Looking to eliminate one of the travel industry’s biggest bugbears, air transport industry IT solutions provider SITA has signed a service agreement with baggage tech and delivery services firm Airportr to allow passengers to check in their baggage at the start of their journey and have it delivered directly to their destination.
Approved by airlines and government authorities, Airportr’s baggage delivery services are designed to allow passengers to check in their bags from homes, hotels, or mobility hubs and have them securely transported to their departure airport to be loaded onto flights to their final destination. Airportr already partners with major airlines, including British Airways, EasyJet, Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, KLM, Edelweiss, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines and American Airlines.
Explaining the reason for signing a five-year deal, SITA said its 2024 Air transport IT insights report – which looked at how airlines and airports are stepping into the future – revealed nearly a third of global travellers expressed a preference to check in their baggage at the start of their journey and have it delivered directly to their destination, with significant interest in having their baggage picked up from their home or hotel.
The collaboration is claimed to ensure comprehensive baggage tracking by integrating both companies’ data systems and providing full end-to-end visibility on baggage status, furthermore boosting efficiency for all stakeholders across a range of airlines. The aim is to address customer preferences and offer travellers a “seamless and stress-free” baggage handling experience.
SITA will support Airportr operations with its cloud-based Flex platform and Bag Journey service – a global baggage data repository offering real-time, end-to-end baggage tracking – that it says are key technologies driving digital transformation in travel. With mobile and self-service check-ins, the Flex platform is designed to reduce reliance on fixed counters at airports, while its application programming interface (API) architecture allows integration of third-party services, such as that offered by Airportr.
In addition, the tech firms believe that reducing reliance on traditional airport infrastructure for bag tagging and processing will reduce queues and waiting times at airport check-in desks, allowing passengers to move freely without the burden of carrying luggage while alleviating anxieties surrounding mishandled baggage.
SITA is confident that integrating Bag Journey with Airportr’s data points will not only enhance tracking accuracy and provide end-to-end baggage tracking from off-airport locations natively within airline apps, but will also unlock opportunities for expanded baggage service offerings.
“Passengers have spoken – they want to take the hassle out of baggage handling. More convenience, less queuing at check-in desks, more peace of mind as their baggage gets from point A to point B. And we’re listening,” said SITA European president Sergio Colella.
“This partnership with Airportr shows our commitment to reimagining the passenger experience thanks to innovative tech, while helping airports and airlines streamline their operations. Together, we will lead the market in baggage delivery services and set new standards for the travel industry.”
Randel Darby, CEO and founder of Airportr, described the partnership as “two visionary companies in the travel space coming together to transform baggage logistics with technology, to make travel more convenient, efficient and passenger-centric”.
He added: “This partnership creates a powerful platform to accelerate global adoption of baggage delivery services by airlines, airports and passengers.”
