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AIR TRAVELLERS from Bahrain caught up in the London-Heathrow luggage-losing lunacy may soon be able to fly without fear of disappearing suitcases.
Luggage is to be electronically tagged in an attempt to deal with the thousands of bags that go missing from Britain’s largest airport.
The trial of the new technology will come too late for the millions of holidaymakers who are travelling through Heathrow this summer amid reports that its baggage-handling operations are in chaos.
BAA, the owner of Heathrow, will launch a trial of radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging at the airport in October.
Computer chips in bag labels will emit a signal detailing the owner’s name and destination. In theory, sensors could be pointed at a mound of bags and a baggage handler will be able to download the details of every piece of luggage in the pile.
BAA declined to comment on the trials, but it is understood they will take place at Heathrow in the autumn, with the tagging equipment installed at check-in desks and sensors placed around the airport.
“We are always looking for new ways to improve the customer experience at our airport and luggage is one of the areas we are looking at.”
Baggage handling is not BAA’s responsibility – airlines hire firms to manage luggage or do it themselves – but as the airport owner it is in charge of installing RFID technology.
News of the trial comes amid a luggage crisis at the world’s busiest international airport.
British Airways, which employs its own baggage handlers, is scrambling to redirect 20,000 stranded bags amid mounting tensions with staff.
The T&G section of the Unite union said there had been “a failure of leadership by BA to the point of incompetence”.
BA has laid on extra staff to deal with the baggage mountain after talks with T&G officials, who are blaming the chaos on job cuts and extra training to prepare staff for Terminal Five, which opens next year.
Willie Walsh, BA’s chief executive, has attacked the T&G’s comments and has claimed that the baggage problem is due to recent security alerts and poor weather, which has delayed flights.
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents said: “We welcome with open arms anything that improves service when it comes to baggage handling, particularly at Heathrow. If we want to help the image of the UK and the travel industry, Heathrow has to clean itself up and do it fast.”
IATA, the global airline industry body, welcomed the trial but cautioned that it would be more effective if Heathrow launched it with another airport owner. As it stands, BAA will be able to track bags leaving the airport but not coming in.
RFID has been tested at other UK airports, with passengers rather than bags tagged.
Manchester airport has carried out a six-month trial where tags were attached to boarding cards to prevent delays caused by passengers going missing when a plane is boarding.
It would also allow airports to detect people in unauthorised areas.
EU politicians have expressed concerns that RFID technology could lead to Big Brother-style monitoring of airports, but the threat of terrorist attacks is driving further security upgrades.
By Dan Milmo
