FROM DOORSTEP TO DEPARTURE GATE: ATLANTA REWRITES THE BAGGAGE JOURNEY BEFORE PASSENGERS EVEN REACH THE AIRPORT

SITA and reclaim offer a new service that lets passengers hand over luggage before leaving to the airport, relieving pressure at bag-drops

ATLANTA, Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Passenger surges at terminals can lead to chaos. Long queues at bag drops put pressure on infrastructure and staff, resulting in long waits for passengers, potential missed connections, and frustration. To address this, a new solution developed by reclaim in collaboration with SITA is now live at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), letting passengers hand over their luggage from home, hotels, or other locations before heading to the airport.

Designed to complement, not replace, existing airport and airline processes, the service offers a practical way to move part of the baggage journey outside the terminal, reducing pressure where airports feel it most. Travelers can hand over their luggage ahead of their trip, away from the airport. Bags are securely collected, tracked end-to-end, and delivered to the airport before the passenger arrives. By taking luggage out of the busiest areas of the terminal, the service helps airports handle passenger surges more easily, leading to shorter queues, less stress for staff, smoother journeys for travelers, and fewer mistakes along the way.

The deployment, live since December, is focused on delivering immediate, practical benefits at one of the world's busiest airports. It supports ATL's approach to managing growth by working with new technology partners, making it easier to move more passengers and luggage without adding extra counters or building new facilities.

For passengers, the impact is immediate and easy to feel. With luggage already on its way, travelers arrive hands-free, move more easily through busy areas, and avoid dealing with bags during the most crowded parts of their journey, while flying just as they always have.

"Airports operate as interconnected ecosystems, not isolated systems," said Shawn Gregor, President of the Americas at SITA. "Handling baggage earlier in the journey gives airports a practical way to manage peak demand and make travel easier for passengers, without adding complexity or creating parallel processes that are hard to manage. This is how the industry can introduce new passenger services while keeping operations running smoothly at scale."

The collaboration allows reclaim to roll out its service in a way that fits with existing airport systems, works smoothly with day-to-day operations, and links into the broader passenger and transportation network. This reduces risk for airports and makes it easier to expand the service in the future.

"This is more than a technical connection," said reclaim CEO and Founder Akmann Van-Mary. "It is a partnership that makes sure the service works naturally within the airport environment, from daily operations to safe and reliable baggage handling, so airports can adopt new approaches with confidence while offering a service travelers genuinely want."

The off-site baggage model can be adopted today while leaving room for wider industry participation in the future. As global passenger volumes continue to grow, airports are increasingly looking for modular, low-risk solutions that ease day-to-day pressure while supporting long-term change.

About SITA 

SITA is the air transport industry's tech engine, making travel safer, easier, and more sustainable for everyone. From the earliest days of commercial aviation to today's digital frontiers, SITA has been there, connecting the industry and helping it evolve through every leap forward.

With around 2,500 customers, SITA technology supports over 1,000 airports and more than 19,600 aircraft worldwide. It also helps over 70 governments strike the balance between secure borders and seamless journeys. Behind the scenes, SITA bridges 45–50% of the industry's data exchange, enabling a highly complex global network to operate smoothly and reliably, every step of the way.

SITA is transforming fast. From advanced self-service and operations control to airport design and digital borders, we're shaping the next generation of travel through key acquisitions like Materna IPS, ASISTIM, and CCM. We're also expanding beyond aviation with initiatives such as SmartSea, bringing our trusted technologies to cruise, rail, and urban air mobility.

This transformation is about more than new products. We're investing in the right skills, tools, and partnerships to help the industry move with greater intelligence and agility, bringing together smart systems, seamless data, and sustainable innovation. Because as global travel surges, flow is everything.

As part of our bold climate strategy, SITA is cutting emissions by 4.2% each year and targeting net zero by 2050. Our science-based targets are validated by the SBTi, and our growing portfolio is helping customers reduce their own carbon footprints too.

Owned by the industry and driven by its needs, SITA operates in more than 200 countries and territories.

Find out more at www.sita.aero.

About reclaim

reclaim is transforming how luggage is handled by enabling end-to-end, off-airport baggage delivery that integrates with airport and airline operations. Working with airports, airlines, hotels, loyalty programs, and travelers, reclaim helps reduce friction across the journey while supporting more efficient, passenger-focused airport operations. Learn more at helloreclaim.com

SOURCE SITA