On a recent flight, I had a transfer in Dublin. My arriving flight was delayed as there weren’t enough available stands at the airport. I made it to my connecting flight but evidently my hold luggage did not. Have you ever been there? Stood by the baggage reclaim watching the bags come out. Slowly, they are collected by their owners who disappear off and you are left to watch the one or two unclaimed bags go round and round and yours is not there? Not great.
The process of finding my luggage and delivering it home the next day was actually all pretty efficient. I filled in a form, my details were entered in the system and then I got regular updates via email and text on what was happening. The delivery company called me 30 minutes before arriving at my house to check I was in. But it was still frustrating not having my luggage for 24 hours. It got me thinking…
How often does this happen? Apparently, on average, less than 1% of bags are lost. Although given the number of bags, that’s still a lot and explains why the process of locating and delivering them seems to be well refined with specific systems to track and communicate. But what is the risk on specific journeys and transfers? When I booked the flight, the airline had recommended the relatively short transfer time in Dublin. My guess is that luggage missing the connecting flight on the schedule I was on is not that unusual – it only needs a delay of 30 minutes or more and it seems your luggage is likely to miss the transfer. A 30 minute delay is not unusual as we all know.
This is a process failure and it has a direct cost. The cost of the administration (forms, personnel entering data into a system, help line, labelling), IT (a specific IT system with customer access), transport (from the airport to my home). I would guess at US$200 minimum. This must easily wipe out the profit on the sale of my ticket (cost US$600). So this gives some idea of the frequency – it cannot be so high as to negate all the profit from selling tickets. It must be a cost-benefit analysis by the airline. Perhaps luggage missing this particular connecting flight occurs 5% of the time and they accept the direct cost. But the benefit is that the shorter transfer time is preferred by customers and makes the overall travel time less. So far so good.
But, what about the cost of the 24 hours I had without my luggage? That’s not factored into the cost-benefit I’m sure because it’s not a cost the airline can quantify. Is my frustration enough to make me decide not to fly with that airline again? I have heard of someone recently whose holiday was completely messed up due to delayed luggage. They had travelled to a country planning to hire a car and drive to a neighbouring country the next day. But the airline said they could only deliver the delayed luggage within the country of arrival. And it would take 48 hours. Direct cost to the airline was fairly small but the impact to the customer was significant.
So how about this for an idea. We’re in the information age and the data on delayed luggage must already be captured. When I go to book a flight with a short transfer time in future, I’d like to know the likelihood (based on past data) of my luggage not making the transfer. Instead of the airline being the only one to carry out the cost-benefit, I want in on the decision too – but based on data. If the risk looks small then I might decide to take it. As we all have our own tolerance for risk, we might make different decisions. But at least we are more in control that way rather than leaving it all to the airline. That would be empowerment.
We can’t ensure everything always goes right. But we can use past performance to estimate risk and take our own decisions accordingly.
Photo : Kenneth Lu license
Text: © 2017 Dorricott MPI Ltd. All rights reserved.
For several years now I have become a minimalist when traveling. For the very reasons you illustrate. I did 2 weeks in Europe with one bag I could stow onboard. When the flight landed, I sprinted past the luggage claim area. It was efficiency heaven! On business trips I usually get away with one bag, that includes the laptop! All due to the inspirations you detail. I agree with you, we should be in their internal discussion. But until they opt to include me, or eliminate carry on, I’m opting to leave them out!! VOC all the way!!!
Thanks Tom. Yes, and you see that more and more on flights. With many airlines charging for hold luggage it seems as though that’s the way to go for now. I don’t see how it can continue though as I see people trying to fit enormous bags into tiny spaces in the overhead luggage racks!
There is a trend now among the US based carriers to start charging for overhead bin space. Recent surveys show this is reducing, not adding, to the number of flyers using their services. Rest of world carriers are making their way into the US market as a result. This appears to be a great example of over thinking process efficiency at the expense of VOC approval (and the $$ bottom line). And don’t get me started on the ever shrinking seat size. At least if you’re a frequent traveller you have a chance to learn the game of frequent flyer miles and how to smile your way to upgrades. This alone makes for a great exercise in eliminating waste and maximizing your return!