In 2012, passengers reported 26.04 million mishandled bags. Delayed bags, accounted for 82.9% of all mishandled bags, down from 2011. Damaged or pilfered bags represented 12.9% of mishandled bags, while 4.2% were reported lost or stolen.
Airline baggage handling improved last year with the rate of mishandled bags dropping 1.78%, according to the ninth annual SITA Baggage Report. In 2012, 8.83 bags per thousand passengers were mishandled, down from 8.99 in 2011. The air transport industry achieved this improvement despite a 4.5% rise in passenger numbers to 2.95 billion; higher passenger volumes inevitably increase pressure on airport baggage operations.
One area the industry is focusing on is improving baggage transfers between flights. This is traditionally the ‘pinch point’ in the baggage handling process and the leading cause of delay. In 2012, SITA’s report showed an improvement in this area with transfer bags, as a proportion of all mishandled bags, down 9% from 2011. This is a result of airlines and airports investing in processes and systems to improve both baggage handling efficiency and the speed with which bags travel through the airport.
A mishandled bag is defined as checked baggage that is delayed, damaged, pilfered, lost or stolen. In 2012, passengers reported 26.04 million mishandled bags. Delayed bags, accounted for 82.9% of all mishandled bags, down from 2011. Damaged or pilfered bags represented 12.9% of mishandled bags, while 4.2% were reported lost or stolen.
2103 Air Transport Industry Insights. The Baggage Report
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
