Fewer suitcases searched at airports worldwide
Airlines made huge improvements to baggage handling in 2015. Incorrect baggage handling has decreased by 10,5%, making it the lowest ever measured, reports the report SITA.
The airline industry's focus on improving baggage handling has paid off. According to the SITA Baggage Report 2016, in 2015, 6,5 out of 1000 bags had a problem with baggage handling. This is 10,5% less than in 2014,
This improvement is special because the number of air passengers is still rising and is therefore putting pressure on the aviation infrastructure, including baggage handling. Last year more than 3,5 billion passengers traveled by air and that number will continue to grow.
In particular, the tracing of lost bags by airlines can be improved even further thanks to modern technology, for example by making permanent electronic labels available, which provide the passenger with the flight schedule via a mobile app during each journey. A cheaper option is to print luggage tags at home, according to SITA.
It is not surprising that the airlines are committed to preventing the loss of luggage. The search for or compensation for missing luggage in 2015 is worth $ 2,3 billion.
More and more airports offer self-service baggage drop-off, where the passenger prints the baggage tag and returns the suitcase himself. This is possible at 40 percent of the airlines and airports worldwide, including KLM and Schiphol. This percentage is expected to rise to 2018 percent by 75.
3 years ago my suitcase got lost on flight Amsterdam / Phuket. After about a month it was found in Laos and neatly delivered back home. My compliments to KLM / Bangkok air for the effort. Since that time I always put an extra label on the suitcase with final destination, but unfortunately I notice that these labels always are gone Wonder why
That is good news. When I started my work abroad it was very 'normal' that your suitcase didn't arrive for days or even more. A Dutch company at the time was even a leader in that field. Something like 15% went wrong then. Then the number that is now being presented is a considerable improvement. Unfortunately, at the time quite a few delivery drivers saw my suitcase delivered or had to fill out a paperwork. Since then I always travel with some clothes in my hand luggage. Younger colleagues look at me strangely. Your suitcase always arrives, doesn't it? is their experience. I am always happy when I see my suitcase arrive. I always have a hard orange luggage tag attached to it. Also useful for spotting your suitcase on the baggage carousel. And I also have a card with which they can contact me electronically if someone finds my suitcase. What I regularly see is that oversized hand luggage is taken on the plane and put in the hold. I think it's because of that extra seat that they cram in and the luggage compartments are not enlarged.