London-based aviation technology provider SITA has announced the integration of passenger-led location sharing into its WorldTracer system, the primary platform used by the aviation industry to track delayed luggage.
The update allows travellers to share the real-time position of their bags via personal tracking devices directly with airline baggage teams to accelerate the recovery process.
The new functionality, which incorporates a share item location feature from Google, addresses the growing trend of passengers using personal tags to monitor their belongings. Traditionally, baggage recovery has relied on internal airport scans and inter-airline data exchanges.
By incorporating passenger-authorised data, airlines can now access an additional layer of visibility to narrow search areas and prioritise cases when a bag fails to arrive at its destination.
Control over the data remains with the passenger, who must generate a secure, encrypted link to provide to the airline. These links are designed to expire automatically, and travellers retain the ability to stop sharing their location at any time. SITA reports that this shift from manual tracing to data-supported recovery aims to reduce the uncertainty that leads to increased compensation costs and customer service pressure.
The integration comes as the SITA 2025 Baggage IT Insights report reveals that mishandling rates have fallen by 67 per cent over the last 20 years, even as passenger numbers have doubled.
WorldTracer is currently utilised by more than 500 airlines and ground handlers at approximately 2,800 airports globally. The move reflects a broader industry trend toward secure data exchange to improve operational performance and the passenger experience.
Nicole Hogg, Portfolio Director of Baggage at SITA, said: “Airlines are operating in an environment where passengers expect visibility of their baggage at every step of the journey. When a bag is delayed, uncertainty increases compensation costs, customer service pressure, and reputational risk. What we are seeing is a move from manual tracing to clearer, data-supported recovery. When passengers choose to share their bag’s location, airlines gain insight at the moment it matters most. This reflects how baggage recovery is becoming more transparent, more collaborative, and more precise.”
Image source: SITA
