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The Modern Baggage Messaging project is working towards a sustainable standard for messaging in the area of baggage.
Moving away from today’s legacy practices will bring numerous benefits as well as prepare the industry for a more cost efficient and flexible future.
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Baggage management is rapidly evolving with new processes being continuously introduced. The current messaging standards, which have been in place since 1985, do not provide an easy way to support baggage system integration and innovation.
Baggage message failure or rejection are major causes of baggage mishandling. Current parsing practices can result in messages being misinterpreted, impacting customer service and adding extra cost upon the industry.
Baggage messaging is being implemented in XML based upon the information in the Airline Industry Data Model (AIDM). This allows future developments at a reasonable cost using technology that is almost universally adopted in other industries.
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Benefits
- Integration: The AIDM model and its XML schema, will allow easier integration of the information across an airline's operations, resulting in fewer gaps in infomration captured about passengers, bags and other goods
- Quality: Data quality will improve with the adoption of XML, leading to fewer failures in messaging, and fewer bags mishandled
- Reliability: Current Parsing practices can result in messages being misinterpreted which leads directly to customers having their bags mishandled.
To help you kick start your implementation the global baggage opereation team at IATA put together a high level check list that should make your life easier:
- Get the implementation guide
- Get baggage event notification message schema
- Select, configure and integrate your broker solution
- Get digital certificate cross signed by IATA BIX guideline (pdf)
- Publicize your service in the BIX community
- Test bi directional publish and subscribe with a partner
- Start exchanging XML messages for live operational purpose
The Modern Baggage Messaging implementaion guide, being developed by the Baggage Working Group, is desigend for airlines, airports and any other parties interested in implementing Modern Baggage Messaging.
The implementation guide covers:
- Recommended Practice 1755
- The baggage message and its associated functions
- The solution architecture and its recommended communication protocol
- Security considerations
If you would like to have access to the draft version of the implementation guide or need implementation support you can contact baggageservices@iata.org
If you want to download the BIX implementation guide, please use the form below:
When building your own business case for modern baggage messaging we have identified some items that we think might help you get the full picture:
- List your current technical and operational pain points about legacy baggage messaging
- List the current baggage information / tracking data you are missing
- Go through the Baggage Information eXchange (BIX) brochure (pdf) for more details on benefits identified for modern baggage messaging
- List the future baggage functionalities / solutions / product offering that you have planned or envision but cannot be supported by the legacy baggage messaging (e.g. share baggage images, identity token different from license plate number)
IATA developed an industry business case in December 2018 anticipating savings through reduced mishandling and operational efficiency improvements.
It reduced the cost of Implementation for Baggage Tracking by implementing the initiatives from the End to End Baggage Program.
The Business case presents the aviation industry with an opportunity to use RFID technology and Modern Baggage Messaging to meet passenger's expectations as air travel continues to soar.
IATA End to End baggage business case content overview:
- Overview of exisitng challenges and the need to track bags
- Insight into the willingness of airports to embrace innovation and new technologies that reduce rates of mishandling of bags
- Preferfed solutions for the next steps of End-to-End bag tracking including RFID and Modern Baggage Messaging
- Industry cost benefit analysis and roll out for both RFID and Modern Baggage Messaging
The Modern Baggage Messaging roadmap (pdf) lists the activities that IATA will undertake as part of the Modern Baggage Messaging.
Watch the Modern Baggage Messaging Webinar for additional information.