SITA Report Highlights How Baggage Handling Can Be Improved

A new SITA report says baggage handling can be improved with better use of technology, such as RFID (radio frequency identification).

Francesco Violante, SITA's CEO, introducing the 4th annual SITA Baggage Report, said, "It is important that we continue to move towards a comprehensive, fully-integrated global baggage management system that can direct, track and trace passenger baggage throughout the entire journey from check-in to final delivery at the destination.  RFID also has a role to play and could save the industry as much US$700 million if it was fully implemented across the industry."

Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and CEO, also speaking of the report noted: "We get baggage right 98% of the time.  But with a total volume of over 2.2 billion bags in the system, the 2% that is mishandled is a big problem that we need to fix."  Mr. Bisignani pointed to IATA's toolkit of 40 solutions designed to address the prime causes of baggage mishandling, and its Baggage Go Teams that is visiting targeted airports to spread best practice solutions matched to local needs.

Figures from WorldTracer, SITA's automated system for tracing lost and mishandled baggage, show that 42.4 million bags were mishandled or delayed in 2007. The air transport industry handles around 2.25 billion pieces of checked baggage every year. WorldTracer is used by 400 airlines and ground handling companies, according to SITA.

In 2007, the single largest cause of baggage delay was in transfer baggage mishandling, 49%, but this number has been falling steadily since 2005 when it was at 61%. This was followed by ticketing error/ passenger bag switch/ security/ other, 14%; failure to load, 16%; space-weight restriction, 5%; loading/offloading error, 5%; tagging errors, 3%; and arrival station mishandling, 8%.  05-10-2008.

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