The issue of lost and mishandled baggage has continued to haunt travelers even as the world begins to reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a recent poll conducted by Travel News, as many as 74% of agents have confirmed that this problem persists even today. The 2023 Baggage IT Insights study by SITA also revealed some alarming statistics regarding baggage handling.

The global mishandled baggage rate shot up to 74.7% in 2021, resulting in 0.076 mishandled bags per 100 passengers.

Unfortunately, this rate has only increased further compared to the previous year. Reports such as the one on Bloomberg about a Delta passenger who had her luggage sent to the wrong place only add to the troubling anecdotal evidence.

Moreover, the rate of mishandled bags is only likely to escalate further with more connecting flights being added.

However, airlines and airports worldwide are coming up with innovative solutions such as the automatic identification of baggage that may miss connecting flights to mitigate this problem.