Holiday insurance to protect against lost luggage
Tue, 21 Mar 2006
Increasing numbers of passengers are left waiting at airport luggage carousels following a rise in lost baggage, according to a new study.
Research by global baggage IT data provider SITA, discovered that airlines lost a total of 30 million bags last year. However, the purchase of appropriate holiday insurance could help to offset the cost of recovering lost belongings.
SITA believes that airlines' tight turnaround times and increased airport congestion are the main causes for the rise in missing bags, especially as many carriers struggle to grasp the increasingly complicated baggage handling systems.
SITA managing director Francesco Violante believes many airlines will have to do more to offset the rising number of passenger complaints.
"Growth is welcome but it has to be better managed if airlines and airports want to improve the passenger experience by eliminating delays from the system," said Mr Violante.
He added: "The industry needs more sophisticated baggage reconciliations systems and greater use of self-service such as check-in through kiosks and on the web. This will all help to simplify travel, reduce delays and baggage misconnections."
The good news is that 99 per cent of travellers are eventually reunited with their belongings. However, holiday insurance could help to cover the cost of a change of clothes whilst waiting for the missing bags to turn up at their correct destination. 
© Adfero Ltd
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