Say goodbye to lost luggage: Australian airport rolling out game-changing bag tracking

Fewer bags will be lost at Melbourne Airport when a new high-tech baggage handling system rolls out.

The new baggage system will double the capacity of the existing system at the T2 international terminal and allow airlines to track bags in real time from the moment they are checked-in.

The system will replace the current outbound international baggage system, and will process more than 4000 bags per hour compared to 1800 today.

Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the infrastructure - coming online in March - will lead to fewer lost bags, "with airlines able to track every bag in real-time from check-in to the aircraft, giving peace of mind to passengers while supporting on time performance."

It will also allow passengers to check in earlier for their flights - up to 18 hours before departure.

"Having an automated bag store will allow us to let passengers check-in much earlier for their flights and in the future will enable true anytime check-in, which is exciting for both airlines and travellers," Mr Parashos said.

When passengers check their bags in at the check-in desk, each bag will be assigned an electronic tag for tracking. It will then be placed onto a tote tray and this will move onto a conveyor to be scanned for security.

Bags will then move to a storage area that can hold up to 1400 bags. Bags that are checked in early will be stored in flight rows to wait for their flight. When the flight is ready for baggage, bags will automatically be moved through the conveyor for loading.

A Melbourne Airport spokesperson told Explore that while misplaced bags make it to their destination eventually under the current system, tracking down a bag relies on ground handlers physically inspecting the bags for tags or information.

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"At present bags are tracked using the baggage labels attached to them. When these labels are incorrectly attached or fall off bags can be misdirected in the system. These misdirected bags can often lead to congestion and extensive manual handling to get them where they need to go," the spokesperson said.

Under the new system, each bag is paired electronically to a tote tray using RFID technology. The spokesperson said this would mean "ground handlers and airlines will know where each bag is in the system at all times, reducing the time bags are 'lost' in the system".

The new infrastructure will not change boarding times or baggage delivery at the destination, the spokesperson said.

The airport has four new airlines touching down in December: Virgin Australia to Doha, operated by Qatar Airways on December 1; Delta Airlines on December 5, Hong Kong Airlines on December 13 and Shenzhen Airlines on December 23.

Over at Sydney Airport, a $6 billion upgrade over the next five years will include a new link between T2 and T3 domestic terminals to improve efficiency for airlines and passengers.

Some international services will be brought to the current domestic precinct, and new terminal space along with 12 new swing gates - which can switch between domestic and international operation as needed - will be developed.

Sydney Airport expects 72 million passengers annually by 2045.