Improved baggage handling saving airline industry USD18 billion
The global airline industry has cut the rate of mishandled passenger bags by more than half since 2007, generating an $18 billion benefit in cost savings, a report by air transport IT specialist, SITA says.
The SITA 2015 Baggage Report said instances of mislaid bags are down 61.3% at an average 7.3 bags per thousand passengers in 2014, compared to a high of 18.88 bags per thousand passengers in 2007.
This comes despite a large increase in passenger traffic globally over the same period.
SITA cites tech innovations and rising investment in baggage handling systems as a key driver of the improvement
“This improvement in baggage handling over the past seven years is largely a result of strong technology investment and innovation in baggage systems automation and processes. However, rising passenger numbers will continue to place pressure on baggage infrastructure and processes, so the industry cannot afford to become complacent,” said SITA CEO Francesco Violante.
The report backs up SITA’s 2014 Airport IT Trends Survey which identified baggage processing among airports’ main priorities, fueled by self-service processes, such as kiosk and bag-drop technology.
The report says that by 2017, 69% of all airline will be able to give air travelers real-time updates on the location of their bags, and of these, 66% will provide this data by smartphone apps.
For more than 20 years SITA itself has been providing baggage tracking services for the industry and more than 200 airports and 500 airlines use its baggage management solutions.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025