Airlines are getting better at looking after their passengers’ bags, according to the latest figures.
The SITA Baggage Report 2017, released today, says the rate of mishandled bags was 5.73 bags per thousand passengers in 2016, down 12.25% from the previous year and the lowest ever recorded.
This is despite a rise in the number of passengers, which last year hit an all-time high of 3.77 billion.
In the last 10 years, SITA says the rate of mishandled baggage has fallen 70% due to investment in technologies and process improvements.
It said further improvements were coming as, by June 2018, the industry has pledged that every piece of checked baggage will be tracked along its journey.
Under IATA Resolution 753, which comes into force from that date, every bag must be tracked and recorded at four mandatory points – at check-in, aircraft loading, at transfer between carriers, and on arrival as the bag is delivered back to the passenger.
Ilya Gutlin, SITA president, air travel solutions, said: "It is frustrating for passengers and airlines when bags go missing but the days of not knowing where your bag is will soon to be a thing of the past.
"We are on the brink of a new era in airline baggage management because the world’s airlines are committing to track baggage throughout its journey. This requires data capture, management and sharing across airlines, airports and ground handlers giving a better view of where each piece of luggage is at every stage.
"At SITA we are providing several tracking innovations that will allow the air transport community to scale up their tracking capabilities without massive capital investments.
"When this is in place airlines will be able to share the information with their passengers and code share partners allowing them to track their bag, just like a parcel."
SITA said tracking systems will help resolve a critical pinch-point in the handling process, which is when passengers and their luggage need to switch aircraft.
In 2016, 47% of delayed bags were in the process of being transferred.
SITA’s report shows the financial impact of lost bags remains high despite the drop in the mishandled rate, with the global bill for recovering and reuniting passengers with their bags reaching around US$2.1 billion in 2016.
