september2021 - 32

TECHNOLOGY
like the airlines, the ground handlers and
the passengers depend on a great performance
of the baggage handling system,
Nabli explains. There has been a traditional
conflict between stakeholders due
to a lack of transparency of the data related
to the baggage process. On top of that, every
stakeholder sets its own priority to manage
baggage operations.
" There has been an ongoing debate
about whose fault is it when bags arrive
late to the arrival carousel; whose fault is
it if the queuing time on a check-in is too
long; whether the airport has sufficient
capacity to meet the demand and it's not
easy to pinpoint because there are multiple
stakeholders involved in each process
step, " he says.
" The benefit of deploying this type of
technology is you provide a single point
of truth for all stakeholders. You have the
same view about your baggage process, baggage
resources, delays and any opportunity
for optimization along the process. "
This benefits all stakeholders as it allows
them to incorporate all available information
and profit from proactive collaboration,
reliable predictions, recommendations
to handle their part of the process in this
highly dynamic environment.
Traditional processes have a shortcoming
when things don't go as planned. Any
operational disruption or even weather-related
delays can't be incorporated
into planning. The new process involves
a real-time feedback loop, which provides
the airport with the capability to react to
changes in a more agile and coordinated
manner. Baggage 360 analyzes the impact
of any changes in flight schedules, parking
positions or resource availability and
provides a proactive view to stakeholders
so they can adjust operations to meet the
new demands.
" Each stakeholder is informed about the
anticipated changes, the predicted impact and
recommended actions so they can adjust their
airport operations and provide a great passenger
experience, " Nabli says.
Baggage 360 requires Siemens-provided
training and little infrastructure investment.
It's provided via Siemens cloud services and
is system independent, so it integrates with all
types of baggage handling systems.
ThruBag will allow travelers to utilize multiple airlines easier while
transporting luggage without the need for complicated interline
agreements.
Before investing in a software solution
like Baggage 360, Nabli says airport managers
should consider their airport's baggage
handling success rate and how on-time performance
is related to the baggage handling
system.
Larger hubs should examine connection
times and what payoffs could be gained to
lessen the time.
" If there's a clear need or they want to
improve baggage handling KPIs, digital solutions
could bring a large benefit, " he says.
Air Black Box recently introduced its new
ThruBag system, which provides a software
solution to allow efficient transfer of baggage
between airlines.
Patrick Edmond, chief commercial officer
of Air Black Box, says the rise in low
cost carriers has created new market where
passengers are opting to self-interline their
flights in order to get lower costs or better
schedules on flying.
However, it has created an environment
where these passengers have to leave the terminal,
collect their baggage and recheck it
before entering the gate area again.
ThruBag allows them to check their bag
once at the origin airport and collect it when
they get to their destination.
" Even if you're on two separate tickets,
you check your bag in at the first airport,
the ThruBag system takes care of it being
transferred through your through airport, "
he says. " You don't even need to do anything
and you pick it up at your destination airport
like you would on a legacy airline. "
32 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE SEPTEMBER 2021
Edmond says the solution is very attractive
to network airlines because they're
looking at ways to grow their partnerships
post-COVID while still offering their basic
passenger experience. It's also attractive to
low-cost carriers that are always looking for
ancillary revenue.
Airports can also use the system to build
connecting traffic and grow revenues as well.
" If you're an airport and you're not a prime
hub, but you have a mix of legacy carriers and
low-cost carriers coming into your airport
and you'd like to find a way to increase traffic,
being able to offer this kind of ThruBag
product makes your airport a more attractive
connecting point, " Edmond says.
ThruBag is designed to not change or
impede current baggage handling processes.
Once the bag is checked, the system runs it
through like a traditional interline flight.
Edmond says the airport doesn't have to
change its baggage handling system, nor its
processes in any material way and airlines
don't need to sign up for any heavy-duty
interline agreements.
" Anyone looking for a solution like this
needs to make sure it has very minimal
upfront costs, " Edmond says. " It should be
as flexible as possible and it shouldn't require
any of the participating airlines to change
their processes either. Ultimately, this is
about creating a more efficient air transport
network and making it easier to fill as many
flights as possible. "
Photo courtesy of Air Black Box
september2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of september2021
