https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-hogg-72b72417/SITA has integrated Google’s Find Hub share item location into WorldTracer, the global system used to find and reconcile delayed and mishandled baggage.
Travelers will now be able to securely share their bag’s location with airline teams via Find Hub, providing airlines with real-time visibility to resolve delays faster, reduce losses and improve the passenger experience.
The move changes how airlines approach a delayed bag by adding an additional source of location information to support resolving the delay. Traditionally, recovery relied on airport scans and airline-to-airline data exchanges. Passenger-authorized location sharing adds an additional source of visibility, helping teams narrow search areas and prioritize cases when a bag does not arrive as expected.
If a bag is delayed, the traveler can generate a secure link in Find Hub and provide it to the airline. Sharing can be stopped at any time. Links expire automatically. Location data is encrypted, and only the passenger decides who can access it and for how long.
“Airlines are operating in an environment where passengers expect visibility of their baggage at every step of the journey,” said Nicole Hogg, portfolio director, baggage, SITA. “When a bag is delayed, uncertainty increases compensation costs, customer service pressure and reputational risk. What we are seeing is a move from manual tracing to clearer, data-supported recovery. When passengers choose to share their bag’s location, airlines gain insight at the moment it matters most. This reflects how baggage recovery is becoming more transparent, more collaborative and more precise.”
Over the past two decades, mishandling rates have fallen by 67% even as passenger volumes have more than doubled, according to the SITA Baggage IT Insights 2025 report. This reflects steady industry progress driven by smarter systems and better data use. As travel volumes continue to rise, adding passenger-authorized location data into airline systems reflects a broader move toward clearer, more informed baggage recovery processes that benefit both airlines and passengers.
WorldTracer is used by more than 500 airlines and ground handlers across approximately 2,800 airports worldwide, according to SITA.
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