Why do airlines still mislay 25 million bags a year?

The airline industry claims it's getting better at not losing our luggage, partly through improved tracking technology. But tens of millions of bags still go astray every year. So is it doing enough? How can an industry that employs the very latest technologies in its aeroplanes and air traffic control systems still be so backward when it comes to our luggage? But first, let's start with some good news. Sita, an international IT provider to the industry that monitors global baggage handling, says that the total number of "mishandled" bags has fallen from 46.9m in 2007 to 24.8m in 2018. And this is during a period when the total number of air passengers nearly doubled. Investments in tracking technologies, Sita says, are paying off. For example, US airline Delta now includes a tiny RFID [radio frequency identification] tag in the familiar barcoded label that goes around your bag handle. This means each bag can be scanned automatically by machines as it weaves its way through the airport system. Wandering bags can be spotted more easily via a central monitoring system. "You could assume that of the 150 million bags we're moving every year, each one is getting a tag," says Gareth Joyce, an executive at Delta. Delta now claims to handle 99.9% of its customers' bags "perfectly". Other airlines are also incorporating RFID tags, and mobile scanners for baggage handlers. But 25 million bags - out of 4.3b bags in total - still get misdirected or lost every year. Why? Story has more.<br/>