Virgin Australia wheels out Aussie airline-first baggage tracking tool

Virgin Australia will launch country first-ever airline baggage tracking tool across more than two thirds of its domestic network tomorrow, allowing guests to know where their bag is at every step of the journey. With digital tracking now part of everyday life, Virgin Australia’s new seamless travel experience is the latest instalment of the airline’s broader transformation program. The tool, which has been two years in the making, comes as lost baggage remains a pain point for travellers across the globe. Despite this, Virgin Australia far outperforms the industry average for mishandled baggage, with a mishandled baggage rate of just 1.5 per 1,000 guests – five times better than the last recorded industry average.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, commented:“It’s our mission to be Australia’s most loved airline and that means we need to listen to our customers to ensure we are offering the services that are most important to them. We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travellers 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. We are also proud to be able to launch this new feature while having some of the lowest figures in the market when it comes to mishandled or lost bags, with a mishandled baggage rate of just 1.5 per 1,000 guests – five times better than the last recorded industry average. We are a business that intently listens to its people and customers, and we are excited to have many more announcements in the pipeline that we know will make our guests’ flying experience that touch more wonderful.”

The first-to-market technology is set to free guests from the fear of losing their bags next time they fly, with Virgin Australia anticipating a rise in guests checking in baggage as a result of the new tracking tool. Initially piloted in May 2023, the tracking tool will be available on most domestic routes between major airports, including Sydney-Melbourne, Brisbane-Sydney, Melbourne-Gold Coast, Melbourne-Hobart, Adelaide-Melbourne, Sydney-Sunshine Coast, and more (refer Notes to Editor). The airline’s remaining domestic network, including select services departing Perth, are expected to feature the tracking tool soon.

Guests can track their checked baggage on select Virgin Australia services in three easy steps:

1. Download the Virgin Australia app.
2. Enable push notifications via app settings.
3. Once enabled, a series of push notifications will be sent to the guest’s phone throughout the journey, including upon the bag being checked-in, transferred to an international partner airline, and available for collection at the final destination. The tool will also advise the guest which carousel the baggage is available for collection from.

Over the past two years, Virgin Australia has committed to investing over $400 million in customer experience improvements and new technology. To date, the airline has launched new websites, app upgrades, a new loyalty management system, new high-speed Lounge and onboard Wi-Fi, first-to-market technology and more. As part of this investment, last month the airline announced a $110 million upgrade to the interior cabins of the airline’s existing Boeing 737 fleet to include new seats, in-flight Wi-Fi and in-seat power – some of the features most important to guests following a survey of Velocity Frequent Flyer members.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, commented:“It’s our mission to be Australia’s most loved airline and that means we need to listen to our customers to ensure we are offering the services that are most important to them. We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travellers 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. We are also proud to be able to launch this new feature while having some of the lowest figures in the market when it comes to mishandled or lost bags, with a mishandled baggage rate of just 1.5 per 1,000 guests – five times better than the last recorded industry average. We are a business that intently listens to its people and customers, and we are excited to have many more announcements in the pipeline that we know will make our guests’ flying experience that touch more wonderful.”