On December 5, 2013, Beijing — SITA (Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques), a leading IT business solutions and communications service provider in the air transport industry, has provided Malaysia Airlines with a new WorldTracer tablet application that cuts the time taken to handle lost luggage complaints in half. Malaysia Airlines agents stationed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport are equipped with iPads installed with this application, placing SITA’s global baggage tracking and lost luggage complaint handling services directly at the baggage carousel.
Dato' Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani, Director of Customer Service at Malaysia Airlines, said: “When passengers arrive at their destination without their luggage, they expect an immediate resolution. With SITA’s new tablet application, we can manage baggage complaints from anywhere in the airport. The entire process takes about five minutes, which is half the time previously required for passengers to find the appropriate counter and fill out forms using a desktop terminal.”
Using the WorldTracer application installed on tablets, airline agents are able to check the status of lost luggage, complete delayed or missing baggage reports, and print receipts for passengers. Passengers no longer need to fill out forms, as agents can scan their baggage tags and boarding passes to retrieve the necessary information.
Matthys Serfontein, Vice President of Airport Solutions at SITA, said: “According to SITA’s annual Baggage Report, effective baggage management plays a key role in improving passenger satisfaction. SITA continues to work closely with partners such as Malaysia Airlines to develop and test new technologies that provide passengers with the best possible baggage handling tools.”
The new tablet application was developed by SITA Lab, SITA’s technology research and development department, in close collaboration with SITA baggage experts. This application utilizes commercial and open-source software libraries and enables quick scanning of boarding passes and baggage tags using the tablet’s scanner, eliminating the need for external scanners. In addition, the application integrates with the SITA developer.aero platform’s APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for use by aviation industry developers.
For over twenty years, SITA has been at the forefront of developing baggage tracking solutions for the aviation industry. Currently, more than 150 airports and 500 airlines worldwide use SITA’s baggage management solutions. SITA facilitates communication between airlines and local baggage handling and coordination systems to ensure luggage arrives safely at its intended destination. In 2012, SITA’s proprietary Bag Message system transmitted over 1.5 billion messages between airline departure control systems and self-service baggage handling systems. Every year, more than 2,200 airports use SITA’s baggage tracking system, WorldTracer.
According to SITA’s ninth annual Baggage Report, baggage handling efficiency improved among airlines in 2012, with the rate of lost baggage dropping by 1.78%. In 2012, the industry’s baggage loss rate was 8.83 per 1,000 passengers, down from 8.99 in 2011. Passenger numbers increased by 4.5% in 2012, reaching 2.95 billion; while the growth in passenger traffic inevitably increased pressure on airport baggage handling, the industry still managed to improve its handling efficiency.
Malaysia Airlines will conduct a six-month trial of SITA’s WorldTracer tablet application.
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About SITA
SITA is the world’s leading IT business solutions and communications service provider for the air transport industry. Through the world’s largest communications network, SITA provides and manages communications solutions for airlines, airports, global distribution system customers, governments, and other clients, serving as the backbone of the global air transport industry.
SITA’s services cover global communications management, infrastructure, and resource outsourcing, as well as providing solutions for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport operational management, baggage transport, transport safety, border management, cargo, and more.
SITA has a global customer service team of over 2,000 staff, dedicated to providing first-class service and comprehensive local and global support through communications and IT applications.
SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir — a pioneer in bringing in-flight mobile telephony to the market, and CHAMP Cargosystems — the world’s only IT company dedicated exclusively to cargo. SITA also has two joint ventures that serve the air transport industry: Aviareto provides aircraft asset management services, and CertiPath provides secure electronic identity management.
SITA is one of the most international companies in the world. With branches across the globe, it serves more than 450 air transport industry members and 2,800 customers in over 200 countries and territories. Founded in 1949 by 11 airlines, SITA now employs people from over 140 countries and provides services in more than 70 languages. In 2012, SITA's total revenue was $1.57 billion.