MEET THE INTERRUPTERS: ReboundTAG

ReboundTAG is exhibiting in this year's Business Travel Show Launchpad and is an exciting start-up with an innovative product. Read more from CEO Max Rangeley and vote for your favourite Launchpad exhibitor - five of the 14 will make it to the final of this year's Disrupt Award.

The Airline Industry Finally Gets Smart with Luggage

Airlines misplace around 25 million bags every year, with many of them never seen by their owners again. After decades of stagnation in this sector airlines are finally starting to look at more sophisticated solutions. Most airlines process baggage in much the same way they did in the 1970s - can you imagine using the same computer or television that people used in the 1970s?

There are several ways in which luggage processing can be made more intelligent. The primary technology is radio frequency identification (RFID). This is a tracking technology where the microchips are powered by the actual microchip readers in the airports so they do not need batteries. RFID is an IATA recommended practice, but the interesting part comes with permanent smart luggage tags which is what we are involved in. For a permanent tag it becomes cost effective to build in multiple technologies – ReboundTAG uses RFID, NFC (a type of microchip that can be scanned with smartphones) and a QR code as well as having the unique tag ID printed on the tag itself so that it can be manually entered into a baggage system to alert the owner that the bag has been found. This means that whether you are flying through an advanced airport like Hong Kong (with a microchip system) or going on safari your bag is protected.

We have helped airlines like Lufthansa design the microchip systems used for luggage tracking. Over the coming years not only will you not have to worry about your bag being lost by an airline, but you will also have extra services built into the airline package, for instance some airlines using RFID now offer updates to your smartphone as the bag moves through the airport and when it is ready for collection.

Much of this will develop over the next few years, the great thing with ReboundTAG is that you can take control now – you can microchip your luggage so that it is protected worldwide when you travel.