Peace of Mind in Your Pocket: ACSA App Now Tracks Your Luggage in Real-Time

For many South African travellers, that moment of waiting at the baggage carousel is filled with a low-level dread. Did my bag make it? Is it still securely locked? That nagging anxiety may soon be a thing of the past.

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has launched a powerful new feature on its mobile app designed to give flyers unprecedented control and peace of mind: real-time baggage tracking.

Your Baggage’s Journey, Unpacked

The new feature is elegantly simple. By entering a booking reference number and flight date, passengers can now monitor the progress of their checked-in luggage from the moment it disappears on the conveyor belt at the check-in counter, through its entire journey behind the scenes, until it’s ready to be loaded onto the aircraft.

This move directly addresses a long-standing frustration for local flyers. Incidents of baggage theft and tampering, often occurring in areas away from surveillance cameras, have led many to take extreme precautions. The sight of suitcases swathed in layers of plastic wrap has become a common, if inconvenient, routine at South African airports. Others have invested in personal Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags to create their own DIY tracking solutions.

ACSA’s new feature aims to build trust through transparency. Sello Makhubela, ACSA’s interim chief information officer, described it as a “significant step in our digital transformation journey,” aimed at delivering a “seamless, world-class travel experience.”

More Than Just Tracking: An App for the Modern Traveller

The baggage tracker is the latest in a series of upgrades to the ACSA app since its launch in 2022. What started as a tool for live flight tracking and pre-booking parking has evolved into a comprehensive travel companion.

The app now also includes:

• In-airport navigation: Helping you find your gate, a restaurant, or a restroom quickly.

• A whistle-blower feature: Allowing users to anonymously report suspected corrupt activities, a direct response to concerns about insider threats.

This tech push is part of a broader R21.7 billion infrastructure overhaul. ACSA, which recently reported a R1.1 billion profit, is channeling funds into critical projects. These include a massive R5.7-billion new cargo terminal at OR Tambo, the replacement of aging escalators and lifts, and crucial upgrades to backup power generators and landing systems.

For the average traveller, these behind-the-scenes investments are less visible than a flashy app feature. But together, they signal a concerted effort to not only improve the passenger experience but also to fortify the very foundations of the country’s air travel system. In the battle against baggage anxiety, technology is becoming the traveller’s newest and most powerful ally.

{Source: MyBroadband}

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