ALBAWABA - Imagine arriving at an airport where your luggage is guaranteed to arrive with you—no misplaced bags, no tracking nightmares, just dependable service. For three decades, Japan’s Kansai International Airport (KIX) has provided exactly that, with a remarkable record of zero lost luggage, according to an official statement.
This feat, achieved quietly and consistently since Kansai opened in 1994, has earned the airport the title of “World’s Best Airport for Baggage Delivery” in 2024, a distinction from Skytrax that Kansai has now claimed eight times.
The staff behind Kansai’s smooth baggage service see their work as a backstage role, but their approach reflects the best of Japanese hospitality. “We don’t feel like we’re doing anything special,” says Kenji Takanishi, the airport’s public relations officer to CNN.
“We’re just doing our jobs as we normally would.” Yet it’s the care in those “normal” jobs—daily attention to detail and teamwork—that has kept travelers’ bags in safe hands for 30 years.
“We have been working as we normally do. We only do our work on a daily basis and we are recognized for it. We are certainly happy to receive the award. I think our staff, especially those working on the ground, feel more pleased,” Takanishi added, noting that daily attention to detail and teamwork has kept travelers’ bags in safe hands for 30 years.
During the baggage handling operations a team of two or three personnel thoroughly inspects each piece of luggage, checking passenger information and bag type. Tsuyoshi Habuta, chief baggage handler, explains that the team uses a "multilayered checking" system, with regular communication among staff members to discover errors.
“We work hard to study and improve each day, so we can make the passenger experience better,” says Habuta, who’s been part of Kansai’s baggage operations for 17 years. “I really think this is the spirit of Japanese hospitality,” as reported by Travel Noire.
