While we hear about lost luggage all the time, it actually only happens on rare occasions.
Of course, that above sentence will only further fuel the fire those of you who have lost baggage feel when you remember the experience.
But according to SITA's (h/t Travel + Leisure) Baggage Report 2017, cases of mishandled bags is on the decline, thankfully.
The report runs through a wide swath of subjects pertaining to our dear luggage. It includes a breakdown on RFID chips and makes a case for its widespread use thanks to its benefits and relatively low cost.
But the most important takeaway is the industry is much better at handling our bags with decency and care.
In 2015, 6.53 bags per 1,000 were mishandled. Last year that number dropped to 5.73 for every 1,000, representing a 12.25 percent drop in mishandling cases.
The total number of reported mishandled bags dropped 7.2 percent from 23.3 million to 21.6 million.
Yes, indeed, that's still a lot of bags. But remember that there is also a lot more people traveling, as the report notes passenger rates rose from 3.56 to 3.77 million in 2016 - an increase of nearly six percent.
The industry, as flawed as it might be, is now doing better with a larger haul.
The impetus may be improved technology from the likes of Delta - a case study noted in the report - and the fact that lost or mishandled luggage is a cash drain for the airlines.
The report states that mishandled baggage represents a cost of $2.1 billion to the industry.
As for Delta, it decided that 2016 would mark a major shift towards RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) on its tags.
At the time, Delta's senior vice president of airport customer service and cargo operations Bill Lentsch had high hopes for the technology: "We aim to reliably deliver every bag on every flight. This innovative application of technology gives us greater data and more precise information throughout the bag's journey."
David Hosford, General Manager Below Wing Strategy and Technology, explains to SITA on the impetus behind the move: "Baggage tracking and real-time visibility to the status of your bag is core to the customer journey. We invested US$50 million in RFID technology because we wanted to provide a consistent, accurate and reliable baggage tracking experience to our customers."
RFID tags allow handlers to work with a system that includes a red light that goes off when an RFID-chipped tag goes by on the wrong conveyor belt. It's quick and efficient.
For Delta, it meets the bottom line.
Hosford continues: "Prior to the RFID initiative we evaluated several technology solutions. RFID was the most effective and cost-efficient platform to provide automated tracking throughout the baggage process. It provides additional capabilities above and beyond technologies that require line of sight to the baggage tag."
According to the study, Delta and other airlines embracing the technology will get their money back in time.
SITA explains that an investment of $0.10 in RFID technology represents savings of "more than $0.20 per passenger."
As Barbara Dalibard, CEO, SITA, puts it: "We all need to continually challenge ourselves to find new ways of working and sharing data to upgrade the experience for air travelers and to improve operations."
An NBC Philadelphia report in August suggested RFID's already efficient method would improve over time.
Delta's system, according to the NBC report, failed to ship just one in every 500 bags. Consider officials were hoping for a 10 percent improvement and you see how minuscule the prospect of mishandled bags would become.
[READMORE]READ MORE: WATCH: Airline Baggage Handlers Throwing, Kicking Luggage [/READMORE]
Of course, this doesn't settle all matters of mishandled bags, 47 percent of which are mistreated on the transfer.
Even if the bag gets to where it is going, there is a chance it may have been tossed a little too aggressively by workers.
But RFID does settle the most frustrating aspect of airline travel in the form of lost luggage.
Delta has paved an inexpensive way for airlines to save money and get their consumers' luggage to the right place at the tight time.
It certainly seems like a no-brainer.
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