The Quest To End Lost Airline Luggage

Delta carried nearly 120 million checked suitcases last year, collecting $25 in fees, each way, for most domestic bags. Delta already has one of the airline industry's best luggage handling records — just 1 out of every 500 bags failed to arrive on time — but hopes that by deploying a RFID, or radio-frequency identification, tracking system globally it can improve further. Ultimately the bag tag might be replaced with permanent RFID readers in our suitcases, reducing the chances fliers in the future will start a vacation missing their swimsuit. The technology is widely used at warehouses to track goods but Delta's rollout is the first global use for passenger bags. Often, a bag or two aren't scanned or error messages are missed by workers focused on getting planes out on time. At the airline's 84 largest airports — accounting for 85 percent of its passengers — Delta will have 1,500 special belt loaders with RFID readers built in. Replacing handheld scanners allows ramp workers to use both hands to lift bags, reducing injuries and speeding up the loading and unloading process. If bags fall off a belt at a particular curve or get suck at a junction, Delta will now have enough RFID readers — about 5,200 globally — to pinpoint the trouble spot and fix it. [...] items like strollers or bags checked at the gate for regional jets — those picked up at the arriving gate — currently aren't tracked with RFID. If a Delta passenger connects onto a flight with a Delta partner like Air France, the traditional barcode tag takes over for the final leg of the journey. [...] an Air France passenger connecting to a Delta flight gets a RFID sticker added to the traditional tag when their luggage first enters Delta's possession.