Virgin Australia Launches Luggage Tracking Tool

Virgin Australia launched on Friday the nation’s 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.

Following a successful program pilot in May 2023, guests travelling on almost 70 per cent of the airline’s domestic flights will be able to track the status of their checked baggage via the Virgin Australia app.

Today’s announcement follows Virgin Australia’s more than $400 million investment in digital innovation, technology, and customer experience initiatives, which includes newly launched websites, apps, digital systems and most recently, Rapid Rebook – a tool for guests to self-manage their bookings end-to-end in the unlikely event of a disruption.

The investment also includes a $110 million upgrade to the interior cabins of the airline’s existing Boeing 737 fleet to include important features like in-seat power and in-flight Wi-Fi.

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.

The first-to-market technology is set to free guests from the fear of losing their bags the next time they fly, with Virgin Australia anticipating a rise in guests checking in baggage due to 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, is 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 destination. The tool will also advise the guest which carousel the baggage is available for collection.

Over the past two years, Virgin Australia has committed to investing over $400 million in customer experience improvements and new technology. 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.