Recently, Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) announced that it would become the first U.S.-based airline to offer electronic bag tags, which are essentially e-paper tags to that are intended to take the place of actual paper tags.
The company plans to release the program in different stages, and it will originally start in the San Jose airport in California. This stage will involve 2,500 of Alaska Airlines' regular air travelers who will start to use electronic bag tags later on in 2022.
With this new feature, individuals will be able to skip past the step of printing out the physical or traditional bag tags when at the airport. "This technology allows our guests to tag their own bags in just seconds and makes the entire check-in process almost all off-airport," said Charu Jain, senior vice president of merchandising and innovation at Alaska, in a statement.
In order to utilize this feature, guests must touch their phones in order to check in electronically with the bag tag. The way that it works is that it has an antenna that scans the information and is able to read it through guests' phones. From there, the bag tag's screen will show the traveler's flight data.
The reason that this feature could be so beneficial is that it could save money, time, and resources, in comparison to tags that would be made more traditionally. "Not only will our electronic bag tags allow our guests to quickly drop-off their luggage after they arrive at the airport, the devices will also give our employees the opportunity to spend more one-on-one time with guests who ask for assistance and reduce lines at our lobbies," Jain further remarked.
The manufacturer that is responsible for making these types of electronic tags is BagTag, which is already in usage by non-U.S. airlines, such as Air Dolomiti, Austrian, China Southern, Lufthansa, and Swiss. According to BagTag, the tag is able to be used without batteries and would not need to be recharged.
"We are very proud to announce the first American carrier adopting our EBT solutions," stated BagTag Managing Director Jasper Quak. "Alaska Airlines' relentless efforts to make their passenger journey a true 21st century experience makes us very confident in a successful rollout among their guests."