Baggage loading control system IS-BRS

Baggage tracking at all stages of technological processing, control over baggage loading into the aircraft only together with the passenger to whom it belongs as well as timely reloading of transfer baggage

BRSBaggage loading into the aircraft is a divided and extended in time process: transfer baggage receiving, early passenger check-in, sorting and discarding of baggage at various stages of inspection. Complicated process of baggage handling results in necessity to dispatch rush baggage that has not been loaded timely as well as in sending baggage to wrong destinations thus increasing the costs. Besides, when baggage and passenger are flying separately it is considered as a danger to aircraft and violation of ICAO requirements.

Baggage loading control system IS-BRS is designated for tracking every baggage item at all stages of technological processing and provides guaranteed loading of baggage into the aircraft only together with the passenger to whom it belongs. Due to that the system helps to minimize or even exclude sending baggage to wrong destination. IS-BRS system deals with the following main issues:

  • Baggage tracking at all stages of technological processing
  • Timely loading of transfer passengers’ baggage
  • Provision of information to passenger during baggage claiming
  • Notifying airport services about baggage discarding from flights
  • Loading summing up and baggage manifest arrangement

Advantages

Peculiarities of the system that are worthy to pay attention to:

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Control over baggage loading together with passenger boarding the aircraft in compliance with ICAO annex 17.

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Significant cost cutting for baggage handling.

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Efficient baggage sorting at all stages of inspection and efficient transfer baggage handling.

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Mobile app for users with information about baggage claim and status.

Baggage reconciliation

baggage-handling-lPassenger and baggage are separated during check-in and thus go through all pre-flight formalities separately. Sometimes after going through check-in counters baggage is lost during loading and transfer baggage is not reloaded in due time. As a result not only the passenger does not get his baggage upon arrival to his destination but the aircraft is exposed to additional risks. According to ICAO requirements passenger and his baggage must be on the same flight together in order to avoid additional security threats.

IS-BRS system performs baggage reconciliation that is simultaneous monitoring of baggage loading and boarding of the passenger to whom it belongs. It helps to avoid situations when baggage has been dispatched and its owner-passenger has not boarded the airplane, or when baggage has been departed with some other aircraft.

Cost cutting

Baggage-HandlerSending baggage to a wrong country always results in a huge volume of paper work and additional expenses for airport (handling company) needed to retrieve it. According to IATA data, the cost of retrieving such baggage and delivery to its owner-passenger amounts to 100 USD in average. The cost of dispatching unloaded transfer baggage and its delivery to the passenger amounts up to 60 USD.

IS-BRS system helps to minimize cases of baggage dispatching to wrong destinations, to increase speed of transfer baggage loading and to avoid its loss. Besides, such control over performance of technological operations results in increase of general efficiency of baggage handling in the airport.

Efficient baggage handling

isbrs_barcode_mobile_scanner2IS-BRS system equipped with stationary and mobile baggage tag readers monitors baggage handling during all stages: check-in, security service check, customs service inspection, batching into baggage carts or containers and loading into aircraft.

All baggage data are fed into IS-BRS system. The system receives data from DCS systems used by carriers (BSM messages), from airport AODB (daily flight plan), is integrated with baggage handling system BHS and processes instruction signals from introscopes of security service and customs operators. Information about transfer passengers and their baggage arrives from departure airports via standard BTM messages.

Server of IS-BRS system eventually informs all concerned airport services and passengers about the process of baggage handling and via screens of mobile readers it gives loaders information on necessary load for every flight and baggage handling route.

Mobile app for passengers with information about baggage

airtransp_51417bbad05b08239af14d62d471eb5d_r_597According to SITA research the most disappointing stage of technological service is security inspection and, secondly, baggage claim. With uncertainty related to getting back their baggage this stage of service is thought to be the most uncomfortable by 27% of passengers. This problem has got its solution in IS-BRS system which is completed by mobile app to inform passengers about stages of technological service and location of their baggage.

The mobile app is very simple to use – passenger takes a photo of his boarding pass barcode and after that actual information about the baggage appears on the screen. Mobile app provides the following information:

  • Baggage location: in airplane baggage compartment, unloaded onto cart or unloaded onto conveyor
  • Estimated time of unloading baggage onto conveyor
  • Number of conveyor for retrieving the baggage

Technology of dispatching baggage of departing flights

IS-BRS system ensures efficient technology of loading passengers’ baggage into aircraft:

Baggage handling at check-in counters

checkin_bsmAfter passenger has checked in a carrier’s clerk weighs his baggage and accepts it for the flight, attaches baggage tags and sends the baggage to transportation system of baggage handling complex BHS.

Simultaneously with baggage acceptance and beginning of its transportation in the system of baggage handling BHS, registration system DCS sends to IS-BRS system a standard IATA BSM message which includes all necessary information about the passenger and his baggage. After receiving this BSM message the baggage and the passenger become visible for IS-BRS and the system starts to track technological path of the baggage and the passenger.

Tracking baggage in baggage handling system

bc_scan_inlineIS-BRS system tracks baggage location within conveyor baggage handling complex as well as going through checking procedures performed by security service and customs officers at various levels.

At any moment of time IS-BRS system is able to connect passenger with his baggage and to inform him about location and status of the baggage that is which checks have been passed and which are still ahead.

To track baggage location a baggage tag reading gate is installed prior to the introscope. After baggage tag has been read further movement of the baggage is tracked with the help of sensors of baggage handling complex BHS. If tag of a certain baggage has not been identified by the reader, the baggage is taken out of baggage handling system (by means of mechanical sorters) in order to identify it manually.

