As further evidence of the drive toward contactless operations at airports, Lufthansa Group has launched a completely contactless system for passengers to report delayed baggage, thus avoiding long queues at busy baggage service counters or offices.
The system harnesses supplier SITA’s WorldTracer solution, with the company noting that during early trials it had proved popular with customers, with two-thirds of passengers opting to use the service instead of visiting a baggage counter.
In addition to meeting new Covid-19 hygiene requirements, SITA claims the service saves airlines on average US$10 for every mishandled bag reported, by eliminating the need for additional infrastructure to manage the reporting of delayed bags. The latest figures from the company’s Baggage Report 2020 shows that while the number of mishandled bags across the industry tumbled 45.8% from 46.9 million in 2007 to 25.4 million in 2019, the cost to the industry was still US$2.5bn in 2019.
Stefan Kapactsis, director, digital ground services, at Lufthansa Group, commented, “Fortunately, delayed bags are very rare. But in case this happens, we want to provide a comfortable and easy recovery experience – without waiting at the belt, queueing at the lost and found counter or calling the baggage hotline to trace the bag. We are proud that, with this new digital solution, we can provide this improved experience to our passengers.”
Following the system’s successful launch at Munich airport, the Lufthansa service has now been deployed at Frankfurt a.M Airport and will be rolled out worldwide over the next few months.