BAA Finally Trialling RFID Luggage Tracking

With even meat suppliers getting in on the RFID action, the BAA have finally decided to trial the same technology for tracking luggage coming in and out of London’s Heathrow Airport. A six month trial will see Emirates airline partnering to track all bags on their five daily flights between Heathrow and Dubai, which apparently equates to 50,000 bags per month. With tracking being enabled at every step of the journey, passengers can give their mobile number to be alerted by text of the location of their bag when they land.

A distinctly unimpressive report from travel insurance company InsureandGo claims that on average its customers lost 12 bags per day during the first half of 2007 – the equivalent of one bag every two hours- a shocking statistic in an era of supposedly increased aviation safety. If the trial is successful it would surely be a system the insurance companies themselves should consider investing in alongside the aviation industry, or could maybe even offer their customers directly?

[via BBC]