A NEW report has revealed that baggage mishandling rates in 2015 dropped 10.5 percent from the year before, making them the lowest ever recorded.

The report – produced by SITA, a specialist in air transport communications and information technology – also stated that despite an 85 percent jump in passengers since 2003, airlines have done a better job at handling baggage.

Francesco Violante, chief executive officer of SITA said, “The baggage statistics for 2015 are very encouraging, however in total, mishandled bags still cost the industry US$2.3 billion last year.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling for airlines to implement a tracking system by 2018, which will track a passenger’s bag throughout the entire journey.

Francesco adds, “It also means that passengers will be able to track their bag, just like a parcel, which will reduce anxiety and allow them to take fast action if flights are disrupted and their bags are delayed.”

Meanwhile, Cognex Corporation, a manufacturer of machine vision systems, recently announced its Airport Baggage Handling Identification Solution (ABH-ID), an image-based automatic tag reader system.

The new system will significantly reduce costs associated with manual delivery of lost or late checked luggage.

Source: travelwireasia.com