Virgin Australia introduces a groundbreaking luggage tracking system for local flights
By
VanessaC
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Missing your flight on the day of a big holiday is one of the worst feelings. But what might be even worse? Not being able to find your luggage upon arrival!
That sinking feeling when you’re at the luggage carousel, having done a full lap, but your bag is still nowhere to be seen–like what these sixty Qantas passengers felt when the airline left their luggages due to ‘weight reasons’–is truly something we all hope to avoid.
Now, customers of Virgin Australia will be spared such agony and uncertainty as they have launched a first-of-its-kind digital tool to track your baggage.
Virgin Australia’s new luggage tracking system will allow passengers to find their bags on most journeys within Australia–including those coming from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Hamilton Island, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, and more–helping to end some of the uncertainty over exactly where luggage is in most cases.
You can check the complete list of routes the luggage tracking system is available on here!
The technology that was tested for two years will be available on seven out of ten domestic flights.
Through the Virgin Australia app, customers will be able to track the location of their checked luggage and receive notifications on their phones–this includes which carousel they could pick up their bags.
The technology comes after the airline industry hit its highest levels for luggage lost, mishandled and damaged in a decade. In 2022, nearly eight bags in every 1,000 went missing at arrivals around the world. This amounted to a whopping 26 million pieces of luggage that were lost, delayed, or damaged globally.
At Brisbane International Airport, one baggage handler said that the persistent problem of lost luggage is caused by a combination of undertrained and ‘lazy’ staff, poor management, and deceptive customers.
He claimed: 'These people are not being trained correctly… and there’s so many people they are employing that shouldn’t be employed, they’re not smart enough… It’s not getting better, in fact, it’s getting worse.'
However, Virgin Australia’s Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, believes its new tracking technology will give customers an extra level of comfort.
'We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travellers globally and anticipate today's announcement will give many guests that extra level of comfort knowing where their bag is at every step of the journey.'
What are your thoughts on this latest innovation? Will you be flying with Virgin Australia soon? Let us know in the comments below!
That sinking feeling when you’re at the luggage carousel, having done a full lap, but your bag is still nowhere to be seen–like what these sixty Qantas passengers felt when the airline left their luggages due to ‘weight reasons’–is truly something we all hope to avoid.
Now, customers of Virgin Australia will be spared such agony and uncertainty as they have launched a first-of-its-kind digital tool to track your baggage.
Virgin Australia’s new luggage tracking system will allow passengers to find their bags on most journeys within Australia–including those coming from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Hamilton Island, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Newcastle, and more–helping to end some of the uncertainty over exactly where luggage is in most cases.
You can check the complete list of routes the luggage tracking system is available on here!
The technology that was tested for two years will be available on seven out of ten domestic flights.
Through the Virgin Australia app, customers will be able to track the location of their checked luggage and receive notifications on their phones–this includes which carousel they could pick up their bags.
The technology comes after the airline industry hit its highest levels for luggage lost, mishandled and damaged in a decade. In 2022, nearly eight bags in every 1,000 went missing at arrivals around the world. This amounted to a whopping 26 million pieces of luggage that were lost, delayed, or damaged globally.
At Brisbane International Airport, one baggage handler said that the persistent problem of lost luggage is caused by a combination of undertrained and ‘lazy’ staff, poor management, and deceptive customers.
He claimed: 'These people are not being trained correctly… and there’s so many people they are employing that shouldn’t be employed, they’re not smart enough… It’s not getting better, in fact, it’s getting worse.'
However, Virgin Australia’s Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, believes its new tracking technology will give customers an extra level of comfort.
'We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travellers globally and anticipate today's announcement will give many guests that extra level of comfort knowing where their bag is at every step of the journey.'
Key Takeaways
- Virgin Australia is set to launch a digital luggage tracking system that will allow passengers to locate their bags on most domestic flights.
- The certain technology, trialled for two years, aims to ease the frustration of missing luggage and will be available on seven out of 10 domestic flights.
- Customers will be able to track their baggage location through the Virgin Australia app and will also receive notifications regarding the carousel for their bag pick-up.
- This innovative measure follows a decade-high global rate of lost, mishandled and damaged luggage, with nearly eight bags in every 1,000 going missing between airport bag drops and arrivals.