Nearly eight out of every 1,000 pieces of luggage disappear between baggage drop-off at the airport and the arrivals carousel. That’s some 26 million bags worldwide that were lost, delayed or damaged in 2022. 2023 won’t be any better.
Despite barcodes and automated transport, millions of suitcases disappear
Airlines must track each suitcase or bag throughout its journey using a barcode. But millions continue to disappear. Many airports and airlines reduced their workforce during the pandemic and struggled to recruit quickly enough to cope with the post-Covid increase in travel.
The number of delayed, lost or damaged bags rose to 7.6 bags per 1,000 passengers in 2022, according to a study by baggage handling experts Sita.
This is the highest rate since 2012, when the figure was 26.3 million, or almost nine pieces per 1,000 passengers. In 2019, before Covid, it was almost six rooms per 1,000 passengers.
Ryanair would take the prize
Ryanair was the worst offender when it came to lost or damaged baggage, according to figures covering 2018-22 held by the Civil Aviation Authority. British Airways comes second, followed by easyJet, Wizz Air and Norwegian.
Airlines have 21 days to find and return missing baggage, after which travelers have the right to seek compensation.
Luggage is often lost during a transfer that is too short
Sita suggested that last year’s increase was largely due to problems during air transfers, which accounted for 42% of lost, damaged or delayed luggage.
He adds that 99% of people whose luggage is lost will get it back, although it can take a long time.
Nicole Hogg, Sita’s baggage manager, said: “People are really worried about traveling with luggage. ” It’s obvious !
A partial classification
We repeated this classification without being certain of the number of files processed. We will try to be more precise in another article.
Ryanair: 944 complaints
British Airways: 844 complaints
- EasyJet: 565 complaints
- Wizz Air: 552 complaints
- Norwegian: 419 complaints
- Flybe: 297 complaints
- Turkish Airlines: 195 complaints
- Virgin Atlantic: 182 complaints
- Tap Portugal: 160 complaints
- Iberia: 105 complaints
SITA or International Aeronautical Telecommunications Company
SITA is a multinational information technology company specializing in the provision of information technology (IT) and telecommunications services to the aviation community.
