Lufthansa developing new baggage tracing system

German airline group Lufthansa will speed up the repatriation of delayed or mishandled bags to passengers after it launches easy-to-use baggage tracing technology jointly developed with global air transport IT specialist SITA.

The new-generation WorldTracer® system provides Lufthansa agents access to a new, user-friendly desktop interface that makes it easy to record delayed baggage and trace the missing bags no matter where in the world they are. The new interface allows ground handlers, airport operators and airlines to access WorldTracer’s global baggage data while integrating it with their own reservation or operations systems, providing a rich data set that helps quickly trace a missing bag.

The new WorldTracer desktop application will be available to all agents across the Lufthansa group in 2016. Given SITA WorldTracer’s global presence with 450 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,500 airport locations, the new system makes deployment of the new interface across a global network easy and cost-effective.

Guenter Friedrich, Vice President Commercial & Passenger, at Lufthansa said: “Every passenger wants their bag to arrive at their destination and Lufthansa strives to ensure that each passenger is reunited with their baggage at the end of their journey. However, in those rare situations where baggage is delayed, this new, user-friendly version of WorldTracer makes it possible for agents to quickly trace a bag and return it to its owner. This will have a powerful impact on customer satisfaction.”

Dave Bakker, SITA President Europe said: “Technology has played a vital role in reducing the number of mishandled bags, saving the industry $18bn since 2007. However, unforeseen situations such as weather delays can still result in a bag being mishandled. This new, easy-to-use application of WorldTracer speeds up the process of tracing and recovering mishandled baggage and provides further cost savings for airlines, airports and ground handlers.”

While the development of this new application was funded by Lufthansa and SITA, it will be made available to the broader air transport community as part of SITA’s ongoing investment in WorldTracer. SITA also recently launched the WorldTracer Tablet which allows mobile agents to roam the airport, helping passengers to report mishandled baggage and trace their status.