Delayed delivery of baggage, or at worst its loss, is a source of anxiety for air passengers. And with good reason. According to AirHelp's 2024 baggage handling reporta travel technology company, 36.1 million units were not delivered correctly in 2023. Out of a total of 5.2 billion passengers, this means a ratio of 6.92 lost, damaged or delayed baggage items per 1,000 passengers.
AirHelp indicates that chis figure is up on 2022. But it is true that air traffic was still suffering from the consequences of the Covid crisis. Nevertheless, this is an improvement on 2015, which was a record year in terms of damaged baggage. That year, the ratio reached 9.03 units per 1,000 passengers.
IATA takes action with a 10-year plan
IATA has therefore decided to work in depth to solving this problem. The association has just launch a roadmap for baggage management. The plan, which covers a ten-year periodThis plan has been drawn up in collaboration with airlines, airports and industry partners. The plan has been drawn up in collaboration with airlines, airports and industry partners. It should enable better tracking to improve operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction.
" Luggage is important to travellers. When they check in their luggage, they expect it to arrive on time. And if it doesn't, they want to know where it is. This is confirmed by recent IATA surveys, which show that 81 % of travellers want better tracking, 74 % expect real-time updates on their mobile phone and 67 % are ready to adopt electronic tags. The global baggage management roadmap will bring us closer to the automated digital services that travellers want." said Monika Mejstrikova, IATA Director of Ground Operations.
Three areas for action
IATA is focusing on three areas.
– Greater exchange of information on baggage and data standardisation to harmonise the sharing of this information between airlines, airports and partners. For passengers, this will mean faster identification of their baggage. This will provide passengers with a more reliable response in the event of a problem.
– Baggage tracking and automation to provide visibility throughout the journey. This includes the use of electronic baggage tags, GPS tracking and robotics that will allow passengers to track their baggage in real time and benefit from smoother transfers and arrivals.
- Finally, IATA will streamline the baggage reclaim process and combat potential fraud. Here again, the aim is to improve the customer experience, so that airlines can resolve passenger complaints more quickly and have better protection against baggage fraud.
" This roadmap will consolidate the progress made under previous initiatives to modernise baggage procedures. It will provide an overall vision of where we need to be in ten years' time." said Monika Mejstrikova.
But let's hope that it will take less than 10 years for passengers to notice a difference in the quality of service offered by airlines!
