Talk to anyone who works in the baggage area and they’ll tell you they really do care about the bags and treat every one as if it was their own. They’re also incredibly happy with the T3iB facility. Unlike older systems, T3iB was designed with ergonomics in mind, with the cases delivered at hip height to make lifting easier. Specially designed lifting devices are available for heavy or awkward bags, and the packing areas have a cushioned anti-fatigue floor. This is easier to work on for the loaders, who are on their feet all day. There’s also a laser focus on safety with dedicated baggage hall standards officers patrolling the area. Their job is to make sure all safety regulations are obeyed, and the 5mph speed limit on the London Road is strictly enforced.
Missing
So now to the elephant in the room. Yes, bags do sometimes miss flights. Nobody at Virgin Atlantic or Cobalt wants to leave a bag behind. Besides letting our customers down it takes a lot of time and effort to reunite you with your bag. The number of lost bags varies enormously from airline to airline, by airport and by terminal. The good news is that as an industry, we’ve made considerable improvements in this area. Since 2007 the number of missing bags has almost halved at a time when the number of air passengers has nearly doubled. Since T3iB first switched on, our figures have significantly improved and are now among the best in the business. The three most common causes of a bag not making a flight are that the bag didn’t make it across from a connecting flight, the tag fell off in the system or the check-in agent inadvertently forgot to tag the bag. The good news is that although it can be an inconvenience, almost all these bags are quickly found and reunited with their owners. Two systems are keeping an eye on your bag; Safetrac, the Delta system and WorldTracer, a global system for tracing lost bags. If, as happens sometimes, your bag arrives at Heathrow damaged, our team on the counter in the baggage hall can replace it on the spot.