Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Radio technology may solve lost luggage woes

Local aviation officials hope an emerging technology could soon put an end to lost luggage at McCarran International Airport.

On Tuesday, the Clark County Commission approved a request to allow Aviation Director Randy Walker to search for and sign a contract with a company that will provide radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags for use at McCarran International Airport. Officials believe such a system will soon improve their efforts to monitor the more than 60,000 checked bags that pass through McCarran on a typical day.

"This is the only technology that allows us to get the 99-plus percent reading rates we need," said Samuel Ingalls, McCarran's Airport Information Systems Manager. "It's going to be the most extensive implementation of RFID at an airport in the United States so far."

RFID works by equipping an article -- in this case a suitcase or similar piece of checked luggage -- with a special tag that contains a unique identification code. Using one or more nearby antennas, an RFID operator can "broadcast" a special radio signal that remotely reads the tags and alerts operators of their exact location within a given area.

On a wide scale, an RFID system would also allow airport officials to learn immediately how many checked items are on site at McCarran, Ingalls said.

He hopes RFID technology will eventually replace McCarran's current baggage identification system, which varies between airlines but generally requires line-of-sight scans at specific checkpoints within the airport.

Because passengers' bags must ultimately pass through other airports, McCarran's RFID system will also be compatible with tracking and routing methods now used at other airports, Ingalls said.

The RFID system's first phase, which is expected to handle approximately 45 percent of McCarran's checked baggage, should be ready by May to coincide with the airport's new in-line baggage screening system. The project should be complete in late 2004, Ingalls said, adding it's too soon to project its total cost.

RFID has recently gained notoriety thanks to the real or perceived support from two key backers: Wal-Mart Stores and the United States military.

Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart, the world's largest retail chain, in June announced it will require its top 100 suppliers to deliver RFID-tagged products by Jan. 1, 2005.

That move could lead the military to soon follow suit, according to a report published this week by RFID Journal, an online trade publication.

"The idea is we'll know where our inventory is all the time," said Tom Williams, Wal-Mart spokesman.

Wal-Mart will initially require each palette and crate of goods to be equipped with an RFID device. However, technology advocates envision a day when every can of soup or box of cereal in a store could include its own RFID tag.

Such a widespread RFID system would allow retailers to take inventory in an instant and shoppers to check out of a store simply by passing their cart by a reader. Williams, however, said that ability is still likely years away.