GUEST BLOG: Bags of money

As Ryanair and Virgin introduce new luggage policies, buyers must ensure these are communicated to travellers, as small changes can have a big impact on a trip, says Denise Harman, senior director of programme management, UK & Ireland, CWT

Last month Ryanair rolled out its new baggage policy that only guarantees cabin bags for priority passengers, and Virgin confirmed it will no longer allow ‘smart baggage’ anywhere on its aircraft, if batteries can’t be removed.

We’re only at the start of 2018, but already it’s obvious that travel managers will have to be faster than ever to adapt and communicate changes to airline policy than ever before. In 2017, travellers had to react to a cabin ban on laptops to and from certain destinations, and ensure their devices are charged enough to turn on and be tested.

Having a travel policy that can flex when suppliers change the rules is really important. For some companies, it could be more cost efficient to upgrade their policy to include priority boarding than to have people wait 20 minutes at baggage collection. With larger volumes of travellers a week, they could work with their TMC and suppliers to negotiate a better deal.

At the root of all this is obviously safety and efficiency – efficiency at turning round a plane for Ryanair, as lateness both hits their bottom line and annoys customers, and for Virgin, the safety of passengers with battery stability. But also communication here is key – it’s so important for travel managers to be able to relay these changes quickly to avoid any unexpected delays, cost – or at worst – missed flights.

As a weekly business traveller, I want to get off the aircraft and head straight through passport control not worrying about the baggage collection as I’ve got my wheelie with me. For my hops from Dublin to London, it makes sense to me. So, it’s a double-edged sword for frequent flyers – as more people travel with large cabin baggage to avoid the charges on checking in bags, it takes longer to load the plane and get on the runway, and that causes us and the airline a delay, which I also don’t want.

Time is money. And money is bags!

This post was written by CTW who will be exhibiting at Business Travel Show on 21-22 February 2018. Visit CWT at stand B230 and talk to our teams from across the business, who will be there to help you find more about how to effectively manage travel and expenses. You will even uncover new efficiencies through the perfect blend of data and a customised traveller experience.

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.