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Heathrow to trial RFID
tags
July 7, 2007
In September, Heathrow Airport will become the largest in Europe to trial RFID-based
tags for tracking passenger luggage, comparing accuracy and read rates against their existing barcode-based systems.
Radio Frequency Identification tags are a throw-away technology which can be embedded in the labels attached to luggage
on check-in, and then read from a distance of a metre or so (depending on the technology) as the luggage makes its way around
the world - sometimes even to the same destination as the passenger.
Using RFID is more expensive than printed
labels, but savings should come from being able to automatically read the labels as the bags pass by, and update the information
stored on the tag without recourse to a central database.
The International Air Transport Association reckons RFID
will save airlines £400m a year, though some of that will be offset by the higher costs.
Heathrow won't
be drawn on those costs as yet. The details of technologies and suppliers won't be public until the official launch of
the trial in September. ®
Source: theregister.co.uk
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