The Tribune

DELTA Air Lines is investing $50m to soothe one of air travel’s biggest headaches: lost and delayed luggage.

Delta carried nearly 120 million checked suitcases last year, collecting $25 in fees, each way, for most domestic bags. For that price, fliers expect their suitcase to be waiting on the carousel when they arrive.

Delta already has one of the airline industry’s best luggage handling records - just one out of every 500 bags failed to arrive on time - but hopes that by deploying a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tracking system globally it can improve further.

If the system works, other airlines are likely to follow. Ultimately the bag tag might be replaced with permanent RFID readers in suitcases, reducing the chances flyers in the future will start a vacation missing their swimsuit.

RFID wirelessly identifies tags attached to items. The technology is widely used at warehouses to track goods but Delta’s rollout is the first global use for passenger bags.

As each suitcase climbs the conveyor belt into the plane, a small computer verifies that it belongs on that flight. If one bag doesn’t, a red light will flash and the belt stops until somebody acknowledges the mistake and re-routes the luggage.

Most airlines today use barcodes on tags to identify each suitcase - each tag has its own unique 10-digit number - and make sure it is loaded onto the right plane. But reading each barcode with a handheld scanner is time consuming. Often, a bag or two aren’t scanned or error messages are missed by workers focused on getting planes out on time.

Delta designed its system to stop those errors. At the airline’s 84 largest airports - accounting for 85 percent of its passengers - Delta says it will have 1,500 special belt loaders with RFID readers built in.

Replacing handheld scanners allows ramp workers to use both hands to lift bags, reducing injuries and speeding up the loading and unloading process. RFID also shortens the time needed to find and remove a bag from a plane at the last second.