About 5.3-billion passengers travelled by air globally in 2024 and 33.4-million of their checked bags were mishandled — 6.3 bags per 1,000 passengers, a new report shows.
Africa and the Middle East reported one of the lowest total numbers of mishandled checked bags at 6.02 per 1,000 passengers, according to the newly released “Baggage IT Insights 2025” report.
It cost airlines more than $5bn to trace and reconcile mishandled baggage with passengers. Of the mishandled bags in 2024, 66% were resolved within 48 hours, of which 25% were resolved within 12 hours and 38% within 24 hours.
The report’s author, the Geneva-based Sita (Société Internationale de Télécommunication Aéronautique), a global air transport industry-owned IT organisation, works with airlines, airports and more than 75 governments — including all Group of 20 nations — to modernise airport and border operations.
The Sita’s report notes that the costs of dealing with mishandled checked bags — from courier returns and customer service to claims handling and lost productivity — highlight the urgency of continued investment in real-time, automated and data-driven baggage systems.
Delayed bags remain the most common issue, accounting for 74% of mishandled baggage. In about 8% of the cases bags were lost or stolen, and in 18% bags were damaged or pilfered.
Transfer mishandling was the biggest contributor at 41%, while tagging or ticketing errors, security issues and similar factors accounted for 17% and loading failures 16%.
For the Sita it is clear passengers are expecting more and more from the aviation industry.
“We’ve seen a radical shift with automation and the widespread use of real-time tracking. Passengers now expect their baggage experience to be as easy and transparent as using a rideshare or delivery app. It’s no longer just about moving bags, it’s about delivering a smooth, connected journey,” David Lavorel, CEO of the Sita, said in a statement.
“Airlines are ready to tap into technology that improves the passenger experience while keeping costs down and being simple to roll out. Together with our partners, we’re reimagining baggage handling to give passengers full visibility and control from departure to arrival, giving them peace of mind and making travel simpler and better.”
For the Sita, one of the standout innovations in 2024 was the integration of Apple’s Share Item Location feature with the Sita’s trademarked WorldTracer. Passengers can share the location of their Apple AirTag with airlines, allowing quicker baggage recovery.
British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, Cathay and Virgin Atlantic are among the adopters so far. This integration also powers WorldTracers Auto Reflight, which automatically reflights bags on the original bag tag, identifies the cause of mishandling and begins resolution, with no human intervention required.
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