Signed at AACO’s 59th AGM in Doha, hosted by Qatar Airways, a new MoU brings member airlines SITA WorldTracer® Bag Mate, an AI service that takes the headache out of mishandled bags
DOHA – 3 November 2026 – Getting a delayed bag back to its owner is about to become simpler for Arab airlines, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed today by the Arab Air Carriers’ Organization (AACO) and SITA at the association’s 59th Annual General Meeting. The agreement makes WorldTracer® Bag Mate, SITA’s new approach to mishandled bags, available to AACO’s member airlines. Its AI handles routine baggage requests and hands complex cases over to human specialists, so passengers get their bags back sooner. The MoU marks the fourth year running that the partners have launched a joint initiative.
Mishandling rates fell 23% in 2025, yet mishandled bags cost the industry $6.3 billion that year, according to the SITA 2026 Baggage IT Insights report. Three in four were delayed rather than lost or damaged, and behind each one was a passenger asking the same question: where’s my bag?
Bag Mate is built to answer that question. Passengers report a delayed, damaged or lost bag on the airline’s website or WhatsApp, in their own words. The AI understands what they mean, asks only for the details still missing and works within the rules and guardrails of each airline. Then it acts: it opens a case in WorldTracer®, SITA’s global baggage tracing system, updates the passenger as the bag is traced and answers follow-up questions about its status. When a case needs human judgment, a specialist takes over with the full story already captured.
“This MoU reflects AACO and SITA’s shared commitment to using digital technology to improve passenger experience and support airlines’ operational efficiency,” said Abdul Wahab Teffaha, Secretary General of AACO. “Baggage disruption is a stressful experience for passengers and a complex challenge for airlines. Through our cooperation on Bag Mate, we aim to help our member airlines simplify baggage reporting and recovery, while giving passengers clearer information and greater reassurance. We look forward to building on our longstanding partnership with SITA to deliver these practical benefits.”
For airlines, Bag Mate means fewer repeat calls and messages, and baggage teams free to focus on the cases that need them. SITA runs it as a fully managed service, giving airlines, airports and ground handlers better visibility from report to reunion. Pilot results show Bag Mate’s potential to automate a significant share of passenger interactions, reducing handovers to human agents. Further pilots will test performance at higher passenger volumes. With fewer people waiting at baggage desks, airports can keep arrivals halls clear and passengers moving. Knowing where their bag is also lowers passenger anxiety, which can mean fewer complaints and better satisfaction scores for airlines and airports alike.
“Around four in 10 passengers in the Middle East are connecting, more than double the global average, and transfers are the single biggest cause of mishandled bags,” said Selim Bouri, President of Middle East and Africa at SITA. “That makes baggage recovery part of the promise the region’s hub airlines make to every traveler. After a year in which those airlines have shown real resilience, how they look after passengers when something goes wrong will help decide where people choose to fly. By acting together, AACO members are raising the bar for the whole region, and we’re only getting started.”
For AACO and SITA, the MoU opens the next chapter of a partnership that began with digital identity and sustainability pilots in 2023 and continued with SITA Eco Mission and emissions transparency work. The framework is now open to AACO member airlines, on preferential terms for those that join. The partners look forward to welcoming the airlines in the months ahead. The goal is clear: fewer mishandled bags, faster reunions and happier travelers across the Arab region.
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