• Baggage Issue •

NOTE:Here is an article I found in the net, about the impact of baggage mishandling. It is an airport setting but the problem is universal when it comes to passenger terminals. This situation can also be identified in a ferry terminal.

Baggage claims and departure delays now costing $1 billion annually

COLOGNE, Germany – 22 February 2005

Growing passenger numbers and improved security procedures were today cited as the main factors fuelling estimated annual losses of one billion US dollars for the world’s airlines in mishandled baggage and delayed flight departures.

The figure comes from a report* released today by the global provider of IT solutions to the air transport industry, SITA INC, to coincide with the opening in Cologne of the world’s largest industry event focussed on airline and airport passenger services, Passenger Terminal Expo 2005.

Catherine Mayer, SITA INC Vice President of Airport Services, said that given the Federal Aviation Administration announcement of a greater than 10% rise in the number of mishandled bags in the United States last year, baggage reconciliation systems would be a welcome solution to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs for airlines in the near future.

“Disgruntled passengers, important security concerns and the high cost of inefficient baggage handling are critical issues that all stakeholders – airlines, airports and governments – must collectively address,” she said.

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RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags are clipped on each baggage which will allow easy identification and location of all baggages especially those which are misplaced or lost.

use of RFID tags in baggages is very convinient. on the other hand, it will be an additional cost to the terminal operation. This can only be part of a baggage handling solution, but still, a better "passenger : baggage : ship/transportation circulation" concept can be thought of in time.