--- title: "Airline Industry Ramps Up RFID-Based Baggage Tracking" id: "39540" type: "post" slug: "airline-industry-ramps-up-rfid-based-baggage-tracking" published_at: "2017-08-30T21:20:04+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:16:23+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/08/30/airline-industry-ramps-up-rfid-based-baggage-tracking/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/08/30/airline-industry-ramps-up-rfid-based-baggage-tracking.md" excerpt: "By next June, IATA members will be required to use RFID tags to track the current position of a bag. The technology is expected to further cut down on lost-luggage incidents and save airlines money." taxonomy_category: - "Operations" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AI" - "AssociationsNow" - "Baggage" - "Business" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Airline Industry Ramps Up RFID-Based Baggage Tracking Among the many annoying things about flying, perhaps the most frustrating is lost luggage. Industry groups realize this, and they’re taking steps to ensure it happens as little as possible—and adding technology to improve airlines’ ability to track a lost bag. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) [is working on helping its members implement (opens in a new tab)](https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2017/08/emotional-baggage) Resolution 753, a new industry regulation that will require checked baggage to be tracked using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The resolution, which the global group formulated with Airlines for America in 2013, will be fully implemented by June 2018. “Resolution 753 provides a foundation for the industry to track bags throughout the global network,” David Hosford, Delta’s manager of baggage performance, [said in an August 2016 article (opens in a new tab)](http://airlines.iata.org/analysis/bags-of-potential-a-new-baggage-initiative-stands-to-benefit-travelers-and-airlines) in IATA’s *Airlines International*. “The information provided by 753 is crucial to further reducing mishandlings and improving the customer experience.” The new requirement comes at a time when lost luggage incidents are far less common than they used to be: Last year, [5.73 bags per 1,000 passengers (opens in a new tab)](https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2017/05/05/airline-mishandled-bag-rates-reach-record-low/) were lost on average, an all-time low. But [according to research (opens in a new tab)](http://airlines.iata.org/news/bag-tracking-to-save-airlines-3-billion) from the airline technology firm SITA and IATA, the new initiative could further reduce the number of mishandled bags by as much as 25 percent by 2022, potentially generating a cost savings of as much as $3 billion. RFID tags would add a modest cost per passenger—around 10 cents each—while saving airlines more than 20 cents each. At least one airline is already fully compliant with Regulation 753—Qatar Airways [has implemented (opens in a new tab)](https://www.cntraveler.com/story/with-qatar-airways-track-my-bags-youll-always-know-where-your-suitcase-is) a technology called “Track My Bags,” which allows passengers to use a website or mobile app to see the current position of their baggage throughout its journey. When the technology is fully implemented, [The Economist notes (opens in a new tab)](https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2017/08/emotional-baggage) , it will be used by 83 percent of airlines globally, including most of the major U.S. carriers. (fizkes/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#AI](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ai/) [#Baggage](https://associationsnow.com/tag/baggage/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Industry Partner Edition-Helping Associations Thrive in the Age of AIJuly 16, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/16/associations-now-presents-industry-partner-edition-helping-associations-thrive-in-the-age-of-ai/) - [VideoSkip the Search. 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