The effort to cut down on mishandled baggage for flyers has now become industry standard, with the launch of a joint International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Airlines for America (A4A) campaign to enhance baggage tracking.
The campaign is part of the industry-implemented Resolution 753, which is a declaration that by June 2018, airlines commit to being able to track bags from acceptance at the airport through to arrival or transfer on the other side. They hope to be able to set up a sharing system between carriers and, by doing so, increase efficiency in a business that sees more than four billion bags annually.
“Arriving without a bag is a very frustrating experience for our customers,” Andrew Price, IATA’s Global Head of Baggage, said. “Over the last decade we have reduced mishandled baggage by 54% with improved processes. The next step is to realize the full benefits of baggage tracking to further improve performance. In the rare cases when a bag does not arrive with the passenger there will be much more information available to facilitate a quicker reunion.”
He added that the agencies hope this will lead to advancements in other areas as well. Ease of tracking could speed up aircraft departures, reduce fraud and make reporting a more proactive process. The campaign intends to aid this whole process through regional workshops for those in the aviation business and through an awareness campaign for customers. Those airlines who fully implement baggage tracking programs will receive a readiness certificate from IATA to denote their success.