Changi airport launches baggage tracker for passengers

The feature allows travellers from or to Changi Airport to track the status of their bags. - ST

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): As air travel ramps up around the world, passengers at Changi Airport have been able to track their luggage since the launch of a personalised baggage tracker on Dec 12.

For now, the function is available only to passengers on 35 participating airlines who are departing from or transferring at Changi, as well as those arriving on these airlines at Changi’s Terminals 2 and 3.

Participating airlines include Singapore Airlines, Finnair, Jetstar Asia and Air India.

The feature allows travellers from or to Changi Airport to track the status of their bags, as well as receive updates if their arrival baggage at the airport is delayed due to bad weather.

It comes after a global manpower crunch in the aviation sector earlier this year, resulting in baggage delays, missing luggage and flight cancellations as airports around the world struggled to keep up with post-lockdown travel demand.

While Singapore and Asia largely avoided such airport chaos, Changi Airport’s main ground handler Sats reported in June an increasing number of lost or damaged luggage as a result of issues at their airport of departure amid the manpower shortage.

Passengers at Changi Airport can track their bags for up to three days after their flight with this function, which is currently on beta trial and is available on the iChangi app.

Tracking for arrival baggage will be rolled out at Terminals 1 and 4 by early 2023.

Responding to queries, Changi Airport Group (CAG) said the baggage tracker feature was tested among CAG staff before the current public trial.

The number of airlines on board is expected to increase progressively, it added.

CAG’s tracker, which synthesises information provided by the participating airline and Changi Airport’s baggage system, comes as airlines such as Delta Air Lines and Korean Air rolled out similar services to allow passengers to trace their checked baggage.

It is the first of its kind to be launched by an airport in South-East Asia, CAG said on its website.

With the feature, most checked-in bags can be tracked except for odd-sized bags, gate-checked bags and limited-release tagged bags. Some transfer baggage also may not be trackable as these may be managed directly by the airlines.

The full list of participating airlines is available at this website.

Yeo Kia Thye, CAG’s managing director for airport operations planning and airside, said: “Changi Airport Group strives to continuously improve the travel experience of our passengers.

“Our new baggage innovation helps passengers keep track of where their bags are during their flight, giving them more peace of mind, from check-in till they reach their destination.”