“The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage.”- Mark Russell
Soon the rings of Saturn will be empty. Delta Airlines is employing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology. RFID will replace bar code hand scanning, the industry standard since the early 90s. RFID is a sensor technology based on smart tags attached to the suitcases. RFID labels contain more information than a bar code label and aren’t scanned individually like a bar code tag. When an RFID tag passes a scanner, the scanner reads the tag.
After the planned roll out at the end of this summer, Delta Airlines will be able to track a suitcase in real time and so will the passenger if the passenger downloads the Delta app. The app is available for iPhone, Windows Phone, Android, and BlackBerry. Download it at www.delta.com.
Delta handles 120 million bags annually. With a $50 million investment in RFID at 344 locations around the world, each tag’s radio signal will be read at various points along the way to make sure each piece of luggage is en route to the correct destination. Delta plans to deliver every bag on every flight.
Delta isn’t the first airline to implement RFID technology. Qantas, Lufthansa, and Alaska Airlines have experimented with RFID technology in recent years. Hong Kong International Airport has had an airport wide bag-tracking RFID system since 2009 and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas became the first location in the U.S. to do the same in 2012.
For airline passengers who aren’t flying Delta Airlines, there are different brands of ‘smart’ tags available for sale. The Independent Traveler has reviews of four of them. Most of the tags are customizable with a company logo.
This Internet of Things trend won’t get you to Saturn, but hopefully, your luggage won’t be there either.
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