LATAM Airlines Group, Latin America"™s largest airline group, is introducing a new baggage system that will give real-time status reports on passenger"™ baggage across 12 airports. The airline handles more than 30 million bags a year and the new technology, provided by global air transport technology specialist SITA, will be instrumental in reducing the number of mishandled bags and quickly resolving baggage issues.
As part of the six-year deal, LATAM Airlines Group will roll out 350 handheld devices to its baggage team to facilitate the loading, tracking, tracing, reconciliation and management of baggage across airports in seven countries. SITA"™s technology is able to put the same baggage data at the fingertips of every ground handling employee at all airports in real-time, making it possible to track baggage no matter where is it along its journey.
Pablo Navarrete, Senior Airport Director, LATAM Airlines Group, said: "For passengers it is a given that we will deliver their baggage on time at the passenger"™s destination. With a growing network of airports across multiple countries, the ability to access real-time data on such a vital element of the travel experience gives us peace of mind that we will always have full visibility of our passenger"™ baggage and are able to act proactively before a bag is mishandled."
Alex Covarrubias, SITA Vice President, Latin American and Caribbean, said: "Our baggage management solution is used by more than 500 airlines and 200 airports around the world and has been proven to reduce the rate of baggage mishandling by as much as one third. By choosing SITA BagManager LATAM Airlines Group is enhancing the great passenger experience travelers have come to expect from the airline group as well as improving the performance targets of this vital element of its operation."
While SITA BagManager cannot prevent air traffic, weather or technical issues, which can cause bags to be mishandled or delayed, it can reduce the mishandling of bags, improving the experience for many travelers. In 2014, mishandled bags cost the global air transport industry a total of US$2.4bn; in addition to these costs mishandled bags also have a high impact on customer satisfaction, affecting an airline’s and airport"™s brand.
The baggage technology will be progressively rolled out LATAM Airlines Group"™s hubs in seven (countries) over the next 12 months starting with SCL (Santiago, Chile)…
