make a practice of penalizing the guilty passengers, not much will change.
sometimes, it ended up being a cock-up at the gate rather than any actual missing pax.