Comments on: US Airways Now Scanning Bags at Planeside, Improving Bag Tracking

By: US Airways Makes Further Strides in Baggage Handling with Planeside Scanning - >> The Cranky Flier

Wed, 12 May 2010 10:46:51 +0000

[...] year, I wrote about how US Airways had started scanning bags at planeside. When I was in Phoenix with the airline recently, I decided to stop in and get an update on how [...]

By: CF

CF — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:54:41 +0000

Janice Georgandis wrote:

I’m desperate – still without my bag. I travelled with US Airways Miami-Philadelphia-LHR on 3/4 January. My bag did not arrive with me. Was told it was scanned in Miami but after that I have had various stories that it came with KLM the next day to LHR, that it arrived in Amsterdam and then came to LHR with BMI. I have original tag number and also ‘rush’ tag but US Airways can’t tell me where it is. Very unsatisfactory and nothing at all from airline, only a claim form. Any ideas?

That's not good, that's for sure. I would just keep calling US Airways on a daily basis. If you're back in Miami, you could even just go to the airport and ask someone at the baggage service office. They won't have any better information, but they'll probably be more willing to spend time helping you (if you go when they aren't busy). Keep us posted.

By: Janice Georgandis

Janice Georgandis — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:48:25 +0000

I’m desperate – still without my bag. I travelled with US Airways Miami-Philadelphia-LHR on 3/4 January. My bag did not arrive with me. Was told it was scanned in Miami but after that I have had various stories that it came with KLM the next day to LHR, that it arrived in Amsterdam and then came to LHR with BMI. I have original tag number and also ‘rush’ tag but US Airways can’t tell me where it is. Very unsatisfactory and nothing at all from airline, only a claim form. Any ideas?

By: Joe Targus

Joe Targus — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:12:30 +0000

No way am I checking my laptop through. Don’t trust their current system.

By: CustomXRider

CustomXRider — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:11:06 +0000

I travel all over the Northwest. What a cluster! If I could avoid bag checking I would. Bags have been lost at least three times. When are they going to implement this RFID technology?

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:02:18 +0000

@ derek: Just as with all jobs there are people that are good and people that aren't. My husband has worked for a major airline on the ramp for 25 years and he doesn't steal. I resent the comment that you would lump them all together. By the time a bag has made it to the airplane it has gone through so many hands anyone could take from it. The best rule is to never check medicines, anything of value or that you can't replace if your bag is lost. Oh, and stay away from people that make idiotic comments.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:47:53 +0000

I’m amazed they are STILL testing RFID in bag tags. We participated in a RFID test with bag tags at least 6 years ago. This was in JFK. At that time, it was very expensive to produce the RFID tag, and the RFID bag tag printer was at least $5K.

I’m can’t seem to remember the stats from that test, but I recall there were a lot fewer ‘misreads’ on the belt, so they felt the number of readers on the belt system could be reduced. Right now the bar code scanners are all over the place to try to read bar codes on tags that are positioned in every conceivable position on a bag handle by harried agents.

In the ‘load your own bags’ category..I saw a short blurb the other day that Ryan Air is considering having passengers board their own bags.

By: Bobber

Bobber — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:47:16 +0000

@Cranky

My bad, mate, it was SVO!

@TTO
Goa is always worth it! In fact, India is always worth it.

By: The Traveling Optimist

The Traveling Optimist — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:11:01 +0000

@Bobber –

Truly an amazing story, mate. Hopefully the time in Goa was worth the experience!

By: CF

CF — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:59:45 +0000

Bobber – That sounds awesome. Seriously awful at the time, but what a great memory to have. (Ok, maybe this is like one of those, “You might be an airline dork if . . . that story sounds good” types of things.)

One small correction, I think. You would have been lucky to fly into DME, but I don’t think there was much there that long ago. You were probably stuck in SVO, a far worse place to be. That can only help your story get more frightening. . .