In the future, software should bring lost luggage back to the owner automatically, faster and more cost-effectively. According to the IT service provider Sita, a test with Lufthansa at Munich Airport was promising. Sita and Lufthansa assume that with the Sita software, 70 percent of the baggage items that are not transported correctly in Munich can be automatically routed to their owners. The software also offers the service of automatically informing passengers via SMS immediately after landing if their suitcase was not on the plane. “It is then no longer necessary to wait an hour in frustration at the baggage carousel,” said Nicole Hogg from Sita of the dpa.
So far, the search for lost luggage and new routes to the destination has usually involved a great deal of personnel. An improperly transported piece of luggage can cost an airline up to $150. In 2022, 25.4 million suitcases were misdirected worldwide. That cost $2.2 billion. According to a Sita evaluation, the number of misdirected bags rose to 7.6 per 1,000 passengers in 2022, from 5.6 before the pandemic. The industry did not expect air traffic to recover so quickly and did not have enough qualified staff. The global rate of misdirected baggage dropped by 70 percent between 2007 and 2019. Europe has had the worst values for years: in 2022, 15.7 pieces of luggage per 1000 passengers were not transported properly. That’s partly due to outdated systems, Hogg said. In the meantime, however, practically all airlines are working on determining the whereabouts of luggage in real time in the future.