We can reduce the risk of lost baggage to zero
Table of Contents
1: I have experienced lost baggage five times
2: Probability of lost baggage
3: How to eliminate lost baggage
1: I have experienced lost baggage five times
Have you ever experienced lost baggage? I have experienced it five times.
Lost baggage is the loss of checked baggage when boarding a flight at an airport. Only 5% of baggage is Lost/Stolen, and most of the reason is delayed bags in transit (75%).
BREAKDOWN OF MISHANDLED BAGS
Source: SITA
The biggest reason for delayed bags is “Transfer mishandling (45%).” There are various reasons, such as “Failure to load” and “Ticketing error.”
REASONS FOR DELAYED BAGS
Source: SITA
I have had two lost baggage incidents in the USA, one in Japan, one in Italy, and one in the UAE. The amount lost due to lost baggage is eventually covered by insurance. However, I hurt my personal and business trips as I needed time to shop for clothing and other items.
In December 2022, flight delays and associated lost baggage prevented figure skating pairs competitors (Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara) who traveled from their base in Canada to Japan from competing in the All-Japan Championships.
Annual claims from lost baggage in the air transport industry reached USD 2.5 billion in 2019.
Lost baggage can thus ruin trips, business trips, and sporting events and cause significant financial losses.
2: Probability of lost baggage
Global lost baggage decreased from 46.9 million in 2007 to 25.4 million in 2019. The probability of occurrence also significantly declined from 1.88% in 2007 to 0.56% in 2019.
Total bags mishandled (millions)
Source: SITA
Even though the probability of lost baggage has decreased significantly, if you fly as often as I do, you may experience lost baggage multiple times. Based on the 2019 lost baggage probability of 0.56% mentioned above, the likelihood of occurrence exceeds 10% if you fly 19 times. If you fly 10 times round trip, one in ten people will encounter lost baggage. The probability of occurrence increases to 43% if you fly 100 times.
Probability of lost baggage
Source: SITA, Our calculation
3: How to eliminate lost baggage
The proportion of checked and cabin baggage is 81% and 19% (2018). Moreover, restrictions on carry-on baggage are becoming stricter year by year, and the proportion of checked baggage is increasing.
The best self-defense against lost baggage is to minimize your luggage and not check baggage onto the plane. The only way to achieve this is to reduce your travel luggage. Our clothing rental service can contribute significantly to this. Ultimately, we want to create a world where you can travel abroad only with your passport and smartphone.
