Airline announces it will start using RFID tracking technology for the 120 million bags it handles every year

In an effort to better track the millions of bags it handles each year, Delta has announced it will replace its current barcode tracking system with a more modern (and much more accurate) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) solution.

According to Bill Lentsch, the company’s senior vice president of airport customer service and cargo operations, Delta will invest $50 million into the system overhaul, a project that is expect to affect 344 stations globally, and be completed by year’s end. 

“We aim to reliably deliver every bag on every flight,” Lentsch said in a statement. “This innovative application of technology gives us greater data and more precise information throughout the bag's journey.”

Per the latest report from the Department of Transportation (February 2016), Delta has averaged 1.95 mishandled baggage incidents per 1,000 passengers; that is the highest rate among US airlines, and fourth highest overall behind Virgin America, JetBlue, and Alaska.

By incorporating RFID technology, scanners will “use radio waves to capture highly accurate and consistent data stored on an RFID chip embedded in the luggage tag,” the company explained. 

Information recorded will be available to passengers via the Delta mobile app, complete with push notifications as luggage is put on and taken off of the aircraft. 

RFID technology has seen a warm welcome within the industry as a whole — a growing number of airports have put into place RFID-based processes instead of barcodes. Also, several baggage and accessory companies have developed RFID technology for passengers so they can track their items themselves. 

Delta reports it has already begun testing RFID, and has seen a 99.9% success rate. 

Delta teams have deployed 4,600 scanners, installed 3,800 RFID bag tag printers and integrated 600 pier and claim readers to enable hands-free scanning of baggage throughout the handling process. RFID will soon track bags on all Delta mainline and Delta Connection flights.

Spread throughout 84 of Delta's largest stations, 1,500 belt loaders will give baggage the green light – literally – as it enters and exits the belly of a plane. The belt loader sensor will flash green when the bag is being loaded on the correct aircraft or red when the bag requires additional handling.

A full roll-out of the system is expected to be completed towards the latter half of 2016.

Via Delta