RFID used to help Delta passengers keep tabs on their things
Delta airline passengers will now be able to see where their bags are when travelling on the airline as the luggage makes its way through an airport onto the plane.
The new system uses RFID tags put on the baggage which helps in pinpointing where baggage is on a map. Customers will now a map view of their bag’s last scanned location on the Fly Delta mobile app.
When a customer wants to see the location of their bag on the map, the display starts by showing a zoomed-out map of the US as the bag travels from one airport to the next. The map then automatically zooms to airport view and users can follow their bag along its journey via pins, with the last known location identified by a suitcase icon. Tapping any of the pins or the icon will provide additional text information about the location of the bag.
Delta tracking technology
The baggage tracking app builds on Delta’s launch of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) bag tags and the roll-out of RFID tracking technology at 84 airports in the US. All domestic stations now offer map view of the bag’s journey and international stations will receive this technology in the coming months.
“We’re the first carrier to offer this level of visibility,” said Bill Lentsch, Delta’s senior vice president of Airline Operations and Airport Customer Service. “From the moment our customers drop off their bag, we want them to know we’re looking out for it every step of the way and working to take the stress out of flying one innovation at a time.”
Push notifications will sync with the app later this year and offer Delta customers down-to–the-minute updates on their checked baggage. In addition to an enhanced map view for baggage, the Fly Delta app update seamlessly integrates the “Today” view and the customer’s boarding pass into one screen.