A Smart System Is Missing
– Tony M. JALLOUL, Founder; BERDS –
Outdated System
LABELLING CHALLENGE
With the current baggage reclaim system, passengers concern about collecting their bags from the baggage reclaim area long before boarding their flight. At the time of packing their luggage, for example, passengers try to uniquely label their bags to distinctly identify them and distinguish them from similar bags in the baggage claim area at arrival.
MISTAKES
Unfortunately, potential mistakes and mix-ups, resulting in collecting another passengers’ bag at the reclaim time, are not uncommon. In actual with all the given cautions collecting the bags from reclaim carousel, passengers are still making mistakes collecting a wrong bag that ruins their and other passengers’ vacations, business trips, or even the joy of meeting back with the family and friends.
ANXIETY
When a passenger has packed valuables in checked-in bags, he or she may experience anxiety all flight long, until the bags are successfully retrieved from the carousel at the baggage reclaim area.
RUSH
Worries about misplacing and luggage fraud could result in a mad rush towards the baggage reclaim area. Passengers who worry about collecting their bags might leave the aircraft upon arrival as quickly as possible, heading to secure their luggage unconcerned about the airports’ amenities or for the affiliated duty-free shops’ regime offered by airports.
Facts
- Color-blindness and color deficiency affect up to 332 million of the currently traveling passengers, and it is estimated to affect more than 600 million passengers by 2040. Color blind passengers regularly face considerable difficulties in collecting their bags from the carousels. They have to stay all time long by the carousel, check every single similar passing bag, and try reaching the moving attached tags.They regularly face very embarrassing moments, picking up mistakenly other passengers’ bags looking as fraudsters. Good guys would return the wrong picked up bags to the carousel while most of the other passengers keep mistakenly removed bags outside the conveyor belt, creating serious confusion for other passengers.
- Although the fraud and theft at the baggage reclaim area are not considered as a major cause of the mishandled bags; however, they cost the air industry over $500 Million US Dollars in 2017. The consequential, indirect cost is considered much higher than the declared direct losses. Luggage fraud and mistakes at the baggage reclaim area are the main reasons behind crowded baggage reclaim area, passengers’ anxiety, neglecting the opportunity of shopping at arrivals.With all the efforts and the enormous investments in upgrading the baggage handling systems to decrease the number and the cost of the mishandled bags, the fraud and theft factors would undoubtedly increase with the forecasted increase in the passengers’ number and the expected overcrowded baggage reclaim areas.
- Tired and stressed passengers crowd around the carousels experiencing inconveniences of all severities and stand in the way of each other to secure their bags as early as possible. However, the unmanaged crowd ends in an inverted result that delays the overall luggage reclaiming process and creates a suitable situation for the fraudster while leaving the room for mistakes to happen.<br />Crowded baggage reclaim area is mainly due to passengers' concern from potential fraud or theft,possible mistakes and mix-ups that result in the wrong bags being misidentified and mistakenly taken by other passengers, in addition to the difficulties in identifying look-alike bags while travelling on the carousel. In the absence of any support to easily identify passengers’ luggage while travelling on the carousel and without any luggage secured measures, this common scenario will continue resulting in more severe crowd problems with the expected steep increase in the number of passengers.
- With the current baggage reclaim system, passengers can experience many troubles, including somebody else mistakenly taking their bags, somebody stealing their bags, removing of the bag the carousel by mistake and subsequently losing it in the crowd or the airport; mistakenly taking somebody else’s bag; or leaving behind one of their bags, which is a potential problem for families travelling with a large number of bags.All these concerns prevent passengers from relaxing and enjoying their journey affecting negatively on the airport rating.
Crowd Management
The best effective solution to crowd management is to eliminate the root reasons for the crowd, if possible. BERDS provides solutions to ease the worries of passengers by securing their luggage on the carousel and inform passengers regarding their luggage status on the carousel without having to crowd around the carousel.
Improve Luggage Security
A robust fraud detection system highly prevents any fraud attempt. BERDS offers a solution to accurately and closely monitor bags on the carousel and to warn in real-time passengers any mistakes or fraud attempts.
Rise in Profits
BERDS allows passengers to utilize the waiting luggage time more efficiently. Allowing them to fully use airport facilities, such as shopping, the flow-on effect of which will create increased opportunities and conditions to impact positively on the financial bottom line of airport tenancies and outlets.
Satisfied Passengers
BERDS keeps passengers’ last impression great; it facilitates the luggage collection, improves the usage of luggage waiting time, and eliminates the rooted obsessions related the luggage security at the baggage claim area.
Cost Cutting
Over US$0.5 billion was the cost of damaged, pilfered, lost or stolen bags at the baggage reclaim area in 2017. BERDS will cut down this cost if not eliminate it.
Increased Opportunity
BERDS Dynamic Display System provides a very advanced and targeted advertising platform that will potentially have a positive effect on the financial bottom line of the airport through advertising revenue.