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Delta Air Invests $25 Million in RFID for Luggage
securitas writes "The New York Times' Barnaby Feder reports on Delta Air Lines' plans to invest $25 million in RFID luggage tracking hardware and software over the next two years. This sounds very similar to the Jacksonville Airport RFID plan. McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and Hong Kong International Airport have also announced plans to use RFID technology in their operations. More at the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Boston Globe."
is useless. There needs to be a standard definied AND there has to be a mapping back to the current barcode standard so that luggage can still be handled at airports that haven't yet upgraded.
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
Put the RFID chips in their tags, so I can remove them when the flight is over, why should this be a big deal. They already use barcodes on the tags.
WTF? Airlines MUST track your luggage. I want them to track it. Hell, this is common sense. I don't have any need for spyware to track me so it is completely different.
- Barcodes
- Credit Cards
- Drivers Licenses
- Grocery discount cards
- License Plates
- Cookies
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Good point...and, down the road, I'm sure there will be real-world Spybots and Ad-Awares that will scan your clothes and other items looking for RFID items that you can them remove/disable. Remember, there were radar guns and then radar detectors. The marketplace will always respond.
Don't be a looter...and yes, I know that it's spelled with an "A" instead of an "E".
This won't help you find your bag within that pile, but what it will do is let you know that your bag is indeed in the right pile, without having to dig through and scan each barcode. That, in and of itself, is a very good thing...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
But scanning each piece of luggage as it passes on the conveyor belt into the aircraft should let the crew know:
1) That your luggage did indeed pass the doorway and is on the plane.
2) Which quadrant/hold it is stored in.
I say this is a damned good thing, and perfect use for RFID.
liqbase
$25 million doesn't seem like all that large an investment, IMO. What does a single plane cost, after all? My guess is that they'll save $25 million over a few years just in terms of saved labor.
You might want to try understanding what people are complaining about before you assume the argument will be made here.
Most of the concerns I've read about the use of RFID tags have been about:
1) Persistence - the tags last as long as you have the item they are attached to and can be difficult to find or remove. Not an issue here. The article states in the very first sentence that the tags are disposable. They are also likely to be mounted in a clearly visible manner.
2) Surreptitious - the tags can be read without the knowledge of the person holding them. Not really an issue here because the tags are attached to baggage that the customer is not going to be carrying with him.
Do try to understand the issues before you discount them as "tinfoil-hat ideas".
People's desire to believe they are right is much stronger than their desire to be right.
As of about ten years ago, air travelers in the US were informed that we were to leave our privacy behind at the security checkpoint. After presenting proof of id, submitting all bags for inspection, and stepping through a detector, the traveler knew that the "authorities" had a record of who they were, where they were going, and what they were (and weren't) carrying.
Face it. If you want privacy in your travel, you have two choices: avoid airports, or develop a very good false identity.
Given that I've left my privacy behind at the security checkpoint, anything that makes it easier for the airlines/airports to handle and transport my bags back to me at my final destination can't be seen as anything but a positive development.
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Slashdot is to RFID as Greenpeace is to:
A) Puppies
B) Trombones
C) Nuclear power generation
D) Trees
Let's get this straight people - RFID tags are not the devil. They are a technology with the potential to be VERY useful. Do we really have to see EVERY story about EVERY use of RFID tags in the world? Why don't you guys hold off until someone, somewhere actually does something Orwellian with the technology before you spurt the hackneyed, luddite, anti-RFID propaganda?
Oh and just because you disagree doesn't mean I'm trolling. Fuck, that concept is tired too. Where's my coffee?
This is exactly the future I can see by using RFID.
Scanners on the entrances/exits of all doorways and belts would allow your individual bag to be tracked along is journey - all without having to individually pick up and orient the item so that the barcode scanner can see.
Its the same thinking that supermarkets are wanting, but when we move into items which go home with us, the privacy issues increase.
I have no problem in using the right tool for the job, and can only see practical benefits with using them in the baggage tracking/handling environment.
Your idea of an automated router will probably get the handlers union up in arms, and cause strikes galore, there is always tension when moving to a more advanced automated system.
The handlers will still be required, but their role would change.
liqbase