Delta Airlines Luggage Tech: Tracking Your Bags Has Never Been This Easy

Lost luggage may no longer be a problem as Delta Airlines are set to launch a new technology replacing handheld bar code scanner system, which has been the standard use since 1990. By the use of a Fly Delta mobile app, the passengers can now track their luggage and the service starts before the year ends.

The problem of lost luggage will soon be addressed through the new technology referred to as the Radio Frequency Identification or RFID. This method works as scanners use the radio waves to get the stored data on an RFID chip, which is embedded in the luggage tag. The belt loaders of Delta are going to have a sensor that allows the scanning of the RFID chip while the bag gets loaded onto the plane. A light will then flash green as the bag goes onto the proper plane or color red once the luggage needs some more handling, Gizmodo reported.

The new technology is also expected to help the Delta agents with their work when the passengers lose their connection. Today, when a passenger misses a flight, the agent on the ground needs to scan every bag manually to look for the customer's luggage to ensure that it is re-tagged for its new flight. With the new technology, the agents from Delta can easily determine a bag to ensure that it is sent to the proper place. As soon as the luggage has been scanned, the data will then be sent through push notifications to the new Fly Delta mobile app, allowing the passengers to track their luggages on and off the plane, Daily Mail reported.

Delta's first testing of the new system showed that the bags can be tracked at the success rate of 99.9 percent. According to Delta, they are going to use the RFID to track luggages on all Delta Connection flights and Delta mainline by the end of the year. As stated by the company's Senior Vice President of Airport Customer Service and Cargo Operations Bill Lentsch, the new technology is going to broaden the gap between their company and their competitors.