A lost wallet is left laying on the airport floor as a passenger walks away. Image: SITA

Press Release: SITA to repatriate lost items at Passenger Terminal Expo

Rotation

Press Release hub banner blue with title in red white and blueSITA has signed an exclusive agreement with UKi Media & Events to trace and repatriate lost items at this year’s Passenger Terminal Expo, the world’s biggest airport exhibition being held in Paris from 15-17 June.

Using SITA WorldTracer® Lost and Found Property, attendees will be able to use their mobile device to register any missing items, which are automatically matched with found items, dramatically reducing the time and cost of repatriating lost items. Every year more than 10,000 people from 130 countries visit the exhibition, with hundreds of personal items being left behind or lost.

SITA WorldTracer Lost and Found Property was launched in 2021 to solve a million-dollar headache for airlines: how to quickly return items left behind on aircraft or in airports to their owners. Every year passengers leave millions of items – including phones, wallets and bags – on planes and in airports, costing the industry millions of dollars in repatriation costs.

The benefits of the solution have now been recognized by security companies, airports and event organizers who face a similar challenge. It can cost up to $95 to manage and repatriate a lost item, including registration, handling inquiries and customer calls, storage and postage. Leveraging SITA’s WorldTracer solution, Lost and Found Property cuts the cost of repatriating lost items by 75%. The solution also dramatically speeds up the time taken to find and return found items, with 60% of these items returned within the first 48 hours.

Rotation

Tony Robinson, CEO and Company Founder, UKi Media & Events, said: “As one of our largest exhibitions, Passenger Terminal Expo sees thousands of people streaming through its doors each year. With such a large number of attendees, it is inevitable that personal items will be left behind or misplaced. Managing this challenge is both expensive and time-consuming. With SITA we know that we can streamline the process and focus on delivering a great event.”

Using computer vision, natural language processing and automated translation, 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 color of the found item. It also recognizes similar words in the description to make a definitive match.

Drew Griffiths, Head of SITA AT AIRPORTS, said: “For more than 30 years, airlines have used WorldTracer to trace mishandled baggage. Now, leveraging new technologies, we have been able to expand the use of WorldTracer to lost property and to other sectors in the travel and tourism industry.”

About WorldTracer

WorldTracer® Lost and Found Property is the latest module to SITA’s WorldTracer service which is used by more than 500 customers in 2,200 airports worldwide to trace mishandled baggage. Being multi-language and pay-as-you-go with the option for airlines to recover their handling costs from the passenger, the new Lost and Found Property is as easy to use for passengers as it is for airlines, airports and ground handlers.

About SITA

SITA is the air transport industry’s IT provider, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft and governments. Our technology powers more seamless, safe and sustainable air travel.

With around 2,500 customers, SITA’s solutions drive operational efficiencies at more than 1,000 airports while delivering the promise of the connected aircraft to customers of 17,000 aircraft globally. SITA also provides technology solutions that help more than 70 governments strike the balance of secure borders and seamless travel. Our communications network connects every corner of the globe and bridges 60% of the air transport community’s data exchange.

In 2021, SITA became a certified CarbonNeutral® company in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol – the leading global standard for carbon neutral programs. We are reducing our greenhouse gas emissions for all our operations through our UN recognized Planet+ program, while also developing solutions to help the aviation industry meet its carbon reduction objectives, including reduced fuel burn and greater operational efficiencies. In 2022, we announced our commitment to setting science-based emission reduction targets aligned to the Science Based Targets initiative Net-Zero Standard.

SITA is 100% owned by the industry and driven by its needs. It is one of the most internationally diverse companies, providing services in over 200 countries and territories.

Featured image credited to SITA