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Lufthansa is adding new functions to its mobile app, bringing peace of mind to flyers worried about losing their bags. Now, if a case takes a wrong turn, passengers can send a forwarding order directly from their smartphone to get missing bags delivered to their door.
What air passenger hasn’t nervously waited next to the baggage carousel, wrestling for a spot to keep a close eye on the conveyor as every other passenger’s bag comes and goes except their own? Lufthansa has come up with a time-saving solution to cut the stress of baggage reclaim. Flyers using the airline’s mobile app will now find a link on their mobile boarding pass for tracking the exact location of checked luggage. It also gives the relevant carousel number on arrival at the destination airport.
From June, the German airline’s mobile app will also show flyers the exact time their luggage should land on the carrousel. The service will initially be available at Frankfurt, Munich and Stuttgart airports in Germany, as well as Milan, Italy, before rolling out to other destinations.
Simplifying the process
Unlucky flyers whose bags don’t make their flight will no longer need to visit the lost luggage desk to fill out paperwork, as a forwarding order can be sent straight from the Lufthansa app. The bags will then be sent directly to the traveler’s hotel or home address.
Innovation in the air
Keeping track of luggage is a real battleground for airlines today, and Lufthansa seems particularly devoted to the cause. The airline is introducing a print-at-home luggage-label system on flights within the European Union, where flyers print their own tag to accompany checked bags. In parallel, the airline has been trialing an electronic tagging system that could soon replace paper labels. Travelers will be able to send data from their smartphone straight to an electronic tag on their case, simplifying the check-in process at the airport.
Tests to evaluate the system have already been completed, with launch now due from March 14.