RFID for Delta by end of year

Delta Air Lines is set to deploy RFID baggage tracking technology, a first for any US carrier, thereby providing its customers with improved real-time tracking of luggage throughout the travel experience.

This move is something of a milestone for Delta, which handles around 120m bags annually. RFID will replace the traditional barcode hand scanning, which has been the industry standard since the early 1990s. With RFID, scanners emit radio waves to capture the data stored on an RFID chip embedded in the luggage tag: the virtually foolproof technology will drive superior tracking and permit increased transparency within the operation.

Thanks to RFID implementation, customers will be able to see their bags on and off the aircraft during their journey via push notifications to the Fly Delta mobile app. The implementation is due to get underway in the fourth quarter of 2016.