Amex promotes i-Trak travel technology

Insurance provider American Express (Amex) has advised its customers to use a new technology option called i-Trak to help protect their luggage.

Customers can attach i-Trak labels, which carry a personal barcode, to their luggage, enabling people who find the bags to track the owners using the internet, text or an airline’s telex system.

Amex is offering one year’s free subscription to i-Trak to its annual travel insurance customers until September 30th this year.

The insurance provider reports that lost luggage is one of the top three claims on its travel cover, with the average claim costing around £580.

According to the Air Transport Users’ Council, complaints about lost, delayed and damaged luggage increased by 15 per cent last year. Between April and June 2005, the Association of European Airlines recorded over a million bags lost for at least 24 hours.

Joanne Field, marketing manager for American Express travel insurance, said: “Losing luggage is more than a nuisance and we are delighted to be able to offer a modern, innovative solution.”