Global air traffic is back to pre-covid levels. According to IATA, in May 2023, the number of passengers (expressed in revenue/km) was only 3.9% lower than in May 2019.. But as the aviation world returns to normal, the infrastructure is not keeping pace. Particularly in the day-to-day management of airports, which continue to suffer in particular from a lack of staff.
In addition to regular airport congestion, the lack of staff is particularly reflected in the sharp increase in lost and mistreated baggage. These are the findings of the latest study by the SITA Group, a leading provider of technology and communications for the air transport industry. Its report 2023 "Baggage IT Insights" shows that the global rate of mishandled baggage jumped by 74.7 % between 2021 and 2022to reach 7.6 per 1000 passengers. This also corresponds to 26 baggage items mishandled or lost out of a total of one million. This is 3.7 times more than the figure for 2021 (9.9 baggage/1 million).
SITA notes, however, that digital baggage handlingwhich has been in place for some fifteen years, has nevertheless borne fruit. The number of bags lost/maltreated was 46.9 per million in 2007. Since 2015, however, it has hovered around an average of between 22 and 25 per million.
Yet the deterioration is real compared with previous years. In comparison, the ratio was only 5.6 lost or mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers in 2019 and even 4.35 in 2021. It is true that we were in the middle of a pandemic and that the number of airlines was anaemic at the time...
SITA gives as the main factor the resumption of international trafficin particular of intercontinental trafficl. This generally means more transfers. And therefore more opportunities for processing errors.
Transfers under surveillance
The ratio of lost baggage per 1,000 passengers is 19.3 on international flights and only 2.4 on domestic routes.. A difference of 1 to 8 indeed! That's unlucky: Europe has the highest ratio of lost and mismanaged baggage, at 15.7 per 1000. Far ahead of North America (6.35) and Asia (3.04).
42% of mistreated baggage is due to an error in transfer and 17% to an oversight in loading. Incorrect labelling (e.g. printing CVG (Cincinnati) instead of CDG (Roissy-Charles de Gaulle)) accounts for only 5% of lost baggage.
Regarding the figures for lost or mishandled baggage, SITA indicates that 80% are simply delayed, compared with 13% damaged and 7% lost or stolen..
There is, however, a glimmer of hope, particularly for European passengers. Never before have airlines and airports invested so much in the automation of baggage handling. According to SITA's Air Transport IT Insights 2022 report, by 2025, 84 % of airlines plan to provide real-time information on baggage condition to their staff and 67 % plan to offer this to passengers..
In addition, contactless baggage tagging options based on self-service terminals at check-in or on passengers' mobile phones are a priority for 98 % of airlines and 95 % of airports. More details of the SITA report can be found at here.
