According to a recent article in MoreRFID, the Department of Transportation reported that U.S. air carriers mishandled more than 3.5M pieces of luggage in 2005 or about six bags for every 1,000 flying passengers. Mishandled could mean lost, misdirected to another destination, or just misplaced because of a flight change at an enroute airport. Even though your bags may arrive too late for that business meeting, the airlines do manage to reunite just about all mishandled luggage with the proper owners unfortunately, at a very high price tag.
To combat the problems associated with mishandled baggage, the airline industry is looking at new technology not only to reduce costs, but also to provide a superior tracking system. Boston Engineering is spearheading a pilot program at Boston's Logan Airport to develop and test a wireless tracking system to improve baggage identification and security and reduce costs for the airlines.
The heart of the project is the chipless remote identification system (CRIS), a patented technology from INKODE. With no embedded chip, CRIS is a passive, disposable device that can be easily and cost-effectively inserted into a product such as a paper baggage tag. The environmentally friendly CRIS is tamper proof and only 4 microns in diameter. With no chip, CRIS is not affected by static electricity as tagged suitcases move about on the baggage conveyor belt, a problem experienced with many conventional, chip-based RFIDs.
Another stated benefit of CRIS is its range of operation. According to the Boston Engineering release, CRIS can be detected and read at greater than 10 meters, a distance appreciably farther than with current RFIDs. Furthermore, it can be read through boxes and even non-metallic walls.
Not only for baggage tracking, Boston Engineering will implement an identification and location system at Logan that links the passenger and bags from check-in to on-board the aircraft. A self-serve boarding-pass kiosk scans the passenger's ID, takes a photo, and verifies profile. Another kiosk takes a photo that then is printed on the baggage tags. An agent check-in scans and confirms photo ID, and a baggage-tag reader tracks the bags to the aircraft baggage compartment. Finally, a reader at the gate corroborates that the passenger has enplaned.
I doubt if all this sophistication will eliminate walks to the baggage-claim offices by disgusted passengers as they come to the conclusion that their bags did not fly with them. Bear in mind that there is a variable in this process people. People must place the bags on the belt, people have to take the bags off the belt and load them on a baggage cart, and so on. Even though most are conscientious, mistakes will happen. As for me, I hope I never again have to attend a ritzy press briefing escorted by docents in period gowns at Woodrow Wilson's historic home in Washington, D.C., when I am wearing jeans and sneakers.
