The Technology Transforming Baggage Handling

10/7/2019 The technology transforming baggage handling
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9 JULY 2017 ANALYSIS
The technology transforming baggage handling


As the number of air passengers

increases, airports and airlines are
investing in baggage handling technology
to improve the passenger experience,
airport operations and their bottom
lines. Frances Marcellin looks at some of
the ways that technology is helping to
re ne this crucial process around the
world. 
https://www.airport-technology.com/features/featurethe-technology-transforming-baggage-handling-5863548/ 1/17
Almost 4 billion passengers will y in 2017, which,

for baggage handling systems around the world,
means accounting for over 4.5 billion bags.

Ten years ago there were around 50 million mishandled

bags in the system each year; however, since then,
airlines have introduced bag charges and the number of
passengers and their baggage-service expectations have
increased. Today, technology that can track baggage
while signi cantly reducing the number of mishandled
bags, thereby improving the passenger experience, is
more essential than ever. But, the bene ts don’t stop
with the passenger; smarter baggage handling systems
will also save the industry $2bn each year, which,
according to SITA’s 2017 Baggage Report, was the
approximate cost of recovering and reuniting
passengers with lost bags in 2016.
The gradual introduction of technology and improved

systems over the last decade has already signi cantly
improved the baggage handling success rate. Data shows
that over the last decade passengers have increased by
1.2 billion yet the number of mishandled bags has
dropped to just over 20 million.
The rise of bag-tracking

technology

In a bid to further improve baggage handling, the 200

airports and 500 airlines (representing 83% of scheduled
traf c) that are members of the International Air
Transport Association (IATA) are working towards
meeting the association’s ‘Resolution 753’. This means
that from June 2018 every piece of luggage will be
tracked and accounted for, from check-in to passenger
pick-up.
“Airports, airlines and ground handlers go to great

lengths to ensure passengers’ checked baggage makes
the same journey and arrives safely at the destination,”
says Matthys Serfontein, vice president of SITA’s Airport
Solution. “SITA’s BagJourney supports this experience by
making sure everyone involved in the baggage process 
has up-to-date information about the exact location of

each bag being handled.”
BagJourney’s features help

“It is a
airlines become compliant with
repository of Resolution 753. “It is a repository
of all baggage handling events,
all baggage
from check-in all the way to
handling delivery of that bag to the
passenger at the destination, but
events, from
there are bene ts beyond
check-in all meeting Resolution 753,” explains
Serfontein. “BagJourney can also
the way to
provide assistance if a
delivery.” passenger’s baggage doesn’t
make it onto the aircraft as it
links to SITA’s WorldTracer system which tracks lost or
mishandled luggage.”
In this case, if a passenger’s bag is mishandled, a request

can be processed while aboard the aircraft and before
arriving at the destination to avoid delays.
Following the implementation of BagJourney, Etihad

Airways, which carries 24.5 million bags each year across
8,500 scheduled passenger ights, has reported a 20% 
fall in mishandled bags from 2015 and now closes more

than 90% of mishandled baggage cases.
Passengers embrace self-

service check-in
In 30 airports around the world – serving 50 different
airlines – SITA’s Scan&Fly units serve as bag check-in
points for passengers. It is a retro- t solution that
allows passengers to check-in their luggage with or
without a pre-tagged bag. This type of system is proving
to be popular as, according to SITA’s 2016 Passenger IT
Trends Survey, 91% of passengers using self-service
technology to check-in will continue to do so in
preference to face-to-face interaction.
Last year at London’s Luton Airport, Rockwell Collins

introduced the touchless T-series bag drop, which
transitioned into a permanent installation in November
2016. Part of a £110m investment by the airport to
improve passenger experience, the two-step
con guration sees passengers weigh the bags and print
tags before the bag is automatically dispatched, without

the passenger needing to touch a button or screen.
“This is the world’s rst touch-less bag drop,” says Tony

