Johannesburg – With Europe set to scrap controversial hand-luggage fees by late 2025, and US authorities hinting at an end to the two-decade-old liquids ban, airlines face a luggage revolution on multiple fronts.
Sure, business travel has its glossy moments: premium lounges, power suits, and sealing deals over cocktails in a city bar. But increasingly, it’s what happens to your suitcase that makes or breaks the trip. And right now, that humble piece of luggage has become ground zero for passenger frustration.
‘Luggage rage’, that volcanic moment when your bag fails to appear at the carousel, is driving measurable drops in airline satisfaction scores globally. Even when flights run smoothly, a delayed suitcase can torpedo an airline’s Net Promoter Score overnight. With global air traffic hitting a record 5.3 billion passengers in 2024, even a small percentage of mishaps translates to millions of frustrated travellers, and airlines are feeling the heat.”
Corporate Traveller’s business travel experts share their tips (and tales direct from the trenches).
1.Wayward luggage: the transfer trap
Transfers remain the riskiest point in the baggage journey. Whether it’s incorrect stickers or a simple loading failure, it’s never ideal to arrive at your destination without the bag you carefully packed.
Take Kamoelo Mosola, SDR Team Leader at Corporate Traveller South Africa, who flew to Bremen ready for a German winter. His suitcase, however, was rerouted to Miami. “My sensible wool trousers were apparently enjoying a spontaneous beach holiday while I froze my socks off,” he recalls. The bag turned up three days later, by which point the story had become funny (albeit inconvenient).
Or Nikyle Reddy, Corporate Traveller’s Business Development Manager, who discovered his bag had detoured to Turkey instead of Lisbon (thanks to a different sticker attached to the bag). The suave looks he’d packed for the welcoming yacht party? Less “James Bond” and more “Mr Bean” in a pair of borrowed slacks, but nothing a couple of Aperol Spritz couldn’t fix!
“Transfers are where most bags go astray,” says Herman Heunes, GM of Corporate Traveller South Africa. “We always advise travellers to remove old stickers, double-check tags and keep essentials in their carry-on, because even rare mishaps can throw off a business trip.”
According to SITA’s 2025 report, 46% of mishandled bags are delayed at transfer points. International travellers face eleven times the risk compared to domestic flights.
How to sidestep the transfer drama:
- Pack a spare set of basics in your hand luggage. Think: power suit in a pinch, plus mini toiletries to save the day.
- Double-check the sticker on your luggage at check-in. Make sure it matches your final destination.
- Allow extra buffer time for connections—you might sprint to your gate, but your luggage can’t.
2.Battered bags: when luggage takes a beating
Not all luggage disappears. Some make it to arrivals looking much worse for wear. Around 18% of mishandled bags are damaged, often thanks to conveyor belts, tight connections, or the sheer speed demanded of baggage handlers.
Corporate Traveller’s Multimedia Designer, Eulalia Richarte, still remembers retrieving her suitcase, patched together with duct tape. As she wheeled it forward, the seams gave way, spilling her belongings across the floor in front of customs while she still held on resolutely to the handle! “Nothing like having an audience while gathering up your socks,” she laughs.
Bag battles like these aren’t just embarrassing. They soak up productive hours, leave your team scrambling, and often end with an unplanned shopping trip.
Why bags take a beating:
- Peak travel seasons like summer and December holidays mean heavier loads on belts and trolleys.
- Pressure on handlers to work quickly increases the risk of damage.
Smart moves to avoid the chaos:
- Invest in high-quality luggage with a reputation for being robust. Many brands even guarantee repairs or replacements.
- Wrap bags before checking in. Most international airports offer this as a paid service, adding an extra layer of protection.
3.A case of mistaken identity
Sometimes a “delayed bag” isn’t lost at all. It’s simply that you’ve accidentally walked off with a stranger’s suitcase because it looked just like yours.
This happened to Regional Operations Manager Rategang Moroke, who thought she’d avoided baggage claim blues by buying a distinctive gold suitcase for her Mauritius trip, and yet still accidentally swapped suitcases with a stranger (with excellent taste).
“Even ‘unique’ bags get mixed up,” laughs Heunes. “We tell clients to always check the name tags, no matter how confident they are about their luggage choice.”
Funny in hindsight, yes. But lost and damaged luggage can create a real headache for business travellers. Time spent hunting for clothing, buying chargers or toiletries, and rescheduling plans, often while running on little sleep, adds up quickly.
“Business travel margins are tight,” observes Heunes. “A delayed bag doesn’t just inconvenience the traveller; it can derail entire project timelines and client relationships.”
Heunes’ essential survival guide:
- Take a photo of your bag before check-in. It makes it easy for staff to track down if it goes missing.
- Pick luggage that stands out without blending in. Bold tags or subtle custom touches work better than copycat neon.
- Keep documents and chargers in easy reach. If your bag goes missing, you’ll still have your lifeline.
- Double-check your name tags and boarding tape. Even “unique” bags get swapped.
The innovation race and policy revolution
The good news is that change is happening fast. The surge in personal tracking devices tells its own story: Apple AirTags, Samsung Galaxy SmartTags, and Tile trackers are becoming as essential as passports for nervous business travellers. Singapore’s Changi Airport now uses AI-powered systems that cut transfer mishandling by over 30%, while Delta credits RFID technology with a 25% drop in lost bags.
Meanwhile, regulatory winds are shifting. The EU’s decision to eliminate hand-luggage fees will force budget carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet to completely rethink their ancillary revenue models. Across the Atlantic, TSA’s hints about ending the 20-year-old liquids ban could make carry-on-only travel far more appealing – no more tiny shampoo bottles or ritual water dumping at security.
There’s even been a case of a passenger using an AirTag to track down stolen luggage and finding the thief wearing his clothes.
Interestingly, as global airline passenger volumes continue to soar, the overall mishandling rate is declining. SITA’s latest data shows it dropped to 6.3 bags per 1,000 passengers, meaning you have a 99.37% chance your bag will arrive safely.
“The industry is getting better, but business travellers can’t afford to be the unlucky 0.63%,” says Heunes. “Smart preparation and choosing the right partners makes all the difference.”
-ENDS-
MEDIA CONTACT
For more information about Corporate Traveller, or to interview Corporate Traveller South Africa GM Herman Heunes, call Sonnette Fourie on 081 072 2869 or email sonnette@bigambitions.co.za.
About Corporate Traveller
Corporate Traveller is a division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, dedicated to saving businesses across Southern Africa time and money. Corporate Traveller has the benefit of being part of the world’s third-largest travel retailer, leveraging its global negotiating strength. It has access to over 50 of the world’s leading airlines and deals with more than 100 000 hotels around the world to guarantee savings for clients. Corporate Traveller provides clear, consolidated reporting of all its clients’ travel activities, helping them to control travel spend and identify opportunities to save costs.
Issued by:
Big Ambitions
Sonnette Fourie
+27 81 072 2869
