GENEVA – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has introduced a global standard for RFID baggage tags that paves the way for widespread use of RFID for baggage management by airports and airlines. The standard was unanimously endorsed by IATA member airlines at the IATA Joint Passenger Services Conference held in Geneva this week.
“In trials conducted this year it has been proven that the technology improves performance in a re-engineered baggage environment,” said Andrew Price, Project Manager – RFID, IATA. “IATA’s job is to build the business case for wider implementation something that is becoming more compelling as the technology improves and tag costs come down.”
Price added that the introduction of IATA standard RP1740c sends a clear signal to RFID chip manufacturers that there is a new market segment to address which should help drive RFID baggage tag prices down from the current US$ 0.21 average.
The new standard uses 850MHz to 950MHz frequency, also known as UHF, which is licensed by different countries at different bands and powers. The air interface protocol employed is ISO-18000-6-C, which is an open standard that defines the way in which the reader talks to the tag and the way the tag responds. Two other protocols, ISO-15691 and ISO-15692, will be used to delineate data compression for storage and identify commands that are available to interact with the tag.
RFID is a technology incorporated into a silicon chip that emits a radio signal which matches a user-defined serial number with an item, in this case a piece of baggage. The serial number contained on the chip is known as the baggage license plate and has been printed on the baggage label as a barcode for many years. The number can be read at a distance by an antenna. A number of items can be read simultaneously. It is also possible to ‘talk’ and ‘write’ to a single tag allowing the status of an item to be updated as it is processed. These characteristics enable bags to be sorted and loaded faster than bar code systems and reduce the number of mishandled bags and associated costs.
While barcode is used extensively for baggage handling, in 2004 IATA launched a project to test and build a business case for the use of RFID for baggage management. It is one of the five IATA Simplifying The Business projects aimed at simplifying travel and reducing airline costs. Approximately 1% of the 1.7 billion bags that pass through the system every per year are mishandled and RFID will help reduce this figure further. Upon full implementation, RFID will save the industry US$760 million annually.
For more information on STB and RFID.
Editors Notes
- Other Simplifying the Business projects include 100% electronic ticketing by end 2007, the use of bar coded boarding passes, common use self service check-in and IATA e-freight which will free cargo of paper by the end of 2010.
- Bar code baggage tag read rates average 85% while RFID baggage read rates range between 95-99%.
- The average industry cost per baggage mishandling is US$100.