Lost bag rate improves as passenger traffic soars
In good news for airline passengers, the rate of mishandled baggage is coming down despite air traffic reaching record levels, with technology and automation increasingly playing a role.
The latest Baggage IT Insights report by air transport IT provider SITA, based on data from 280 airlines, shows that the mishandling rate dropped to 6.3 bags per 1000 passengers in 2024, down from 6.9 the previous year and a 67 per cent improvement since 2007.
The improvement comes despite 2024 being a record-breaking year for air travel, with global passenger numbers reaching 5.3 billion.
SITA reports 33.4 million bags were mishandled in 2024, with 22 million of these or 66 per cent resolved by SITA's WorldTracer global baggage tracing and matching system within 48 hours. Of the 22 million, 25 per cent were resolved within 12 hours, 38 per cent within 24 hours and 37 per cent within 48 hours.
Delayed bags are the most common issue, accounting for 74 per cent of mishandled baggage, down from 80 per cent the previous year, followed by lost or stolen bags at 8 per cent, while damaged or pilfered bags increased from 15 per cent in 2023 to 18 per cent in 2024. Transfer mishandling was the biggest cause of the problem, accounting for 41 per cent of incidents, an improvement on 46 per cent the previous year. Tagging or ticketing errors, security issues and similar factors rose slightly to 17 per cent — up three percentage points — while loading failures remained steady at 16 per cent. Operational issues including customs delays, weather and capacity constraints increased to 10 per cent from 8 per cent in 2023.
The Asia-Pacific region has the best baggage report card, with just 3.1 mishandled bags per 1000 passengers, while North America improved to 5.5 bags per 1000 passengers. Europe improved its performance, but still reported 12.3 mishandled bags per 1000 passengers.
'We're making progress, but baggage still causes stress,' says Nicole Hogg, director of baggage at SITA.
Lost baggage cost the airline industry an estimated $US5 billion ($7.6b) in 2024, with airlines and airports turning to new technology to bring this figure down and to meet passengers' growing service expectations.
'We've seen a radical shift with automation and the widespread use of real-time tracking. Passengers now expect their baggage experience to be as easy and transparent as using a rideshare or delivery app,' says David Lavorel, SITA CEO.
Real-time tracking, artificial intelligence-powered analytics and self-service solutions are all having a positive effect, according to SITA. In 2024, 42 per cent of passengers had access to real-time baggage updates, up from 38 per cent in 2023. Nearly half of travellers questioned say mobile tracking would boost their confidence in checking in a bag, while 38 per cent value the addition of digital ID tags.
In response, airlines are making the baggage journey more visible, with 66 per cent offering automated bag drop and a further 16 per cent planning to do so by 2027.
SITA highlights the integration of Apple's Share Item Location feature with SITA WorldTracer as a game changer. Airlines including British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic are among those that have adopted the feature, allowing passengers to share the location of their Apple AirTag with airlines, enabling quicker baggage recovery.
A new Modern Baggage Messaging standard was recently approved by the air transport industry, which is expected to enhance data quality and reduce baggage mishandling by a further 5 per cent.
'Every bag matters. This isn't just about reducing errors, it's about creating trust in the journey, and the technology is clearly making that possible,' says Hogg.
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