UAE airline Etihad Airways has chosen air transport IT specialist SITA to supply end-to-end baggage tracking services for all its passengers.
SITA’s BagJourney technology provides the airline with a cost-effective and accurate way to track passengers’ bags anywhere along their journey, from check-in to the destination airport.
Robert Webb, chief information and technology officer, Etihad Airways, said, “We are always looking for ways to improve the guest experience, and we know that delayed luggage is a major pain point. With SITA’s BagJourney, we can follow guests’ bags through every stage of their travels, which helps reduce mishandling and delays. We can also provide the latest baggage tracking information to crew while they are on the move via CrewTablet, our tablet application for crew operations, so we can address any problems more quickly.”
BagJourney provides Etihad Airways with baggage data via a web application programing interface (API). This information can then be shared with the airline’s crew and airport staff. In the future, the airline could also extend this service to guests so they can follow their own bags via a smartphone app.
Hani El-Assaad, SITA president for the Middle East, India and Africa, said, “With BagJourney, Etihad Airways will be able to track passengers’ bags no matter where they are in their journey. So even if bags are delayed, they can easily see the bag status and can proactively notify passengers. According to our 2014 Passenger IT Trends Survey, collecting baggage at the destination is the most frustrating travel step for passengers globally, with 27% of passengers wanting significant improvement. So it is important that all airlines continue to invest in baggage technology, especially as rising passenger numbers put more pressure on baggage operations.”
