With the help of WorldTracer, airline employees can generate a missing item report, register a found item and authenticate a match within two minutes
Technology provider SITA has introduced the artificial intelligence-based (AI) solution WorldTracer Lost and Found Property for managing lost items on the aircraft or in airports.
The cost for handling and returning a lost item, comprising registration, handling inquiries and customer calls, storage and postage, can go up to USD 95.
WorldTracer Lost and Found Property is the latest option to SITA’s WorldTracer solution used in 2,200 airports across the world and will help reduce the expense of returning lost items to their owners by 90%.
The WorldTracer service is a fully contactless method enabling passengers to report delayed baggage from a mobile device and skip long queues at baggage service counters.
With the help of the service, airline employees can generate a missing item report, register a found item and authenticate a match within two minutes.
In addition, passengers can now enter a claim using their mobile device for reporting, paying and arranging repatriation, which enables them to keep a tab on their item at every stage.
For pairing the found item to a missing item report, the solution studies a global database of images and descriptions by using AI, including computer vision, machine learning and more.
David Lavorel, CEO, SITA at Airports and Borders, said, “WorldTracer is a great example of how SITA continues to evolve its portfolio to meet the changing demands of the industry. For almost three decades, WorldTracer has helped to successfully trace mishandled bags. Now, using new technology, we are adding additional value by helping the industry be more efficient and reduce costs around lost items at a time when it is most needed.”
The WorldTracer Self-Service, a completely contactless way for passengers to report delayed baggage from their mobile device, avoiding long queues at busy baggage service counters or offices. This service compliments SITA’s end-to-end assistance across the baggage journey along with the recently launched Baggage Delivery Service that enables couriers and airlines to track bags from the airport to the passenger’s final destination.
The process of handling lost property today is also still largely manual. Multiple stakeholders are involved, and very often, the airline lacks control or visibility of the entire chain of events. Further complicating this manual process is the prolonged time taken to match an item to a missing report. Passengers can now register a claim using their mobile device in a matter of seconds to report, pay for and organise repatriation as well as track their item at every step.
Using cutting-edge technology such as computer vision, machine learning and natural language processing, WorldTracer Lost and Found Property searches a global database of images and descriptions to match the found item to a missing item report. The solution uses image recognition to identify details such as brand, material and colour. It also recognises similar words in the description to make a definitive match.
The airline can then immediately notify the owner and have the item returned to them. The passenger and the airline have complete visibility of the process through the WorldTracer portal no matter where in the world the item was lost, a feature that is expected to significantly improve passenger satisfaction.
With many countries such as Thailand, Seychelles, Iceland, Belize and Greece among others opening up for international travel in the coming months, this solution will definitely come in handy for the airports and airlines while managing a huge number of tourists.