S-BRS system is compatible with all leading manufacturers of baggage handling complexes (Vanderlande Industries, Loga Teleflex, Motion06, Beumer, LAS-1) and can be integrated with operating systems made by leading manufacturers of automatic equipment: Siemens, Allen-Bradley, B&R, Schneider Electric. IS-BRS system supports data exchange with operating system of baggage handling complex BHS via several interaction interfaces:

  • Exchange by standard IATA BPM messages
  • Exchange by standard IATA BPM messages with the help of SITA BagManager
  • Direct integration with PLC of baggage handling complex: via relay interface, CAN bus protocol, Ethernet or RS232

Monitoring passenger access to sterile zone

GATE1In front of the entrance to pre-flight formalities zone, at the workplace of security service operator on duty a boarding pass reader is installed. Every passenger should submit his boarding pass for checking. After the boarding pass has been read IS-BRS system checks whether the baggage has gone through all stages of inspection and whether the passenger has received access to sterile zone of the terminal. After that the system notifies security service operator on duty about results of the checking.

If a passenger’s baggage has to be additionally inspected the passenger will be stopped by security service operator on duty before going through pre-flight formalities and then sent to the room of personal passenger inspection for manual inspection of his baggage.

Baggage batching for the flight

bc_mobile_loadingBaggage transported to the accumulation zone, that is accumulation conveyor carousel or accumulation gravity roller conveyor, is marked with status «in the accumulation zone» in IS-BRS system.

Loading baggage from accumulation conveyors into carts or containers is registered with the help of hand-held mobile baggage tag reader — the baggage is marked in the system as «loaded into cart/container». With every baggage tag reading IS-BRS system checks whether the loader is batching relevant baggage, and tracks in which cart/container every piece of baggage has been loaded.

After every baggage tag has been read mobile reader produces a prompting message on the screen as well as an audio message for special cases:

  • Baggage from another flight
  • Baggage of business class passengers which should be loaded into baggage compartment of aircraft with the latest batch
  • Baggage of VIP-passenger
  • The baggage is prohibited to be loaded by DCS system (BUM message)
  • Transfer baggage should be loaded into baggage compartment of aircraft with the latest batch

Baggage loading into aircraft

load_to_aircraftBefore loading baggage into cargo compartment of aircraft loader reads baggage tag or barcode of container and marks it in IS-BRS system as «loaded into aircraft».

Loader can see in real time the final baggage loading manifest on the screen. It shows information about loaded/unloaded baggage, transfer baggage and baggage to be revoked from the flight. As a result loader always knows how many pieces of baggage remain to be loaded and where to find them.

The reader automatically produces sound message if baggage from another flight somehow has been included in the batch.

Handling baggage of arriving flights and transfer baggage sorting

Before an arriving aircraft lands and comes to halt at the apron, baggage loading dispatcher assigns loaders for the flight and sends them to unload the baggage.

After getting an assignment the screen of the assigned loader’s reader shows in advance all necessary information about the flight:

  • Information about quantity of baggage from the flight
  • Information about quantity of transfer baggage (based on received BTM messages)
  • Information about connection flights transfer baggage
  • Information about quantity of baggage of CIP and VIP passengers
  • Information about number of unloading conveyor

Every container of baggage unit unloaded from aircraft and loaded into the cart is registered by loader with the help of mobile reader. Information about unloading procedure is registered in database of IS-BRS system and can be promptly viewed by passenger on the screen of his smart phone.

If unloaded container includes transfer or other baggage (VIP) which has to be sorted immediately (short connection) the reader produces sound signal thus warning the loader about necessity of sorting the baggage right under the airplane.

Loaders’ work management

Workplace of baggage loading dispatcher is designated for managing the process of baggage handling in the terminal and at the apron. The dispatcher carries our main tasks of managing the process:

  • Assigning readers to loaders
  • Assigning flights to readers
  • Assigning containers to flights
  • Managing pool of rush baggage
  • Revoking baggage from flights
  • Tracking baggage and technological operations
  • Tracking process of flights’ loading
  • Tracking process of transfer baggage reloading
  • Printing accompanying documents

Technology of baggage tags reading

IS-BRS system supports two technologies of baggage tags reading: baggage tag’s barcode reading and baggage tag’s RFID-tag reading. Each baggage tagging technology has its advantages and drawbacks:

Barcode RFID-tag*
Probability of reading tags Up to 99,6% Up to 99,99%
Price of tag readers From 30 тысяч евро From 50 тысяч евро
Price of baggage tag Less than 0,01 евро 0,01-0,02 евро

* RFID-tag technology additionally requires usage of special equipment (printers) at check-in counters. Besides, in most cases baggage of transfer and arriving passengers will be marked with common tags with barcode what suggests usage of both methods of identification in one airport.

Transition from baggage identification with the help of barcodes to RFID-tag technology is carried out by replacing stationary and mobile baggage tag readers, without additional expenses on software.

Message broker

S-BRS system receives information about baggage from all registration DSM systems operating in the airport with the help of standard BSM messages or locally via BagNessage protocol. IS-BRS system also receives BPM messages from baggage handling system about stages of baggage proceeding through security service and customs inspection.

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Based on the results of baggage loading into aircraft a BMM (Baggage Manifest Message) is formed and sent to the carrier and to the destination airport. Message broker processes all IATA RP1745 messages: BTM, BSM, BPM, BUM, BNS, BCM, BMM, BRQ, in compliance with current version of IATA PSCRM document.