Baggage Tracing and Matching
Tracing is the process of actively looking for a match between the information stored in a Delayed Bag File and that in an On-Hand Bag or Forward Bag File
Potential Matches in the Station Inbox
Tracing
The default tracing period for a Delayed Bag File is 45 days. However, your WorldTracer coordinator can change the default to between 5 to 100 days.
Once the tracing period has finished, the Delayed Bag File remains in WorldTracer but its status changes to Open/Retired, as it has retired from tracing.
Primary Tracing takes place during a number of days set for the station, for example, the first five days, and is done by the station responsible for the Delayed Bag File.
Secondary Tracing takes place when the primary tracing period has expired, and is usually done by the Headquarters.
Tracing Options
When you create a Delayed Bag File, there are four different tracing options available.
| Tracing Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Full Tracing |
WorldTracer actively look for matches for the Delayed Bag File until an agent suspends tracing, the end of the tracing period, or when the file is closed. This is the default option. |
| No Tracing |
WorldTracer does not look for matches. Used when an agent knows the location of a bag, and therefore doesn't need WorldTracer to look for a match. |
| Suspended |
Tracing has been manually or automatically suspended, generally because a match has been found. WorldTracer no longer looks for matches. |
| Online Tracing | WorldTracer actively looks for matches, but only with files created by your airline. |
The Matching Process
Field Descriptions (in Files and Search)
WorldTracer looks for potential matches using 23 information elements related to the bag and the passenger.
For each matching element, WorldTracer awards points for how well the elements in the two files match.
To calculate the matching score, WorldTracer compares the actual points with the potential matching points, and displays the result as a percentage (%).
The Bag elements used for matching are as follows:
| Element in Delayed Bag File | Is Compared With | Potential Points |
|---|---|---|
| Address on bag | Any address | 50 |
| Permanent address | Any address | 50 |
| Temporary address | Any address | 50 |
|
Contents category |
Contents | 40 |
| 40 | ||
| Rush tag number | Tag or Rush tag number | 40 |
| Tag number | Tag or Rush tag number | 40 |
| Family name | Family name | 20 |
| PNR record locator | PNR record locator | 20 |
| Color and type | Color and type | 18 |
| Cell phone number | Any phone number | 15 |
| Fax number | Any phone number | 15 |
| Home/business phone number | Any phone number | 15 |
| Phone number on bag | Any phone number | 15 |
| Temporary phone | Any phone number | 15 |
| Frequent flyer number | Frequent flyer number | 10 |
| Bag routing | Routing (origin and destination) | 9 |
| Flight number and date | Flight number and date | 9 |
| Routing (origin and destination) | Routing (origin and destination) | 5 |
|
Brand Note: Only the first four characters are compared. |
Brand | 3 |
| Given name | Given name | 3 |
| Initials | Initials | 3 |
| Contents gender | Contents gender | 1 |
In addresses, only the first four numbers and the first four characters are compared.
The flight date in a Delayed Bag File is not matched with an On-Hand Bag File when the flight date is more than two days later.
Potential Matches in the Station Inbox
Potential matches are displayed in the System Matches folder of the Station Inbox.
There are two types of matches: a tag match on an identical bag tag, and a score match. The tag match is displayed before any score matches.
Here is an example of a tag match and a score match for the same Delayed Bag File:
