The system which handles the baggage at an airport plays an important role in a traveler’s satisfaction. It can also make a big difference in the airport’s ability to keep or attract a major airline hub.
A system that handles the baggage at an airport has 3 primary jobs which include:
• Moving the baggage from where you check in to the gate of departure.
• Moving the baggage from one gate to the next during a transfer.
• Moving the baggage from the gate of arrival to the baggage claim area.
The way to determine if an airport has a successful system that handles baggage is easy:
The baggage needs to be able to move from one point to another as rapidly as the travelers move from one point to another. If the baggage doesn’t move as fast as the traveler, the baggage will fail to make on time to the connecting flights and have a lot of disgruntled travelers who are waiting for their baggage. If the baggage moves too fast, the airport may have the baggage making the connecting flights that the passengers miss.
Each airport has different requirements. For example, the time allotted for a bag to make it from the check in area to the gate is determined by how fast a passenger can make the same trip. In many airports, it is only be a short distance to the passenger terminal, while in others it could literally be miles.
Most modern airports have an automated, modern system to handle baggage. This system utilizes some ingenious technology to move the baggage from the counter at check to the gate of departure semi-automatically. This effort includes:
• Destination Coded Vehicles (DCVs) which are carts that are unmanned and can unload and load the baggage without having to stop.
• Automatic Scanners which scan the luggage labels.
• Conveyors equipped with sorting machines and junctions which automatically route the baggage to the gate.
A system that handles baggage is somewhat like a road system in a city: The conveyors are like the local roads, the DCV tracks are like the highway and your bag is like the car. A system that handles baggage and a road system share these properties:
• Should the DCV track or conveyor be blocked, the baggage can be rerouted to avoid the blockage.
• The DCVs never stop, just as there are no stop lights on a highway.
• However, unlike a road system, a system that handles baggage decides where the baggage is going. There are computers by the hundreds which keep track of the schedules of all the aircraft, every traveler’s itinerary, and the location of every bag. Computers also control the switches and junctions of the conveyor in the tracks of the DCV to ensure that each bag goes precisely where it should go.
This process begins when you check in and hand your bag to the agent. After you check in, the agent takes your itinerary and the computer prints out one or more tags to attach to each of your pieces of baggage. The tag has all of your flight information on it, including your destination and any intermediate cities, and a bar code which contains a 10 digit number. This number is unique to your luggage. The numerous system computers can then use this number to look up your itinerary and keep track of your baggage.
