Baggage handling - Articles and news items

Keeping baggage safe

Issue 6 2011 / 8 December 2011 /

The handling of baggage is a very important activity within an airport. One of the main concerns of passengers (and carriers) is to be able to find their baggage on arrival. For this reason the mishandled baggage rate (that is baggage not loaded into the correct plane and shipped afterwards to the passenger) is one of the key performance indicators of the service provided to travellers. Since 2003, the introduction of X-ray screening within all baggage procedures has become even more complex.

It is useful to differentiate between the different types of baggage. They are:

• ‘Local baggage’ that is checked in at the airport
• ‘Transfer baggage’ arrives at an airport on one flight and leaves on another. This is divided into two sub-categories; ‘short connecting baggage’, defined by less than 45 minutes of transfer time, and ‘early baggage’ which incorporates more than three hours of transfer time
• ‘Bulky baggage’, OOG (Out Of Gauge), that exceeds normal dimensions that are not suitable to be sorted with normal conveyor belts
• ‘Special’ items that arrive at the plane with the passenger such as wheelchairs.

There are also implicating costs to consider. The re-routing and shipping of mishandled baggage to its final destination has an average cost of $100. In 2010, 2.44 billion passengers travelled around the world via international airports. In all, there were 29 million cases of mishandled baggage (12 per cent) at a related cost of $3 billion. Europe accounts for approximately 50 per cent of mishandled baggage worldwide and the United States, another 25 per cent (SITA Baggage Report 2011). (more…)

World news: BagQuality Network

Airport news / 19 October 2011 /

The huge cost and inconvenience associated with lost and delayed baggage is behind an initiative that shines the spotlight on the baggage handling challenge.

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Daifuku develops fast and gentle baggage handling system

Airport news / 18 October 2011 /

Daifuku Co., Ltd. (Daifuku) is pleased to announce it has developed a new baggage handling system for airports called Baggage Tray System or BTSTM, which it will begin selling in October 2011.

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Baggage at Bangalore

Issue 4 2011 / 8 August 2011 /

Our goal is to establish Bangalore International Airport as India’s leading airport in terms of quality and efficiency as well as setting a benchmark for other airports in India. The facility has been built and is being operated to international standards and is now a pioneer in the country due to the passenger experience that takes place on the ground.

Situated on a 4,000 acre plot of land, the airport currently has a 4,000 metre runway and a terminal building of around 70,000 square metres, the capacity of which is soon to be doubled. The airport handles nearly 12 million passengers annually and is growing at a rate of 18 per cent higher than the national average of 16 per cent. This makes Bangalore one of the busiest greenfield airports in the country. With a passenger profile of over 50 per cent that comprises business travellers, the airport has prided itself on efficiency and processes that make air travel a pleasant and hassle free experience. This customer orientated organisation is dedicated to meeting the needs of its passengers. Being a greenfield airport allows the ability and freedom to deploy state of the art, industry leading solutions. Given the airport’s location in the home of India’s formidable IT industry, it is entirely appropriate that this world-class airport remains at the forefront of cutting edge technology while ensuring efficiency and security. (more…)

Behind the scenes of a baggage handling system

Issue 2 2011 / 11 April 2011 /

When planning for a new BHS (Baggage Handling System) I recommend looking at your bags as if they were customers. Similar to a study on passenger profiles for a new terminal, an analysis of bags should be done. The dimensions, typical shapes, materials, per Pax ratio, even content will get you important results that have to be taken into consideration for planning a new BHS.

80% of the typical Middle East checked baggage would be out-of-gauge in Europe, so it is important to get the average profile and per route specifics of your baggage to cater for sufficient baggage handling facilities. (more…)

Focus on baggage handling improvements

Airport news / 2 February 2011 /

Lyngsoe Systems is market leading in using RFID to improve baggage handling within the aviation industry.

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Siemens appointed Eastern Campus Baggage Integrator at Heathrow Airport

Airport news / 5 July 2010 /

BAA has appointed Siemens, the leading logistics expert for airports and airlines, as the Eastern Campus Baggage Integrator at Heathrow Airport. The scope of the wide portfolio of projects includes the design and installation of Baggage Handling Systems for the new Terminal 2, in addition to specific upgrades and enhancements within the Eastern Campus of Heathrow, which will all be completed by December 2013.

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Aalborg Airport implements RFID for baggage sortation

Issue 3 2010 / 9 June 2010 /

An overwhelming increase in travellers has made it necessary for Aalborg Airport to grow its baggage handling capacity. Today the baggage sortation is handled manually, but in order to accommodate the increase in routes, it became clear that it needs to be automated. Aalborg Airport had two choices, either barcode or RFID technology. Aalborg Airport chose RFID because of the immediate advantages, but also because this technological platform is able to offer entirely new passenger services. Furthermore, RFID is supported by IATA. (more…)

FIRETRACE® protection for airport’s mission-critical assets

Airport news / 28 March 2010 /

Firetrace International will be showcasing its full range of FIRETRACE® automatic fire detection and suppression systems at The Airport Show in Dubai that provides stand-alone, around-the-clock protection for electrical cabinets and enclosures upon which airports’ mission-critical services depend. FIRETRACE is the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed and FM [Factory Mutual] approved tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system with, globally, 150,000 successfully completed installations.

