Baggage tracking is the practice of monitoring each checked bag’s location and status throughout its journey. Airlines and airports keep track of a bag from check-in to arrival by recording scans or events at key points. For example, at a basic level, tracking means knowing when a bag was accepted by the airline, when it was loaded onto the departing aircraft, whenever it is transferred between flights, and when it is delivered to the arrival belt (iata.org). By “tracking” in this way, a carrier can always say where a bag last was and ensure it moves correctly through each handling step.
Why track baggage? One big reason is customer satisfaction and cost: passengers expect their luggage to arrive with them, and missing bags cost airlines money and reputation. IATA notes that in today’s world, “meeting customer expectations” means airlines must know a bag’s status at every stage (iata.org). Moreover, baggage mishandling still occurs: even though about 99.6% of bags arrive on time, that still meant roughly 6.9 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers in 2023 (iata.org). Tracking helps reduce such losses by providing an “accurate inventory” of all checked bags (iata.org). In short, tracking is how airlines try to prevent and quickly resolve lost or delayed luggage.
How is baggage tracking done? It usually involves scanning the bag’s license plate barcode or reading an RFID tag at various points. At check-in (or bag drop), the bag’s tag is scanned into the system. Before a flight leaves, bags loaded on board are scanned. When bags move between connecting flights, they are scanned or logged at transfer gates. Finally, bags arriving on the aircraft are scanned or checked before handing off to baggage claim. Modern methods include laser-barcode readers on conveyors, RFID portals, handheld scanners, or even camera/OCR systems (iata.org). The collected data goes into the airline’s inventory: now the carrier and its partners know exactly which bags were loaded, transferred, or delivered.
Baggage tracking has also been standardized by industry rules. IATA’s Resolution 753 (effective June 2018) made it mandatory for member airlines to record each bag at four specific points (check-in, load on plane, transfer, arrival delivery) and to share that information (iata.org)(lyngsoesystems.com). (This applies mainly to interline bags, but most airlines voluntarily track all bags similarly.) By following this program, airlines can demonstrate custody of every bag during the chain (iata.org) and help prevent mishandling. In practical terms, real-time baggage tracking means airports and carriers constantly update a bag’s status in their systems, so if a bag is delayed or misses a flight, handlers can spot it and reroute it quickly. In the simplest sense, baggage tracking is just keeping an up-to-date log of where every checked bag is, to meet passenger expectations and reduce lost luggage.
