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So many name tags are calling

If you've ever been frustrated after an airline lost your luggage, you're in the good company of millions of others. A look at the numbers, according to a report by SITA Inc., a company that provides technology for the air transport industry:

30-million

Number of bags temporarily lost by airlines in 2005

200,000

Bags that were never reunited with their owners

3-billion

Total bags processed in 2005 by airports worldwide

0.3

Percentage point increase in lost baggage from 2004 to 2005

$2.5-billion

Cost to world airlines of dealing with mishandled luggage in 2005, compared with $1.6-billion in 2004.

Hours, on average, it takes for missing bags to be returned to their owners.

AND SOME

ANSWERS

WHY SO MANY MISSING BAGS? Greater airport congestion, tight connection times, increased transfers among airlines and stricter security are all contributing to more late or missing bags, said SITA, a Geneva-based company that is owned by the airlines, airports and other international air transport industry companies. But the biggest problem is the growing number of passengers, whose additional bags cause delays and complicate handling, it said.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE PERMANENTLY LOST? There is no industry standard for permanently lost bags, and items in some countries are later sold at auction. In the United States, the Unclaimed Baggage Center (www

unclaimedbaggage.com) in Scottsboro, Ala., sells more than 1-million items each year. Most of the merchandise sold is clothing, but also includes cameras, electronics, sporting goods, jewelry and - of course - luggage.

[Last modified March 21, 2006, 02:30:40]