British Airways to Trial New Electronic Luggage Tag

This month British Airways will trial a new electronic luggage tag that could do away with the traditional paper tag.

With the electronic tag system, after checking in the passenger holds their smartphone over the electronic tag, which automatically scans a unique barcode containing their flight details and an easy-to-see view of their bag’s destination.

“This is a fantastically simple, yet smart technology that gives each customer the choice to have their own personalized electronic baggage tag that changes with the swipe of a smartphone – every time they fly. Along with other initiatives we are investing in, we believe it has the potential to revolutionize the way our customers check in and pass through every airport around the world in the future,” said Frank van der Post, Managing Director, Brands and Customer Experience at British Airways.

Development of the personalized electronic bag tag is part of a wider strategy by British Airways to make the passenger's airport experience quicker, smoother and easier. Trials have also taken place on self-service bag drops, automated boarding gates, porter services, auto check-in, and meet and greet hosts.

Over the next five years British Airways plans to invest more than 5 billion pounds in smarter cabins, lounges and new technologies to make life more comfortable in the air and on the ground.