RFID BAGGAGE TRACKING SOLUTION
Hand to hand RFID baggage tracking system “HHRBTS” developed in collaboration with IATA and successfully tested in European airports. IATA approved and recommended “HHRBTS” to airplanes & airports as common-use platform.
IATA “Proof Of Concept” Confirmation | IATA Recommendation Letter for Airlines | IATA Recommendation Letter for Airports
Longest Chance (LC) is pleased to offer airlines a comprehensive turnkey solution Hand to Hand RFID Baggage Tracking System (HHRBTS), which includes Project Management (PM), the RFID infrastructure implementation, IT integration, project funding, and system maintenance.
LC is specialized in real-time baggage tracking with proven capabilities and is able to provide a fully hands-free infrastructure. LC is the international company with the actual comprehensive end-to-end airline and airport RFID baggage tracking experience.
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THE ARCHITECTURE OF “HAND TO HAND” RFID BAGGAGE TRACKING SYSTEM
HHRBTS RFID Baggage Tracking System ArchitectureThe health monitoring of the system can be performed on two different levels. The hardware infrastructure is constantly monitored by our administrator back-end system “ERFID Communications Server”. This is an industrial grade middleware platform for managing RFID hardware, which has been tested on 100s of projects managing hundreds of readers at a time. The system provides all typical fail-safes and redundancies (such as database replication and mirroring on different layers of the service) to ensure stable operation in harshest environments and for most mission critical tasks. In the case of occurring exceptions not only does the system provide a visual indication of the problem in the Graphical User Interface, but also has the ability to generate SMS, email & web service alerts. Exhaustive logs are maintained at each level of deployment and routinely synced to the main server.
WHAT IS HAND-TO-HAND RFID BAGGAGE TRACKING SYSTEM?
- Innovative RFID tracking solution for airline baggage
- Uses EPC RFID standard tracking
- Fully compliant with IATA standards and recommended practices
- Easy to install, set up and get running
- Scalable from tiny airport to an international hub
- Doesn’t require integration with BHS systems, but it can be done to offer additional benefits to the airport.
- Provides real-time analytics to both airports and airlines
WEB REPORTING ENGINE
- Web-based analytical engine providing data of all bags registered by the system
- The reporting engine is very flexible and can be easily adapted to the customer needs
THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF “HHRBTS” ARE:
- 99.99% reliability of baggage read rate (improve productivity of baggage handling)
- 100% automatic baggage tracking process (provides reliable data and reduce human factor impact)
- Mobile services for customers with baggage status and location (improve customer experience)
- Baggage reconciliation, BRS (provides baggage handling process faster and secure)
- Reports and notifications for staff (shows full picture of baggage journey for airline staff)
- Common-use platform (ability use the HHRBTS with alliance partners)
PRICING MODEL
LC offers a utility model or fee-per-bag pricing, that creates an OPEX business model (as opposed to a CAPEX). Airline pays a few cents for data tracking of each checked bag. The fee-per-bag includes LC’s investments in RFID hardware, software, installation and maintenance costs.
LC – IATA RFID PILOT PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND RESULTS
Pilot partners:
The pilot project was carried out for:
- Demonstration opportunities of Hand to Hand RFID Baggage system for end to end baggage tracking
- Demonstrate the advantages of RFID technology
- Demonstrate compliance with Resolution 753, and the standards of IATA
RFID pilot project scope:
- RFID system included 25 RFID scanning points in four European airports: PRG, BLQ, TLL, SVO
- RFID system was integrated with ARINC’s Bag-Link IT platform
- RFID system was tested on Aeroflot (SU) flights
The Hand to Hand RFID Tracking System was tested on Aeroflot flights from:
- SVO to PRG
- SVO to BLQ
- SVO to TLL
The duration of the pilot project, September – October 2015.
The table with the data according to the HHRBTS and Aeroflot BRS:
| № | THE NUMBER OF: | INSIDE SVO | to PRG | to BLQ | to TLL | TOTAL |
| 1 | FLIGHTS | 1155 | 164 | 40 | 87 | 1446 |
| 2 | RFID TAGS | 42 953 | 6 044 | 2 106 | 1 528 | 52 631 |
| 3 | UNREAD TAGS ON CAROUSELS IN SVO | 64 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 86 |
| 4 | UNREAD TAGS IN PRG, BLQ, TLL | 24 | 3 | 7 | 98 | |
| 5 | LEVEL OF READABILITY, % | 99,9985 | 99,9934 | 99,9957 | 99,9954 | 99,9958 |
Illustration of RFID baggage tracking system installation
Locations and quantity of RFID baggage tracking points:
- SVO – check-in counters with 15 RFID printers
- SVO – check-in (2 RFID points), BHS (12 RFID points) for standard bags
- SVO – check-in, LIFT (1 RFID point) for oversized baggage
- PRG, BLQ, TLL – arrival carousels and lifts for issue standard and oversized bags
Airlines will benefit from the experience obtained through the LC-IATA RFID Baggage Tracking Pilot as a result of lesson learned both from a technology perspective as well as a Project Management (PM) perspective.
“Longest Chance has worked with IATA between 2013 and 2015 in order to develop their Hand to Hand Baggage Tracking System. This system was successfully piloted in 2015, achieving tracking rates of 99.9958% for passenger baggage between the airports of Sheremetyevo, Tallinn, Bologna, and Prague. IATA reviewed the trial whilst it was being executed and confirm the results that were achieved.” – Andrew Price, Head of Airport Operations Management, IATA
