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Unisys has enhanced its Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS) that among a number of features includes a a mobile app to provide passengers with live updates on when and where to collect their bags.
Other features of the system upgrade include more detailed information about baggage handling requirements for incoming flights and real-time monitoring and alerts of service level agreements (SLAs).
The new mobile app feature provides arriving passengers real-time information about their bags. Available on Apple iOS and Android devices, the app allows travellers to receive alerts advising when their bag has been loaded onto the belt. If the BRS is integrated with the airport’s flight information display system, the app can also advise when and at what carousel the bag will be available. Passengers can then decide whether to go directly to the baggage area or spend time in the airport’s shops or restaurants.
Olivier Houri, Unisys president and general manager, global transportation, said the BRS is an example of how processes implemented to primarily comply with security requirements can be harnessed to improve business operations and therefore provide true business benefits.
“The BRS helps ground handlers process arriving baggage quickly, providing a better customer experience for air travellers while helping airlines and airports utilise their resources more efficiently,” Houri added.
Among the new features of the updated BRS is an inbound baggage reconciliation system that provides a comprehensive view of all incoming flights and their baggage load arriving at the airport for a given airline. The BRS analysis tools give ground handlers insight into staff statistics, demand peaks and the number of bags to be loaded or unloaded to help schedule the appropriate number of people to process the bags on arrival.
Baggage information is updated in real-time as bags are offloaded from aircraft, allowing the destination airport to identify which bags should remain onboard if going on to another port and to more quickly process any mishandled bags so they can be reunited with their passenger.
Furthermore, baggage handling information can also be analysed after the flight to determine if changes need to be made in the way baggage is loaded at the departing port, to identify peak periods so shift changeovers and breaks are scheduled at appropriate times, and to track the individual performance of ground handling staff against key performance indicators for their job role.
The Unisys BRS is currently used by 17 airports and 38 airlines across Asia Pacific as a managed service to airlines, airports and authorities.
