Delta Air Lines is handling and tracking the location of each passenger bag, in real-time, as it is loaded or unloaded from aircraft using 1,600 Lyngsoe Systems’ Belt Loader Readers™ in 84 airports. The system not only eliminates the need for manual barcode scanning when loading the aircraft, speeding up the load time as well as reducing the required amount of personel at the airside, it also automaticaly captures reliable information that Delta Air Lines is sharing with its passengers.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each year. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft, offering service to 304 destinations in 52 countries on six continents.
THE CHALLENGE
Among U.S. global carriers, Delta has top-rated baggage performance, but Delta kept climbing and took on an initiative to improve further on its baggage handling efficiency and passenger services. Delta wanted to give passengers peace of mind that their bags were in good hands and headed to the right destination. As part of that initiative, the company also wanted to make baggage handling at the plane-side more automatic, thereby reducing time on the ground for each flight. By using technology to prevent baggage mishandling, the company hoped to reduce manual labor and increasing baggage loading speed.
Secondly, the sheer number of materials being sorted daily was overwhelming for manual sorting. With an annual circulation of 7.1 million items, “things piled up fast,” admits Keller. Bins were stacked in corners waiting to be processed, and turnaround time was 48-72 hours. Misroutes were frequent and staff at branches needed 2-3 hours to check in incoming materials.
In the loading process, the RFID bag tag triggers an alarmed with a red lamp and stops the belt if a bag needs attention (e.g. loading on the wrong plain or change in plans)
THE SOLUTION
Lyngsoe Systems have the only proven solution for RFID-enabled belt loader scanning. The Lyngsoe Belt Loader Reader™ is custom designed for the loading operation to provide the critical data needed at the plane side and supporting the baggage handlers in their work process. The Belt Loader Reader automatically confirm each bag is on the right flight at the right location and thereby eliminate the need to barcode scan each bag tag if a misrouted bag is detected, Lyngsoe’s integrated software triggers alerts and stop the belt loader preventing any wrongly loaded bags. With the solution, Delta can ensure mistakes aren’t made in the baggage loading and unloading process. The airline can share the data with passengers via its own App, providing them with the assurance that the bags have been loaded and are headed safely for the proper destination.
BENEFITS
THE RESULT
The Lyngsoe RFID Belt Loader Reader™ automatically detects each baggage tag as the bag put on the belt loader. The system is integrated with Deltas BRS system, which in real-time communicates with the Belt Loader Reader about loading status of bags. On the Belt Loader Reader™, there is an LED light stack to provide a visual indication to the handler about bag status and in the event of an error, a red light flashes and the ramp stops, preventing any loading errors.
Lyngsoe’s software manages all data and forwards it to Delta’s own baggage reconciliation system that allows the airline’s own software to share with passengers. Passengers using the Delta App receive a notification once the baggage tag has been detected by the Belt Loader Reader at either loading or unloading.
AIRPORT AND AIRLINE CASES
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