Airline industry steps up baggage handling performance says SITA

“This improvement comes despite an 85% rise in passenger numbers since 2003. Increasing passenger volumes put pressure on the industry's infrastructure, resources and baggage handling systems.” The SITA report said.

 Last year more than 3.5 billion passengers travelled and with no sign that this growth will slow down, the industry is making a clear focus on how it handles baggage.

IATA Resolution 753, which will be implemented by airlines by June 2018, demands airlines should track each bag throughout its entire journey.

SITA’s CEO, Francesco Violante, said: “Over the next three years bag tracking will be in the spotlight as airlines ready themselves to implement IATA’s resolution. This increase in visibility will provide more control and drive further improvements in bag handling.

“It also means that passengers will be able track their bag, just like a parcel, which will reduce anxiety and allow them to take fast action if flights are disrupted and their bags are delayed.”

Another area of change identified in SITA’s report is the growth of self-service bag services. Around 40% of airlines and airports now provide self-bag-tag printing at kiosks and more than three quarters are expected to do so by 2018. Almost a third of passengers expect to be using bag-drop – either a dedicated staffed station or fully self-service – in 2016.