RFID Baggage Handling Savings Potential Significant

Baggage handling report confirms opportunity size and positions RFID technology as a means of reaping cost savings benefits. ...

... "According to this year's Baggage Report published today at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Amsterdam, the air transport industry lost $3.8 billion in 2007 because of growing pressures on baggage management linked to passenger volumes, tight aircraft turnaround times, and heightened security measures. Figures from WorldTracer, SITA's fully-automated system for tracing lost and mishandled passenger baggage used by 400 airlines and ground handling companies, show that 42.4 million bags were mishandled or delayed in 2007. The air transport industry handles around 2.25 billion pieces of checked baggage every year. In 2007, the single largest cause of baggage delay was in transfer baggage mishandling, 49%, but this number has been falling steadily since 2005 when it was at 61%. This was followed by ticketing error/ passenger bag switch/ security/ other, 14%; failure to load, 16%; space-weight restriction, 5%; loading/offloading error, 5%; tagging errors, 3%; and arrival station mishandling, 8%. " ...

Via SITA: RFID used for Bag-Handling Crisis