The problem of incorrectly transported pieces of luggage has increased drastically after the Corona pandemic, with an average of 7.6 out of 1000 pieces of luggage not reaching their destination on time or at all in 2022.
This is shown by a study by the IT service provider Sita. Of the pieces of luggage reported as missing, 80 percent were delayed, seven percent remained missing and 13 percent were damaged or partially stolen.
Connecting flights pose the highest risk of misrouting. Before the Corona crisis, the rate of baggage problems had been falling for years.
The problem of mishandled baggage has worsened significantly with the resumption of international air travel following the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study by the IT service company Sita, which was presented on Tuesday, shows that the relative proportion of incorrectly transported pieces of luggage has increased by around 75 percent in the past year. According to this, in 2022 an average of 7.6 pieces of luggage per 1000 passengers did not reach their destination on time or at all.
Seven percent of the luggage is also missing
Of the bags and other luggage initially reported as missing, 80 percent were only delayed. Seven percent disappeared entirely and 13 percent were damaged or partially stolen. According to Sita, the rate of baggage problems had been falling for years before the Corona crisis. Connecting flights pose the highest risk, with 42 percent of misplaced baggage being misdirected during the transfer.
David Lavorel, CEO of Sita, stressed that the industry needs to work hard to restore passenger confidence in baggage check-in. The company is presenting IT-supported systems and real-time tracking as possible solutions, which so far have only been offered by around a quarter of airlines. In addition, misdirected luggage could be automatically redirected to the correct destination.
With material from the dpa // tlf