Why Alaska Airlines Thinks It Will Be More Efficient Than All The Rest
Alaska Airlines is aiming to amp up its check-in efficiency in such a way that it rivals all other airlines.
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Traveling at present is not for the faint of heart. Not only is it abysmally expensive due to multiple compounding factors, but the whole industry has been riddled with flight cancellations and other logistical failures. If you are one who has managed to get to your destination without incurring any complications, then your luck is truly unparalleled. That being said, there is one airline at present that is aiming to rival all others in terms of streamlining its efficiency. Alaska Airlines is taking the process of checking in one’s luggage digitally, with the rollout of new electronic bag tags.
According to Alaska Airlines, they are making this digital bag check possible via the help of an integration being added to the American Airlines app. With the use of the app, travelers flying with Alaska Airlines can check in their bags up to 24 hours ahead of time with the app. Once they physically arrive at the airport for their flight, they simply have to touch their digital bag tag to an onsite device, at which time they can proceed through the rest of the check-in process. “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 Airlines.
With this new option, it is Alaska Airlines’ hope that the time it takes to check in for a flight will be significantly reduced. Generous estimates suggest that patrons will be able to shave as much as 40% off of the time it takes to complete the check-in process. To ensure the transition is successful, Alaska Airlines is planning to make the option available at just a few airports to start. San Jose International Airport in California will reportedly be the first one to offer the new digital bag tag option. Additionally, the option will first only be accessible to Alaska Airlines’ frequent fliers, followed by Mileage Plan members at some point in 2023. It is unclear when the digital bag tag feature will be made available to the general masses flying via Alaska Airlines.
Despite the fact that Alaska Airlines’ electronic bag tag implementation will have a slow rollout initially, it does come at a time when the travel industry is in desperate need of an efficient solution such as this. For instance, Delta Airlines customers recently suffered hoards of lost bags due to a malfunction with the bag check process at Heathrow Airport in London. As a result, Delta resorted to flying one of its air buses, sans passengers, filled with lost luggage back to the states to reunite the bags with their owners. And that is just one example of many debacles that have ensued in recent months.
Alaska Airlines is the first airline in the United States to offer an option to digitally check in bags prior to a person’s flight. However, globally this option has been emerging for a while. CNN detailed that companies like BagTag and eTag have been working with European and Asian airlines as they attempt to streamline their baggage check-in systems.
