RFID in baggage tracking and in the aviation environment

Customer satisfaction with service and quality

Millions of pieces of baggage are misrouted every year. This means a lot of work and additional costs for the airlines. The use of RFID technology at the airport - and RFID tags attached to suitcases - should change this.
The quality of baggage tracking has improved significantly in recent years. Nevertheless, airlines and airport operators still face the challenge of managing the ever-increasing number of passengers and baggage without losses, while at the same time meeting passengers' expectations of transparent baggage tracking.

Introduction

Cost and reliability have always been major challenges in the air freight logistics chain. The next logical step in this area was therefore the introduction of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) as a state-of-the-art tracking technology. With this new technology, airlines can save more than 2 billion US dollars over the next 4 to 5 years and improve the quality of baggage tracking. According to the SITA Baggage Report 2018, the number of passengers has increased by 64 % since 2007 and the number of misplaced/lost bags per 1000 passengers has decreased by around 70 % since then.

Figure 1: Development of the number of passengers and mishandled baggage (source: SITA 2018 Baggage Report)

Further cost reductions result from efficient baggage management, real-time tracking and lower operating expenses for misplaced or lost baggage. The use of RFID enables automated readings at various points along the entire process chain, from the check-in counter to the handover of baggage to the customer at the baggage carousel on arrival.

KATHREIN's approach

With this white paper, we would like to point out possible measures that the companies involved need to consider in order to make IATA R753 and in particular UHF RFID use as effective as possible. The return on investment for the introduction of RFID clearly depends on the reliability of the systems and the perfectly coordinated processes. Kathrein and its partners offer a turnkey solution to perform a detailed analysis of the baggage tracking process. Compliance with global technology standards is, of course, a basic requirement.

Cost-effective passive UHF RFID tags in combination with Kathrein's high-performance hardware and the modular CrossTalk IoT software suite, which has already become standard in various markets, are the components of a mature and future-oriented
Solution.

What advantages does Kathrein offer?

The main advantage of RFID technology compared to others is the efficiency of the hardware, which achieves very high read rates without human intervention or visual contact. For data transmission, objects are fitted with passive RFID tags (labels with a powerful RFID chip), which are read and written to via RFID antennas. In a logistics scenario, these can be items of luggage, containers, transport trolleys, boxes on the conveyor system, etc.

A Kathrein reader captures the baggage ID and the tracking event is then forwarded to an existing IT platform via our CrossTalk middleware. For easy implementation of RFID technology at check-in counters, Kathrein Solutions offers the ARU 2400 reader with an integrated SMSH antenna. This antenna is designed for near-field applications and offers a very high, homogeneous detection field. This makes it possible to read only the items of baggage on the scale of a specific check-in counter.

With this turnkey solution with a single device, the reader is simply and cost-effectively installed on the existing switches.

It is also possible to seamlessly integrate the CrossTalk IoT suite into any back-end software, offering many possibilities for data processing. It works independently of existing IT systems and can consolidate, process and provide all types of sensor and localization data from other sources.

 

Turnkey solutions:

• Kathrein's slim RAIN RFID reader ARU 2400 with integrated antenna
• SMSH RFID antenna from Kathrein for precise reading
• Kathrein's CrossTalk end-to-end IoT suite
• Kathrein's RFID solution for baggage tracking
• Simple migration and upgrade of existing infrastructure

 

RFID solution from Kathrein for baggage tracking 

Kathrein's hardware and software portfolio offers a wide range of RFID hardware and a leading IoT software suite to build an effective IoT infrastructure for automatic data collection and processing.

Figure 2: Initial suggestions for turnkey solutions for various process steps during the baggage journey. For more information, see the specifications of our IoT portfolio at www.kathrein-solutions.com.

 

We can design the processes together with your team. Our colleagues from the Professional Services team will support you in creating a blueprint and carrying out a proof of concept for your individual use cases.

Figure 3: Recording and processing data in the baggage logistics chain

 

RFID solution in airport terminals and on the airfield

While RFID is the central topic in baggage tracking, we see a large number of other useful applications in the airport and aviation environment:

Loading containers and wagons:

▪ Labeling of containers and wagons and comparison with the loaded luggage

▪ Better coordination of locations and idle times

▪ Labeling of containers and baggage carts to record the weights

 

Airport terminal - gate and entrances/exits:

▪ Recording of baggage entries and exits and thus the locations and times

 

Loading of the aircraft:

▪ Prevention of incorrect loading when loading an aircraft using antennas and readers on the loading belts and, if necessary, with handheld devices

▪ Follow-up check of the number of cases and the load weight

▪ Automatic comparison of the passenger and baggage list

Figure 4: Various use cases in airport terminals and on the airfield

Sources

SITA - The luggage report 2018

 

Further information

www.kathrein-solutions.com

 

Download as PDF