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Design and preparation for smooth baggage handling operations

Issue 1 2010, Past issues / 22 February 2010 /

Changi Airport’s latest passenger handling facility, Terminal 3, opened in January 2008. Designed with spectacular architecture, lush natural light-filled ambience and superb effici­ency, this ultra modern facility has an annual handling capacity of 22 million passengers, boosting the total handling capacity of Changi Airport to 70 million passengers per year. Currently, six airlines operate from Terminal 3, including the national carrier, Singapore Airlines which operates from both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. (more…)

Increased capacity, increased efficiency

Issue 6 2009, Past issues / 11 December 2009 /

Located on the Atlantic coast, at the western edge of Europe, Lisbon Airport is the ideal gateway for the growing traffic between Brazil, Africa and Europe. In 2008, Lisbon Airport handled 13.6 million passengers, almost 145 thousand landings and take-offs and more than 80 thousand tonnes of cargo. A 380 million-Euro development plan is under way. Working alongside its partners to improve its quality standards, Lisbon Airport is currently expanding its capacity to the maximum – 40/42 flight operations per hour – providing passengers with greater comfort and airlines with greater efficiency.

Being a Star Alliance hub, with direct connections to more than 90 airports through 32 scheduled airlines and charter links to many others, Lisbon airport plays a vital role in facilitating local business and international trade. (more…)

Ten international airports select L-3 eXaminer explosives detection system

Airport news / 10 November 2009 /

L-3 Security & Detection Systems announced today that its eXaminer® 3DX explosives detection systems (EDS) has been ordered by 10 airports in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In addition, its eXaminer® SX has been ordered by two airports for their reduced size EDS needs. (more…)

Airline baggage and freight – reducing the risks

Issue 5 2009, Past issues / 29 September 2009 /

Recent publicity over the release from custody of the convicted Lockerbie bomber has provided a potent reminder of the continuing importance of airline baggage and freight security. Chris Pinder, British Security Industry Association’s Regional General Manager, looks at some of the current procedures and developments in this vital area.

The security of items carried aboard commercial aircraft combines technology and procedures for inspection and screening in the four categories of hand baggage, luggage checked into the hold, travellers themselves and cargo. The most visible of these measures is, of course, the security checks conducted on all passengers and their hand baggage before they are allowed to board an aircraft. All hand baggage, including items such as coats, handbags, laptop computers, mobile phones and cameras, undergoes x-ray examination before passengers are allowed to enter the departure lounge. In addition, travellers pass through metal detectors or backscatter X-Ray whole body scanners and may be subject to physical search. (more…)

Taking aim at mishandling: IATA targets a 50% reduction in mishandled bags by 2012

Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 31 March 2009 /

Although airlines get baggage right 98% of the time, mishandling costs the industry US$3.8 billion every year. Between 2005 and 2007 the number of mishandled baggage increased three times faster than passenger growth. In the EU the mishandlings rose 28% while passenger growth increased by 9%. In the USA, mishandled baggage increased by 27%, while passenger numbers grew 10.5%.

Baggage is also a big issue for customers. Mishandled baggage is among the top two concerns for travellers according to the 2009 IATA Corporate Air Travel Survey (CATS), a survey of travellers conducted worldwide (see Figure 1). (more…)

Baggage handling system developments at Milan Malpensa: 1998-2008

Issue 1 2009, Past issues / 7 February 2009 /

Malpensa is the one of the newest airports in Europe: it was opened on the 25th of October, 1998. Malpensa was planned as a ‘point to point’ airport and from the beginning was used as a ‘hub’ for Alitalia. This caused the necessity to partially redesign the airport. One of the key points for a hub is to handle transfer bags, so we needed relevant changes to the Baggage Handling System (BHS).

At the opening, the airport suffered from the fact that its BHS was not able to handle large quantities of transfer bags and for this reason a manual facility on the apron, dedicated to transfer bags, was put into service. The results were not satisfactory and Malpensa ranked low amongst the other European hubs for the number of mishandled bags. As the baggage system is the heart of an airport, it also caused a reduction in punctuality.

SEA Milan Airports, the owner and manager of the two milanese airports (Linate and Malpensa), decided to face the situation so as to offer its customers the best service. The main decision was to close the manual transfer facility and to handle all bags (local and transfer) on the same automated system. (more…)