Smart suitcase uses e-tag to speed up bag drop

Rimowa's Electronic Tag displays digital travel data on luggages, enabling faster check-ins and bag drops at airports.

Despite the best efforts of flight companies to streamline airport check-ins, bags remain a difficult process, with lost items still a common occurrence. That’s why German airline Lufthansa and luggage manufacturer Rimowa are trialling a new e-tag for luggage, which digitally displays travel information.

The process enables passengers to simply hand their bags in at the airline’s automated check-in station, saving them another queue at the airport. Passengers send their digital boarding card via Bluetooth to luggage fitted with the built-in Electronic Tag, and their information will appear on the display. The e-tag is activated by a button inside the bag, so locking the suitcase would make it hard to manipulate the display, and potentially make the suitcases harder to steal or lose.

Starting in March 2016, Lufthansa will begin offering passengers the new Electronic Tag check-in service, and the company hopes to expand its service to other leading airlines. How else can air travel be streamlined using smart technology?