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RFID luggage-tracking lands at Heathrow

A pilot is due in September...

Tags: tracking, pilots, airport, heathrow

By Tim Ferguson

Published: 9 July 2007 14:59 GMT

Heathrow Airport is to trial RFID technology to track luggage as it moves around the airport as it aims to reduce the amount of bags that get lost in the system.

Heathrow will become the largest airport in Europe to trial the tech for this purpose when the pilot begins in September.

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The British Airport Authority (BAA) will install the infrastructure on selected check-in desks around the airport.

Bags will be fitted with RFID tags when they are checked in before being scanned as they enter the baggage system.

BAA will use the trial to see how the system compares to the current system of barcode scanning in terms of keeping track of bags.

A BAA spokeswoman said: "This trial will allow us to compare the success rate of RFID technology against our existing system. We will then examine that insight to understand the benefits it offers."

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