The numbers are in on last year’s airline baggage meltdowns, with a count of over 26 million bags lost or seriously delayed, the highest rate in over ten years for ‘mishandled’ luggage.
Rates had been dropping for several years, due to better tracking systems and, unfortunately, lower traffic during the height of the pandemic. But when passenger traffic came roaring back last year to almost-2019 levels, airlines and airports were caught flatfooted and dropped the ball… er.. bag, especially in major European airports.
The rate of baggage issues rose last year to 7.6 bags per 1,000 travelers, compared to 4.35 for 2021 and 5.6 for 2019. Most observers blame the big problem on staff shortages, with airlines and airports slow to replace staff laid off or who left the field during the pandemic while passenger volume surged.
According to SITA, an aviation IT provider, “The swift comeback took the industry by surprise, resulting in increased disruptions and baggage mountains as airports, airlines, and ground handlers navigate the surge in traffic with reduced staff.”
The problems, 80% of them delayed or long-delayed bags, were worst at large transfer points in Europe such as Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris CDG, although small airports got much of the burden of finally delivering the bags that didn’t make the connections. The problem was less severe in the U.S.
