How are travels in the airport and during the flight changing?

More passengers and less lost LUGGAGE

According to the 2017 SITA Baggage Report, last year the record result got in 2015 improved of 12.2%, from 6.5 to 5.73 "mislead" luggage each 1,000 passengers. An important data, considering that in 2016 we can count 3.77 billion passengers, the biggest amount ever, that will increase again during this year, reaching 3.9 billion (IATA forecast).

The steady baggage traceability, from the check-in to the hold loading, at each transferring on the flight of another carrier and at the arrival, until when the luggage is delivered to the passenger, is the objective of IATA "753 Resolution", to which all IATA member companies will have to adapt, by June 2018.

A NEW LIFE FOR RFID TAGS

Which are the technologies to reach the baggage traceability?SITA and IATA has recently published a detailed business case that drastically re-evaluates a technology that is already existing and known globally: RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology.

By regularly adopting simple RFID tags, the number of lost baggage may be reduced for a further 25% by 2022, saving 3 billion dollars. CUSTOM offers two kinds of RFID technologies that can be integrated on the AVIATION division ticket printers: short distance HF RFID and long distance UHF RFID. Find out more by clicking here.

EVERYWHERE Wifi AND EASIER ON BOARD SHOPPING

Nowadays, on board Wi-Fi is not a mirage anymore. There are many airline companies offering their passengers the possibility to use Wi-Fi during the flight, usually by paying a charge on the basis of the connection time or the amount of downloaded data. Some carriers are working to guarantee the use of personal devices for the whole duration of the flight, including take off and landing.

And ? together with the possibility of connection ? the amount of people who want to do shopping during the flight is increasing. In fact, the number of passengers that purchase something during the hours spent on board is even more important: a 5 billion dollar/year business, with a trend growing for 13% per each year (2016 Guest Logix data).

We don't know if the reason is boredom, cheap prices or special offers related to frequent flyers programs, but the on board shopping is successful, and the systems for the management of the on board shopping experience have become fundamental for airline companies. CUSTOM offers smart payment systems also on board with the high-tech portable printers My Printer A and MY3 A that, thanks to Bluetooth technology, are able to print receipts from Apple, Android and Windows Phone 8 smartphones too!

FACIAL RECOGNITION

What if your face might let you go fast through the queue when checking-in and boarding?

Another change that is involving even more airports is the introduction of the facial recognition: a system that scans faces, compares them with the photos on the archived electronic passport and finally let you fastly go on board.

Among the latest innovations showed by CUSTOM at PTE in Amsterdam is MULTI SCAN, a small multifunction reader integrating RFID technology, 2D barcodes scanning (available both with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), contactless recharge and a display that allows to display and compare data. MULTI SCAN is able to scan documents but also the faces of the passengers, to compare them with the info in the databases.

The future of travels, in the airport and during the flight, is already something real with CUSTOM solutions! Find out more about Aviation division by visiting our website >> www.custom.biz/aviation