Two in five fliers face delays or lose baggage: LocalCircles survey
Arecent survey by LocalCircles has found that two out of five fliers have been delayed or lost luggage in the last two years.
The study received over 41,000 responses from fliers in 303 districts.
This included 41% respondents from tier-I locations, 30% from tier-II locations and 29% from tier-III, tier-IV, and rural locations.
The percentage of fliers who had an airline damage their bags rose from 35% to 50% in the last 12 months, according to the survey.
In the case of those who have had their luggage damaged four or more times, the percentage has increased from 5% to 7%; while those who have faced this situation at least once has jumped from 5% in 2022 to 24% in 2024.
However, the survey has also noted improved response from airlines to customer complaints.
Airline customer service and responsiveness to baggage complaints improved in the last two years with only 24% rating it as poor or worse as opposed to 50% in 2022, according to the survey.
Recently, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had also directed all major Indian airlines to increase their manpower to streamline and improve baggage delivery at airports before 26 February, or they could face regulatory action.
The move followed several complaints from unhappy passengers on social media and other platforms.
The annual Baggage IT Insights report by airport technology company SITA states that globally baggage systems and baggage teams handle more than 4.8 billion bags every year. In 2022, the global rate for mishandled baggage jumped to 7.6 bags per thousand passengers, up 75% from the much quieter 2021.
These numbers are expected to double by 2036, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The survey has also noted an improvement in response from airlines to customer complaints