Aviation industry looks to tech to solve baggage mishandling rates

Airlines and airports are facing a surge in baggage mishandling rates amidst the growing number of passengers, with the number of mishandled bags almost doubling from 2021 to 2022 to 7.6 bags per thousand passengers, according to SITA’s 2023 Baggage IT Insights report.

The shortage of skilled staff, resumption of international travel, and congestion at airports has made it challenging to manage bags and ensure their smooth handling at airports – particularly during peak travel periods. The overall increase in mishandling is forcing the industry to focus on digitalisation and automation, with technology investments that deliver greater automation and self-service being a top priority.

Delayed bags accounted for 80 per cent of all mishandled bags in 2022, lost and stolen bags increased to 7 per cent, and damaged and pilfered bags decreased to 13 per cent.

The surge in the mishandling rate comes after more than a decade of reduction in mishandled baggage. Significant process improvements helped the mishandling rate per thousand passengers fall by 59.7 per cent between 2007 and 2021. However, given the pressure of staff shortages on operations post-COVID, the 2022 mishandling rate of 7.6 bags per thousand passengers represents a 75 per cent increase from 2021.

Back view of an airport male worker controlling the luggage uploading onto the conveyor belt (iStock/Svitlana Hulko)

Transfer bags have historically accounted for the majority of mishandled bags. This was no different in 2022, with a one-percentage point increase from 2021, pushing the proportion of bags delayed at transfer to 42 per cent. This increase is attributed to the resurgence of international and long-haul travel, leading to loading errors and greater transfer mishandling rates. The failure to load bags accounted for 18 per cent of all mishandled bags in 2022, representing a 3 per cent decrease from the previous year. Loading errors more than doubled compared to the previous year, accounting for 9 per cent of all delayed bags in 2022, stemming from operational strains on baggage systems.

“After a decade where the mishandling rate more than halved between 2007 and 2021, it is disheartening to see this rate climbing again,” David Lavorel, CEO, SITA said.

As an industry, we need to work hard to ensure passengers are once again confident to check in their bags.

“We at SITA are working directly with airlines and airports to help solve key pain points in the baggage journey through smart automation, tracking, and digital platforms.”

Investing in real-time baggage status information has become a key priority for airlines, with 57 per cent of airlines providing their staff with mobile access to real-time baggage status information. This figure is expected to increase significantly to 84 per cent by 2025, and 67 per cent of airlines plan to offer real-time baggage status information directly to passengers, marking a substantial improvement from 25 per cent today.

SITA has developed the WorldTracer Auto Reflight system in direct response to the high mishandling rates observed at transfer. This solution automatically identifies bags what are not likely to make their planned connecting flight and rebooks them on the next possible flight using the existing bag tag – all while keeping the passenger informed.

SITA estimates that automation of reflight operations could save the industry up to $30 million per year. Lufthansa and SITA’s recent partnership using the technology aims to digitalise the manual reflight process, and the results of their Proof of Concept suggest that they can automatically reflight as much as 70 per cent of Lufthansa’s mishandled bags at Munich Airport.

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David Lavorel sita WorldTracer Auto Reflight