Improving security, reliability and accuracy of baggage handling, without compromising on processing efficiency.
Done.
The Board of Airline Representatives Australia (BARA) partnered with Unisys to deploy and manage an advanced network providing round-the-clock, near real-time visibility into baggage handling processes.
Business Challenge: Improving Security without Sacrificing Efficiency
Rapid growth and ever-expanding volumes at Australia’s eight international airports have presented new and significant security and operational challenges for airlines and airports. Up to 60,000 people and 90,000 bags on nearly 200 international flights must be secured and validated – without sacrificing processing efficiency or tight flight schedules, which are both key drivers of customer satisfaction.
Increasing regulation adds to the complexity. Under the Aviation Security Act’s strict Triple A (Account and Authorize) regulations, all bags must be tracked and validated in near real-time. This includes passenger bags, crew bags and even “rush” bags, which must be reunited with an owner when a passenger fails to show or is off-loaded from a flight. Airlines can no longer routinely take off with unaccompanied bags.
Finding individual bags – especially at the last minute – can be difficult and costly. Existing baggage systems are filled with security gaps between multiple systems and between check-in and boarding processes. That’s why the Board of Airline Representatives Australia (BARA) turned to Unisys to develop and manage a new passenger Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS). The BRS was designed to increase security and tracking capabilities without sacrificing efficiency or the smooth flow of passengers.
The Solution: A Highly Secure, Highly Visible System
Based on a system already installed at 30 airports worldwide, including Aéroports de Paris, BRS provides a fully integrated baggage reconciliation solution at Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Gold Coast airports. The system has been adopted by 38 airlines carrying more than 95 percent of Australia’s international passenger traffic.
Unisys experts manage the network infrastructure and security architecture, while providing round-the-clock help desk support. When passengers check in, each bag receives a barcode, which is then scanned and reconciled with a passenger record. Then, and only then, is the bag loaded onto the aircraft, preventing take-off with a mismatch of passengers, crew and baggage.
The bottom line? BRS links passengers and bags and tracks both as they move through the system – securely, visibly and cost-effectively.
Results: Enhanced Security, Improved Services and Reduced Costs
Airports across Australia have realized significant business benefits, including:
- Dramatic improvements in security with near real-time visibility into the whereabouts of passengers and baggage
- Streamlined passenger service with a seamless travel experience and reductions in lost and mishandled bags
- Reduced cost of reuniting passengers and lost bags
- Better integration and data sharing between previously disconnected systems
- Increased operational flexibility and IT scalability – with baggage handlers and other staff better able to handle increased volume
These business benefits far exceed the original security and regulatory purpose of the baggage reconciliation process. Formal reconciliation of checked bags to boarded passengers significantly reduces the incidence of mishandled baggage. Scanning the bags into the system, or directly into the aircraft hold, provides the airline with a record of the baggage loading order, allowing bags to be quickly identified and recovered when passengers fail to board.
The bottom line? Because of the increased operational visibility, disruptions are minimized, allowing aircraft to depart on time – even during peak periods at busy airports. And as the system is extended to include domestic flights and other regions in Asia Pacific, these benefits can be shared by more airports, airlines and passengers.
Why Do Leading Transportation Organizations Around the World Choose Unisys? Because We Deliver:
- Organizational visibility: clear understanding of the connections between strategy, process, applications and infrastructure
- Insight: better, faster decision-making based on integrated data and systems
- Agility: the ability to move nimbly and take advantage of rapid market shifts
- Security: risk mitigation, predictability and stability in key operations
- Focus: solutions that address core operations – passenger processing, loyalty programs, cargo management and regulatory compliance
- Experience: 50+ years experience and consultants from the executive ranks of the industry
- Leadership: “must-read” publications like Unisys Scorecard, FastForward and AirCoreNEWS; regularly quoted experts
- Results: systems that process 30% of world’s airline passengers and 35% of the world’s air freight
- Relationships: 200+ airlines, including 19 of the world’s top 25 and 200+ in total; more than 600 airports
- Scope: solution design and delivery all over the world – the Americas, Europe and Asia/Pacific
