SITA, the global leader in technology solutions for the air transport industry, has announced an improvement in the industry’s rate of mishandled baggage.

The newly launched SITA Baggage IT Insights 2024 report highlighted that the number of bags mishandled by the industry has fallen from 7.6 to 6.9 per 1 000 passengers in 2023.

This is despite passenger numbers rising above 2019 levels for the first time in five years, growing to 5.2 billion. 

Furthermore, a steep 63% drop in the mishandling rate from 2007 to 2023 happened as passenger traffic rose by 111%. This indicates the long-term positive impact of technology investments, but the industry still faces challenges, particularly managing surges in baggage volumes.

Pushing ahead with the industry’s digitalisation agenda is vital, argues the survey, focusing on AI for data analysis and computer vision tech in automated baggage handling.

While airlines and airports share baggage data, there’s still room for improvement. At baggage collection only 58% of airlines share data. At the same time, 66% of airports share baggage delivery data with airlines.

SITA’s Baggage IT Insights survey cites IATA’s call for full baggage tracking and real-time status data as part of its Resolution 753 initiative, with data sharing across the bag journey.

The survey also points to Airports Council International’s call for self-service, real-time communication, and visibility for passengers to reduce stress and anxiety.

David Lavorel, SITA CEO, said: “The improved mishandled baggage rate in 2023 is great news for passengers and for aviation. It’s especially impressive as global passenger traffic grew strongly in 2023 and is set to double by 2040. We clearly see from the SITA Baggage IT Insights results that baggage automation is the way forward, with more collaboration, more communication with passengers, and investments in new technologies such as AI and computer vision to make the journey smoother.”