Chapman, senior director of product management and
strategic programs for Rockwell Collins, adding that the
self-bag drop solution is now available in 26 locations.
“In terms of usage, our installations processed over
200,000 bags last week alone.”
Chapman explains that airport bene ts include

increased terminal ef ciency and baggage system
throughput, while airline bene ts are ancillary revenue
uplift, decreased handling costs and improved customer
satisfaction scores. “For passengers, the major bene ts
are greatly reduced queue times, fast and simple
processing and a stress-free check-in experience,” he
adds.
Tech to tackle mishandled

bags
While the number of mishandled bags is decreasing,
data from 2016 shows that 47% of mishandling occur
during transfer. Copenhagen Airport – which has many
connecting ights – had been dealing with the problem

of tags becoming crumpled or unreadable, which meant
the bags could not be processed by the baggage

handling system.
“Our typical number of no-read bag tags was running at

about 2%-3%, so reducing this number was key to
delivering real improvement in the ef ciency of our
baggage handling system (BHS) capacity and work ow,”
says Karsten Madsen, of Copenhagen Airport.
The airport introduced Beumer Group’s video coding

system (VCS), which uses similar software that is widely
used in the parcel industry, and automatic tag reader
(ATR) cameras within the baggage-handling system to
solve the problem of no-read tags. When a no-read
baggage tag occurs, an image is sent to an operator who
will choose the best pictures for viewing and encode the
information remotely via a workstation or tablet.
“The VCS allows operators, no

“Our typical
matter where they may be
number of located, to zoom-in to view no-
read tags, using a touch-screen,
no-read bag
rather than having to physically
tags was turn or lift the bag,” says Kim
Madsen, senior software system
running at
manager at Beumer Group’s 
airport division. “It also means

about
that the bag can continue to be
2%-3%, so transported within the BHS
whilst the tag is being checked.”
reducing
this number The result for Copenhagen is a
reduced no-read tag rate of
was key.” around 50%. “I estimate that this
means we prevent up to ten bags
being short-shipped every day, allowing us to save
around €100 for each short-shipment in addition to
improving overall passenger satisfaction,” says Madsen.
The future of baggage

tracking
RFID technology is expected to further improve the no-
read tag rate in the future. RFID tags can be embedded
into bag tags and track luggage in real-time. With RFID
readers reading tags via radio waves, hidden or
unreadable tags do not present a problem, leading to
fewer mishandled bags. While cost is cited as one of the
biggest obstacles, SITA and IATA calculate that RFID

could be implemented at around $0.10 per passenger,
while generating savings of more than $0.20 per

passenger.
According to a study by SITA, Delta Airlines, which

processes 120 million bags a year, invested $50m in RFID
technology to help meet Resolution 753. Now deployed
at 344 Delta stations worldwide, the airline has reported
a 99.9% bag-tracking success rate.
For the future of bag drop-off, however, intelligent

machines, like Leo the baggage robot, could take off at
airports. Leo is a fully autonomous robot that will check-
in and print bag tags, and then transport the bags to the
desired location – all while avoiding obstacles in the
busy airport.
Leo was trialled at Geneva Airport last year and is

currently part of various trials and demonstrations
around the world.
“Leo demonstrates that robotics hold the key to more

effective, secure and smarter baggage handling,” says
Serfontein. “By limiting the number of bags and trolleys
in the terminal, the use of a robot such as Leo also helps
airports accommodate a growing number of passengers
without compromising the airport experience inside the 
terminal. Congestion is reduced and airport navigation

becomes easier.”
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10/7/2019 The technology transforming baggage handling

9 JULY 2017 ANALYSIS

The technology transforming baggage handling

As the number of air passengers

Almost 4 billion passengers will y in 2017, which,

Ten years ago there were around 50 million mishandled

The gradual introduction of technology and improved

The rise of bag-tracking

In a bid to further improve baggage handling, the 200

“Airports, airlines and ground handlers go to great

has up-to-date information about the exact location of

BagJourney’s features help

In this case, if a passenger’s bag is mishandled, a request

Following the implementation of BagJourney, Etihad

fall in mishandled bags from 2015 and now closes more

Passengers embrace self-

Last year at London’s Luton Airport, Rockwell Collins

“This is the world’s rst touch-less bag drop,” says Tony

Chapman explains that airport bene ts include

Tech to tackle mishandled

the bags could not be processed by the baggage

“Our typical number of no-read bag tags was running at

The airport introduced Beumer Group’s video coding

“The VCS allows operators, no

airport division. “It also means

The future of baggage

while generating savings of more than $0.20 per

According to a study by SITA, Delta Airlines, which

For the future of bag drop-off, however, intelligent

Leo was trialled at Geneva Airport last year and is

“Leo demonstrates that robotics hold the key to more

terminal. Congestion is reduced and airport navigation

Civil Aviation Authority of

The Civil Aviation

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