
Annually, more than 4 billion bags are carried by airlines globally and while majority (99.6%) arrive on time, some don’t. The number of mishandled baggage is decreasing, still there has been 6.9 mishandled bags per 1000 passengers in 2023.
To meet passenger expectations, to know the status of a bag at each stage of its journey, and to reduce the global baggage mishandling and associated costs, IATA and its member airlines introduced baggage tracking requirements that were captured in IATA Resolution 753.
The IATA Resolution 753
Resolution 753 requires the airlines to track baggage at four mandatory points and share the tracking data with their partners. The tracking points include baggage acceptance area at the check-in, when loading onto the aircraft, during transfers and upon arrival at the delivery belt. The recording of the tracking points can be achieved in a variety of ways. Some of the predominant methods include laser or image optical scanning of barcodes on the tag, manual recording, RFID scanning, optical character recognitions, and Bluetooth.
By keeping track of the bags, the number of lost or delayed bags must be reduced. This will result in a greater level of customers’ satisfaction, passengers knowing where their valuables are at each stage of the baggage journey. Automated baggage tracking also supports efficient use of ground handling resources, supports aircraft turnaround time improvement, and operational efficiency.
Benefits of Implementing the IATA Resolution 753
- Reducing the amount of mishandled baggage and associated cost
- Offering passengers positive travel experience and reassurance about the location of their belongings
- Reducing the cost of tracing, retrieving, and delivering mishandled baggage
- Driving baggage handling automation as a step towards operational efficiency
- Providing ground staff with more data to track mishandled baggage and facilitate a speedy reunion, if relevant
- Enabling proactive reporting and data reliability
- Reducing fraud
- Enabling the airlines to be in control of the baggage journey
- Driving progress towards real-time tracking
Role of Airports
The role of airports in the baggage management system is at vital importance. They are responsible for airports’ infrastructure and define technology and investments made into Baggage Handling Systems (BHS) and Baggage Reconciliation Systems (BRS).
Moving baggage manually to and from the airport terminal to the aircraft is costly, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Automating check-in conveyors, baggage screening, sortation, make-up and reclaim areas is proven to improve baggage management efficiency, passenger experience and safety. Simply, bags must move through the airport as quickly as the passengers. Well-designed and implemented baggage airport management system has a great impact on the entire airport operation, as delayed baggage can affect aircraft turnaround time, reduce minimum connection time, affect gate management and airport capacity utilization.
IATA and Airport Council International (ACI) work together to enhance the airport’s baggage tracking capabilities and associated data sharing.
Many airports may decide to offer airlines the baggage tracking through RFID (radio frequency identification) implementation, see IATA business case (pdf) to justify RFID implementation and benefits.
Campaign to Adopt Resolution 753 among the Airlines
IATA has prepared a complete implementation toolkit to support airlines in their adoption of baggage tracking at their main home hub and network.
- Resolution 753 Implementation questionnaire and plan (pdf)
- Baggage tracking implementation guideline (pdf)
- Baggage tracking certification program
Published Articles Related to Baggage Tracking
- Leveraging Personal Bluetooth Trackers for Enhanced Baggage Tracking (pdf)
- Special Edition: An Important Look At Baggage Tracking (linkedin.com)