Virgin Australia has launched Virgin Track Your Bag, the country’s “first-ever airline baggage tracking tool,” across more than two-thirds of its domestic network.
The technology has been in development for two years. Following a successful trial in May 2023, it is now officially available for passengers.
Travellers can use the Virgin Australia app to follow the progress of checked bags as well as receive phone notifications about the updates on their baggage, including which carousel to pick it up from.
“We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travelers globally and anticipate today’s announcement will give many guests that extra level of comfort knowing where their bag is at every step of the journey,” said Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones in a statement.
The majority of the airline’s routes will be trackable, such as those from Sydney to Melbourne, Brisbane to Sydney, Melbourne to the Gold Coast, Melbourne to Hobart, Adelaide to Melbourne, Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, and more.
Although the technology will not completely eliminate the suffering caused by lost baggage, it should reduce the uncertainty about its specific whereabouts.
Moreover, Virgin Australia has already substantially outperformed the industry average for mishandled baggage, with a rate of 1.5 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers – five times better than the last recorded industry average in 2022.
“Over the past two years, Virgin Australia has committed to investing over $400 million in customer experience improvements and new technology,” the Australian airline said in a statement.
Virgin’s Australian competitor Qantas also stated that baggage tracking will be integrated into its app “towards the end of 2023.”
This new technology comes as many travelers have begun to take matters into their own hands by purchasing tracking devices such as Apple AirTags to keep an eye on their bags.