To improve the ease of returning items left behind on aircraft, SITA has launched the artificial intelligence-enabled solution, WorldTracer Lost and Found Property.
Leveraging SITA’s WorldTracer solution, which is already used by airports around the world to trace lost bags, Lost and Found Property cuts the cost of repatriating lost items (estimated to cost up to US$95) by 90%.
Airline employees can register a found item, create a missing item report, and validate a match in under two minutes. The solution speeds up the time taken to find and return found items, with 60% of these items returned within the first 48 hours, claims SITA.
Passengers can register a claim using their mobile device in a matter of seconds to report, pay for and organise repatriation as well as track their item at every step.
Using cutting-edge technology such as computer vision, machine learning and natural language processing, 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 colour of the missing item. It is also recognises similar words in the description to make a definitive match.
The airline can then immediately notify the owner and have the item returned to them. The passenger and the airline have full visibility of the process through the WorldTracer portal no matter where in the world the item was lost, a feature that is expected to significantly improve passenger satisfaction.
David Lavorel, CEO SITA AT AIRPORTS & BORDERS, said: “WorldTracer is a great example of how SITA continues to evolve its portfolio to meet the changing demands of the industry. For almost three decades WorldTracer has helped to successfully trace mishandled bags. Now, using new technology, we are adding further value by helping the industry be more efficient and reduce costs around lost items at a time when it is most needed.”
