But for the employees of this airport which serves the Osaka and Kyoto region, in western Japan, this feat is nothing exceptional. “We just follow the procedures and rules and do what we have to do,” says Tsuyoshi Habuta, a supervisor at CKTS, one of the airport's handling companies.
No “special training” for Tsuyoshi Habuta and his teams who manage more than 3,000 bags per day. “We hand over fragile items, strollers, surfboards and skis directly to passengers,” he explains. Baggage is placed on the conveyor belt “within 15 minutes of the plane’s arrival to reduce customer stress,” he says.
“Best airport in the world”
The international airport, among Japan's busiest, was ranked the world's best airport for baggage delivery in April by UK-based airport rating agency Skytrax. “Everyone at Kansai Airport is proud of it,” said Benoît Rulleau, co-general manager of the airport.
Although it is easier to achieve this at an airport like Kansai, which handles relatively few connecting passengers, it nevertheless reflects the “incredible dedication” of airport staff, he says. .
The number of lost or delayed bags has fallen sharply around the world over the past decade thanks to technology, says Nicole Hogg, baggage manager at Sita, an airline IT service provider based in Geneva. “If you look at the number of passengers, 6.9 misdirected bags (per 1,000 passengers) is a very low number,” she said.
Ten years ago, the number of lost bags per 1,000 passengers was “in double digits”, she added, praising the “sector's investment in technology” which has enabled this progress. Baggage is rarely misplaced when passengers have no connection, “the difficulty lies in transfers, when passengers have short connections and are trying to move from one flight to another,” he said. -she noted.
