Airline passengers may get a break as Amadeus reports it is working with SITA, a leading specialist in air transport communications and IT solutions, to offer Altéa Baggage Tracking. Amadeus Altéa customers will be empowered to provide real-time baggage tracking information and worldwide baggage reconciliation to passengers, while reducing the costs associated with mishandled baggage.
Altéa Baggage Tracking integrates SITA’s baggage messaging technology with the passenger and baggage servicing capabilities of Amadeus Altéa Departure Control. SITA BagMessage is a unique service used by more than 500 airlines and close to 200 major airports. The result of the collaboration is a single, integrated environment that allows airlines to provide passengers with real-time status updates regarding the location of their baggage through multiple channels.
Altéa Baggage Tracking also will drive cost savings for airlines, Amadeus says.
According to SITA's 7th Annual Baggage Report, 29.4 million bags were delayed on arrival in 2010, which translates into a cost of $2.94 billion for airlines.
IATA has outlined a $1.2 billion savings target for 2012, to be achieved through the deployment of self-service baggage tagging and the development of baggage tracking solutions such as Altéa Baggage Tracking.
“The airport itself is one of the last frontiers in delivering the ‘total trip experience’. If airlines are to overcome this challenge, it is important that they address the issue of mishandled baggage, which is a persistent problem for the industry and a very disruptive issue for passengers. In fact, it’s an area where technology can make a real difference, and Amadeus’ and SITA’s vision for the airport is to deliver solutions based on collaboration and data sharing between all relevant parties, including airlines, airports and ground handlers. Our work with SITA shows how sophisticated technology can deliver real improvements to the passenger experience,” said Julia Sattel, vice president airline IT, Amadeus.
The first phase will cover 54 airports worldwide involving integration between the Customer Management module of Altéa DCS and airport baggage handling systems, so that baggage can be tracked from the point of check-in throughout the journey. The second phase will involve integration with the Flight Management module of Altéa DCS in order to communicate precise information on baggage for load and balance control.
Over time, Amadeus and SITA said they will work jointly with airport operators to connect more airport systems worldwide to SITA BagMessage in order to achieve a comprehensive baggage tracking capability across the air transport community.
A recent study from Amadeus, Navigating the Airport of Tomorrow, included a survey conducted by JD Power, which found that over 34 percent of passengers had experienced baggage issues on their most recent flight. The survey also found that 37 percent of travelers said they would like to use their mobile to receive real-time baggage arrival updates.
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