In 2007, 46.9 million bags were mishandled by airlines globally. In 2014, that number fell to 24.1 million – even though passenger numbers rose to 3.3 billion. But don't get too excited. The total bags mishandled actually registered an increase from the 21.8 million mishandled in 2013. A new report from SITA asserts that while the mishandled bag rate fell 61 percent in seven years due to airlines investing in technology, even more process and technology investment will be required to reduce the rate further. Currently, 7.3 bags are mishandled per thousand passengers. Mishandled bags are those reported as delayed, damaged or pilfered.
Transfer bag mishandling, when passengers and their luggage are moving from one aircraft to another, or from one carrier to another, represented the majority of delayed bags; accounting for 49 percent of all delayed bags in 2014. In real terms, 11.81 million transfer bags were delayed in 2014. For the worst case, of all mishandled bags, 5.5 percent were stolen, lost or otherwise never recovered. Airlines understand that luggage is a source of passenger anxiety and work is underway to offer passengers better control of their belongings. By 2017, 66 percent of airlines will offer bag location update to passengers via mobile phone. More airports and airlines will also be enabling travelers to self-tag luggage via baggage tags printed at kiosks and self-service bag drops at airports will increase from 16 percent now, to 62 percent by 2017. Some Middle East airlines and airports are leaders in baggage handling enhancements. “Going forward, our guests should be able to see where their bags are – after all, it's an interactive enhancement to their travel experience, similar to other travel applications, such as Flight Radar,” said Paul Smith, Etihad Airways' GM, Airport Services. “Internally, we should also be able to see the last-known position or scan of the bag and in case of any disruption, work with sophisticated tracing scenarios.” Etihad Airways is setting up a Baggage Center of Excellence, which focuses on optimizing processes and platforms to boost efficiency, as well as combining back office functions to achieve economies of scale. The Center will support all pre-flight and post-flight inquiries related to baggage within the Etihad Airways global network, including 24-hour customer service, tracking and tracing, baggage projects and innovations. Doha's new Hamad International Airport has an automated baggage handling system with a processing capacity of 19,500 bags per hour. The system's two tilt-tray sorting systems, with a total of 28 inductions, 172 chutes and 22 make-up carousels, will ensure, in the event of sorter downtime, that all passenger bags will continue to be processed on schedule. Transferring passengers make up 80 percent of the airport's traffic, and to further streamline the transfer bag process, there are 1,750 fully automated early bag storage positions located below sorter system loops for efficient and timely release.
