Electronic Luggage Tags by British Airways

Do you want the good news first? Or the bad news? Good news is that British Airways is leaping ahead of the airline pack by creating a highly innovative Electronic Bag Tag, so you will always know where your luggage is. The bad news is that with the deteriorating and desperate state of most other airlines outside of British Airways, it’s doubtful the e-bag-tags will be implemented into other airlines in the near future – if at all. UK-based creative agency Designworks have partnered with British Airways to develop the Electronic Bag Tag, which will make it’s debut next month. British Airways is to trial the state of the art electronic bag tag that could do away with the need to have a new paper tag every time you fly.

Once checked in, customers just need to hold their smartphone over the electronic tag, which automatically updates with a unique barcode containing their flight details and an easy-to-see view of their bag’s destination. Designworks have provided insights, design and engineering expertise to deliver fully functioning bag tags for the live trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this new concept. Lewis Freeman, Designworks lead designer for the project said ‘this step into digital tagging of luggage is a huge leap forward enabling your luggage to become a connected object, providing a seamless experience for frequent travelers with British Airway

Not requiring a traditional paper tag to be printed and attached, customers can then save precious time by having their electronic tag quickly scanned at the bag drop, going straight through security to relax before catching their flight. It is intended that the patent-pending hi-tech tag can be used time and time again.

Frank van der Post, British Airways’ managing director, brands and customer experience, said: “This is a fantastically simple, yet smart device that gives each customer the choice to have their own personalized electronic baggage tag that changes with the swipe of a smartphone – every time they fly. “As the saying goes, ‘good things come in small packages’, and this innovative device is no exception. Have a nice flight.