RFID Readers & Challenges in Airport Luggage Tracking Systems

The practical assignment examines the implementation of RFID readers in airport luggage tracking systems. The process involves attaching RFID tags with unique microchips and antennas to each piece of baggage, allowing real-time tracking without the need for line-of-sight reading. This system enhances passenger experience by reducing baggage loss risk and expediting loading procedures through automation while minimizing infrastructure costs. However, challenges persist, including unadopted technology due to perceived insufficient benefits, high tag costs despite a decreasing trend, sensitivity to metals and liquids in airport environments, and potential reader collisions leading to inaccuracies and decreased service satisfaction. A thorough analysis of these pros and cons is essential for the airline industry considering RFID implementation.

RFID Readers & associated Challenges
Airport Luggage Tracking Systems
NOVEMBER 8, 2017

RFID Readers & Associated Challenges
Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Working of the System......................................................................................................................2
Set of Challenges...................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................3
References.............................................................................................................................................4
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RFID Readers & Associated Challenges
Introduction
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the technology that makes use of radio waves to
read and capture the details that are associated with a tag attached to a particular object.
There are two primary components of RFID viz. tag and reader (Iyer, 2015). There are
several applications of these RFID readers with luggage tracking system at the airports and
other location as one of the top in the list.
Working of the System
In case of the RFID readers for luggage tracking, there is an RFID tag that is attached to the
baggage of the passengers. These tags comprise of two components as a microchip for
information storage and an antenna for transmission and exchange of signals. The tag is
unique to every baggage.
Working of RFID tags and readers
The RFID readers emits the signal to detect the information that is stored on the tag. This
information includes the mapped airline details and passenger information. In this manner, it
is ensured that the baggage and the flight is correctly mapped and the loading of the luggage
is done accordingly (Hui, 2008). This also aids in the accurate and quick transfer of the
luggage in case of the connecting flights. The line of sight reading, such as in the case of
barcodes is also not needed in this process.
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RFID Readers & Associated Challenges
This process is beneficial for the passengers as it provides them with the opportunity to track
their baggage in the real time and prevents the loss of baggage. There is also an element of
automation that is added to the process which leads to the speeding up of the activities as
compared to the longer delays associated with manual processes (Berrada, 2015). There is
also no additional infrastructure cost that comes with this process which makes easy to be
applied.
Set of Challenges
There are; however, certain challenges that are associated with the RFID enabled luggage
tracking systems. Many of the airlines have still not adopted this technology because they
believe that the comprehensive benefits of the technology shall be realized before its
implementation (Koldkjaer & Systems, 2017). Another challenge includes the price of the
RFID tags. The prices have dropped over the years; however, the companies are still
anticipating the prices to lower down further.
Environmental conditions can also limit the working of the RFID system at the airports. For
instance, these systems do not go well with metals and liquids. Airlines are looking for an
alternative in this regard before implementing the technology.
Another major challenge that has been observed is the collision between two RFID readers or
a reader and a tag. There are reader collisions that have taken place in the past wherein
another reader interferes with a reader present in the same field. This may lead to inaccurate
results which can be difficult to deal with in case of the luggage tracking systems at the
airport. Also, in case of such an issue, the service satisfaction of the passengers may also
drop.
Conclusion
It is required for the all the business sectors to adapt latest technological elements in their
infrastructure. However, the advantages and drawbacks of the technology shall be analyzed
before implementation. In case of RFID technology, the airlines must understand the
challenges that may come up post implementation.
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RFID Readers & Associated Challenges
References
Berrada, A. (2015). An Efficient RFID-based Tracking System for Airport Luggage.
Elvedit.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017, from
http://elvedit.com/journals/IJACSIT/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/An-Efficient-RFID-
based-Tracking-System-for-Airport-Luggage.pdf
Hui, J. (2008). RFID in Airports – Baggage and Passenger Tracking. Winmec.ucla.edu.
Retrieved 8 November 2017, from http://www.winmec.ucla.edu/rfid/course/2008s/RFID
%20in%20Airports.pdf
Iyer, S. (2015). RFID: Technology and Applications. It.iitb.ac.in. Retrieved 8 November
2017, from http://www.it.iitb.ac.in/~sri/talks/rfid-05.pdf
Koldkjaer, K., & Systems, L. (2017). RFID for Baggage Handling and Tracking.
Rfidconnect.com. Retrieved 8 November 2017, from
http://www.rfidconnect.com/MediaService.ashx?type=attachment&id=acb999b3-a28c-
46b8-9540-24b1d1407b1c
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