Deanw
27th Jan 2006, 09:50
Luggage raiders, lost bags add to flying costs
Khulu Phasiwe
BAGGAGE tampering and theft at SA’s main airports continue to nibble at the profits of airlines operating in the country, with at least 50 cases of pilfering being reported daily.
Although airlines usually budget for operational emergency costs such as fuel price hikes and labour strikes, rampant baggage theft has forced airlines to employ security guards to monitor the loading and off-loading of luggage. This adds costs to the already capital- intensive airline industry.
South African Airways (SAA) said in a survey released last month that it alone received between 30 and 50 reports a day of suitcases that had been tampered with or went missing. Chief financial officer Tryphosa Ramano said baggage theft cost the airline R40m a year.
SAA spokeswoman Jacqui O’Sullivan said yesterday that the airline — through the baggage pilfering committee formed by airlines, the Airports Company SA (Acsa) and security agencies — was working with baggage-handling companies to “resolve frustrations”.
She said some of the measures put in place included shrink-wrapping all soft suitcases in plastic for protection during transportation.
O’Sullivan said: “Passengers should also refrain from placing valuables such as laptops, jewellery, cellphones or camera equipment in their baggage.”
Acsa spokesman Solomon Makgale said other measures included installing closed-circuit cameras, using a single gate for entry and exit and banning cellphone use in certain areas.
Makgale said the parastatal, which handles about 32000 bags a day at Johannesburg International Airport, had also installed machines that scan, sort and then deliver baggage to the right flights — limiting human contact to check-in and loading the bags into containers to be taken to aircraft.
27/01/06: Business Day
Khulu Phasiwe
BAGGAGE tampering and theft at SA’s main airports continue to nibble at the profits of airlines operating in the country, with at least 50 cases of pilfering being reported daily.
Although airlines usually budget for operational emergency costs such as fuel price hikes and labour strikes, rampant baggage theft has forced airlines to employ security guards to monitor the loading and off-loading of luggage. This adds costs to the already capital- intensive airline industry.
South African Airways (SAA) said in a survey released last month that it alone received between 30 and 50 reports a day of suitcases that had been tampered with or went missing. Chief financial officer Tryphosa Ramano said baggage theft cost the airline R40m a year.
SAA spokeswoman Jacqui O’Sullivan said yesterday that the airline — through the baggage pilfering committee formed by airlines, the Airports Company SA (Acsa) and security agencies — was working with baggage-handling companies to “resolve frustrations”.
She said some of the measures put in place included shrink-wrapping all soft suitcases in plastic for protection during transportation.
O’Sullivan said: “Passengers should also refrain from placing valuables such as laptops, jewellery, cellphones or camera equipment in their baggage.”
Acsa spokesman Solomon Makgale said other measures included installing closed-circuit cameras, using a single gate for entry and exit and banning cellphone use in certain areas.
Makgale said the parastatal, which handles about 32000 bags a day at Johannesburg International Airport, had also installed machines that scan, sort and then deliver baggage to the right flights — limiting human contact to check-in and loading the bags into containers to be taken to aircraft.
27/01/06: Business Day