Virgin to launch baggage tracking feature
Domestic passengers flying with Virgin Australia will be able to track their luggage in a first for an Australian airline.
From Monday, travellers across nearly 70 per cent of the airline’s domestic routes will be able to register their checked-in luggage and monitor its journey through the airline’s app.
The service will be in operation from the majority of domestic airports, and will soon be available on select flights from Perth.
The tool has taken the airline about two years to bring to market, with a trial initially piloted in May. The function allows passengers to see when their checked luggage is transferred to an international partner airline and will notify travellers when and at which carousel their baggage is available for collection.
Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer Paul Jones said lost baggage was a key concern for international and domestic travellers.
“We are also proud to be able to launch this new feature while having some of the lowest figures in the market when it comes to mishandled or lost bags, with a mishandled baggage rate of just 1.5 per 1,000 guests – five times better than the last recorded industry average,” he said.
According to global aviation data company SITA, about 7.6 bags per 1000 passengers were mishandled in 2022, however data from Virgin between January to August 2023, suggested the airline performed better than the industry average.
Competitor airline, Qantas has also flagged it would introduce a similar measure towards the end of 2023.
