In a case of seeing is believing, Delta Air Lines has introduced a new feature for its Fly Delta 4.0 mobile app that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to allow passengers to watch their checked luggage go through its journey.
The app is all about visibility and allows passengers to “see” where their bag was last on its domestic journey, from the departure airport to the ramp, the belly of the airplane, a connection airport and, finally, the baggage claim.
Delta has rolled out the enabling RFID tracking technology at 84 airports in the US, where it rep[laces the barcode hand scanning used by the industry since the early 90s.
The new system uses radio waves to capture highly accurate and consistent data stored on an RFID chip embedded in the luggage tag and Delta’s initial deployments of RFID showed that bags were tracked at a 99.9 percent success rate.
The airline’s domestic stations now offer overhead map views—complete with narratives such as “Delivered to Claim Area 5,” or “Bag Off Plane DL1196 LAX-OGG”.
Delta is the first airline “to offer this level of visibility,” according to Bill Lentsch, the carrier’s vice of airline operations and airport customer service.
“From the moment our customers drop off their bag, we want them to know we’re looking out for it every step of the way and working to take the stress out of flying one innovation at a time,” Lentsch said.
When a passenger tracks a checked bag, the mobile app’s display opens on a zoomed out map of the U.S. as the bag travels from departure airport to arrival airfield.
Then the map zooms to an overhead airport view. The display shows when the bag’s been offloaded and at just what baggage claim to find it. The last known location of the luggage is represented on your screen via a suitcase icon.
Mobile devices and assorted apps can be useful provided they’re not too complicated. Fly Delta 4.0 offeres passengers a simplified mobile experience that automatically updates when flights change, according to Rhonda Crawford, the airline’s vice president global distribution & digital strategy.
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