Google Analytics is a powerful tool that tracks and analyzes website traffic for informed marketing decisions.
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_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
90 days
__utma
ID used to identify users and sessions
2 years after last activity
__utmt
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
“lose 2 million bags a year”
But that’s not what the report says. The report counts “mishandled” bags in 2021.
“Mishandled” is defined by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics as “the number of check bags that are lost, damaged, delayed, or pilfered”. The linked report does not break out these relativities, but clearly fewer than 2 million bags were actually “lost “ (393 million checked bags times 5.1 mishandled per 1,000 = 2 million total mishandled).
(PS – calling a single year result “per year” is also a bit deceptive. The report cites a range of 4.1 to 5.9 mishandled per 1,000 checked over a three-year period. Wouldn’t a better statement on mishandled bags be “1.6 to 2.3 million bags mishandled per year”? That’s equivalent to something like 0.4% to 0.6% of bags checked.)