British Airways plans to be the first airline in the world to spare travellers the experience of waiting at the baggage carousel for suitcases that never arrive
Plane passengers are to be told “we’ve lost your luggage” while they are still flying.
British Airways plans to be the first airline in the world to spare travellers the experience of waiting at the baggage carousel for suitcases that never arrive. If a bag is not loaded on a flight, software developed exclusively for BA by Microsoft will send a message to cabin crew so they can alert passengers mid-air.
On-board staff will take the address to which fliers would like their bags couriered on. They will even be able to pay out on-the-spot compensation.
It means passengers will not have to spend time waiting at an airport desk or calling customer service to report lost luggage.
In a trial over the past year more than 10,000 BA passengers have had flight problems resolved before arriving at their destination.
Missed connections can also be dealt with while airborne. The software will alert staff if a passenger is going to miss a connection.
They can then speak to the customer before landing to discuss the best rebooking option.
On-board staff can also offer “gesture of goodwill” payments, BA said, using the technology known as Connected Teams.
The airline’s chief executive Sean Doyle, 53, is trying to overhaul its IT.
“The new app will be launched in the next few months and is going to be a complete leapfrog from where we are today,’’ he said.
The news comes as one airline worker shared tips on how to avoid your luggage going walkabout.
“We see a lot of bags that look exactly identical to one another going on the same flight,” he Adam.
“One good way I’ve seen is to put your own tag on the bag with your name and address, so that you can read this and make sure it’s yours.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.