At the 75th annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), participating airlines voted unanimously to support the deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for baggage tracking worldwide. The conference also called for the implementation of modern baggage information delivery standards to track passenger baggage in real time and accurately at key points in the journey.

RFID read accuracy is as high as 99.98%, which is significantly better than barcode. Modern baggage message standards help airlines take the initiative to take action in the event of a possible missed shipment. Combined with RFID and modern baggage message standards, the wrong-handling can be reduced by 25%.

Alexandre de Juniac, President and CEO of IATA, said: “Travelers want luggage to arrive at their destination at the same time. In the case that the bags cannot be delivered properly, the passenger wants Knowing the exact location of the baggage. Deploying RFID and adopting modern baggage message standards helps us reduce the wrong baggage by a quarter and find the baggage faster."

According to the resolution, the airline promises:

● Transition to a bar code luggage tag with an RFID inlay.

● Use RFID data alarms to negotiate processes with airports and ground service providers to prevent mishandled baggage.

● The airport uses RFID technology in the baggage handling process and quickly incorporates it into the infrastructure sector; it begins to implement modern baggage message standards.

• Ground service providers use RFID technology to replace manual tracking operations where feasible.

The resolution did not set a specific timetable. But the global deployment of RFID is expected to be achieved within four years.