New baggage tracking push to reduce lost luggage

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April 20, 2018
lost baggage SIAT fewer
Photo: SITA

The days of worrying whether you and your bags will end up at the same destination are receding with airlines set to introduce new technologies after again reducing the mishandled baggage rate in 2017.

The annual global survey by aviation technology company SITA shows the mishandled bag rate improved 2.8 percent in 2017 to 5.57 bags per 1000 passengers.

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The total number of mishandled bags was up 4.1 percent compared to 2016 but this was lower than the 7.1 percent rise in passenger numbers.

On a regional basis, the US mishandled baggage rate fell to an all-time low of 2.4 per 1000, despite operational challenges from hurricanes and Atlanta’s power outage.

The rate in the Asia-pacific rose 6 percent but was still significantly lower than the global average at 1.92 bags per 1000 passengers.

Europe continued to let the side down with an above-average 6.94 mishandled bags per 1000 passengers, although this was a significant improvement over 2016’s 8.06 per 1000.

The main reason for lost or delayed luggage remained mishandled transfers followed by failure to load bags in the first place. Ticketing errors, bag switches and security errors accounted for another 15 percent followed by airport, customs, weather and space or weight restrictions.

While the global year-on-year improvement was modest, it continued a trend that has seen the mishandled baggage rate fall by 70 percent since 2017 and SITA believes 2018 will be a watershed year.

Airlines have done a great deal of work on baggage tracking over the past decade. This not just a case of passenger satisfaction: lost or mishandled baggage costs airlines money and that added up to $US2.3 billion in 2017.

In 2007, 2.48 billion passengers were flying and airlines lost 46.9 million bags. More than 4 billion few in 2017 and it lost half that amount — 22.7 million bags.

Read American plans to expand the use of advanced baggage scanners.

This is set to improve as airlines adopt new baggage tracking technologies as part of an International Air Transport Association edict known as Resolution 753.

Resolution 753 requires end-to-end baggage tracking and will see passengers gaining greater insight into where their bags are in the labyrinthic baggage system.

“Over the last decade, we have seen significant improvements in bag management as airlines have taken advantage of technology,’’ SITA chief executive Barbara Dalibard said in releasing the latest report. “Now with IATA’s drive for 100 percent bag tracking, technology adoption will rise further.

“End-to-end tracking produces data which reveals where improvements can be made in operational processes.

“While we won’t see a sudden change in 2018, it is a real turning point for the industry as airlines begin to unlock the value of the tracking data for the 4.65 billion bags they carry.”

The SITA report cites a number of innovations adopted by airlines to improve the baggage service.

These include off-airport bag drops such as Virgin Australia’s pop-up check-in and bag drop service at cruise ports, conference venues and hotels.

Airlines and airports are also boosting the use of automation with almost nine out of 10 expected to provkid4e assisted bag-drop stations by 2020.

The report cites Cathay Pacific’s experience at London Gatwick where self-service check-in and bag drop has halved processing time to just under a minute.

Then there’s the Resolution 753 bag tracking requirement starting in June, 2018, for IATA member airlines.

“As airlines prepare for Resolution 753, there will be a rapid increase in those planning to provide bag tracking information to their passengers and staff,’’ the report said.

“At least seven out of ten airlines expect to be providing these services by 2020. Resolution 753 is also driving mobile services for mishandled baggage, with up to eight out of ten airlines implementing, or planning to implement, missing bag reporting and missing bag communications.”