Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands has announced the successful completion of its ‘bag recognition’ test.
The new baggage check-in technology was tested at the airport from August to December 2020 by baggage identification specialist BagsID and logistics automation company Vanderlande.
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Eindhoven Airport stated that it has decided to extend the pilot until 2023 in order to test the technology even more thoroughly and extensively.
According to BagsID, Eindhoven is the world’s first airport to conduct such trials.
When compared to scanning baggage tags, this technology is more precise, environmentally friendly and cheaper for the purpose of checking in hold baggage.
The technology will provide notifications to passengers in connection with the status and location of their luggage.
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By GlobalDataThis new way of checking in will eliminate the need for luggage tags, which at times get attached incorrectly or become detached from the suitcase, thus ensuring higher levels of accuracy.
Furthermore, it will discard the use of luggage tag and label printers, making the airport more environmentally friendly.
The all-round installation of cameras in the airport’s baggage system is also cheaper and easier than the 360º barcode scanners.
This technology is user-friendly as the passenger just needs to click a picture of his suitcase and upload it while checking in.
Eindhoven Airport innovation manager Ivar van der Smaal said: “The first phase of the trial has been completed successfully. The camera set-ups in Eindhoven Airport’s baggage system have demonstrated that the technology can be very useful and offer many advantages.”
However, Smaal stressed the fact that barcoded baggage tags will not be removed for the time being.
There will be a mandatory ten-digit code with respect to the information on baggage labels as prescribed in the International Air Transport Association guidelines (RP 740).
BagsID founder Marlon van der Meer said: “The airport and Vanderlande gave us the opportunity to implement, test and improve our technology. Our algorithm has performed well beyond expectations. We will further develop the application possibilities of this image recognition technology at Eindhoven Airport in 2021.”
In the upcoming trial period, the image recognition algorithm will be interconnected with the baggage system.
Following this, a test will be conducted where passengers of a particular flight will check in their hold baggage without a baggage label and will only have a photo of their suitcase.
The passengers will then be notified via their mobile phones regarding the status and location of their suitcase right up to the final destination.
