Eurowings has entered into a five-year contract to deploy SITA Bag Journey for real-time tracking information of passenger bags through the entire journey. This will help improve the baggage experience for passengers, improve baggage operations, and reduce the overall cost of mishandled baggage.

SITA Bag Journey provides an end-to-end view of the bag journey, from when a passenger checks in their baggage to when they collect it on arrival. Using SITA’s solution, Eurowings staff will know where each bag is along the journey, including precise, real-time details of where the bag is inside the airport. In the future, the airline will have the ability to share baggage tracking data with passengers using the SITA Bag Journey API. This would provide passengers the peace of mind that their bags will arrive with them at their destination.

Mishandled baggage is a significant pain point for the aviation industry and costs billions annually. SITA’s 2023 Baggage IT Insights highlights that the mishandled baggage rate surged by 74.7% in 2022, reaching 7.6 bags per thousand passengers in 2022. This notable increase can be attributed to the surge in passenger travel. With the ongoing staffing challenges faced by airlines, airports, and ground handlers, the industry is focusing on achieving more with less with the help of intelligent baggage management technologies like SITA Bag Journey.

SITA’s Bag Journey means Eurowings will comply with IATA’s baggage tracking resolution 753 which requires airlines to track bags at four key stages: check-in, loading onto an aircraft, transfers, and arrival. SITA will integrate the solution across most airports from which the airline flies. It will also fully integrate SITA’s WorldTracer® application, which traces mishandled or delayed baggage. In smaller airports, Eurowings has the option of using SITA’s mobile bag scanning solution, SITA Bag Journey NetScan, to track bags.

Sergio Colella, SITA President for Europe, said: “Getting your baggage on time and knowing where it is during the journey is proven to be a key element of a great travel experience and an essential driver for customer satisfaction. This agreement underscores Eurowings’ continuous dedication to delivering a great passenger experience while achieving significant efficiencies on the operational side.”