Luggage loss during a descent: Europe improves air traffic handling!

Luggage loss during a descent: Europe improves air traffic handling!

The European aviation industry has made significant progress in dealing with baggage issues in 2024. Loud Travel before9 The misdirection rate fell to 12.3 pieces of luggage per 1,000 travelers, a decrease of 22 percent compared to 2022. This development comes against the backdrop of record passenger volumes in Europe and shows that the industry is on the right track to improve baggage handling.

A similar improvement was seen worldwide, with the misrouting rate decreasing to 6.3 per 1,000 passengers, even as air traffic increased by 8.2 percent in 2024. This shows that despite higher passenger numbers, the efficiency in baggage management has also increased About Travel reported.

Causes of misdirection

The most common cause of baggage misrouting in 2024 was delayed bags, accounting for 74 percent of cases, followed by reloading errors, accounting for 41 percent of misroutings. Damaged or looted luggage accounted for 18 percent of incidents, while lost or stolen luggage accounted for 8 percent. An increase in operational issues, such as customs and weather delays, caused misroutings to rise to 10 percent. Overall, the absolute number of misdirected luggage rose slightly to 36.2 million, from 36.1 million in the previous year.

However, there is a positive development in the processing time of misdirected luggage. Over 61 percent of these were processed and returned within 48 hours. This efficiency is particularly important for passengers, who are supported by real-time updates and automated systems. 42 percent of travelers received real-time updates about their luggage in 2024, up 4 percent from the previous year.

Investments in technologies

Progress in the industry is primarily driven by investments in digital systems, such as real-time tracking and automated tracking. SITA, the provider of solutions for the aviation industry, estimates the economic damage from baggage problems to be around $5 billion by 2024. The introduction of the new standard Modern Baggage Messaging (MBM) Version 2 is intended to further improve data quality and further reduce the misdirection rate.

In accordance with IATA Resolution 753, airlines are now required to track baggage at four key points: check-in, transshipment, arrival and delivery. Such measures increase passengers' confidence in baggage management. Additionally, 66 percent of airlines plan to implement automated bag drop systems by 2027, while 65 percent of airports plan to implement biometric self-service bag drop systems.

The continuous improvement in baggage handling shows that the aviation industry is committed to addressing the challenges of the past and optimizing the travel experience for passengers. Advances in baggage management are a positive step in this direction.