If like most of us, you hate queuing up at the airline counter to check in your suitcase, wasting all that time you could be spending back home in bed or moseying around the terminal sussing out the duty free alcohol, this will be the best piece of news you've read all day.
A new electronic tag system released in October is set to revolutionise the way we travel, negating the need for us to line up to check in our bags.
Phone it in
German luggage manufacturer Rimowa launches the first fully integrated digital luggage solution that links your suitcase to your smartphone. And as Australians are early-adopters when it comes to technology, expect to see them popping up at the airport pretty soon.
It works like this: a smartphone app activates and personalises the electronic tag that is built into your suitcase. The airline app then identifies the personalised piece of luggage. The data for the booked flight is sent to the selected piece of luggage via Bluetooth with the information appearing in the fully integrated electronic tag display.
The suitcase is now checked in and can be placed within seconds on the semi or fully automatic luggage check in stations provided at all airports all over the world. Simple.
Wait less technology
What this means is that instead of lining up for hours next to passengers with screaming kids, you can use your smartphone to check in your suitcase from the comfort of home, your hotel room, or even the taxi on the way to the airport. And because the airline has also sent an electronic boarding pass to your smartphone, there's no waiting once you get to the terminal.
The electronic tag replaces the need for conventional paper labels and is integrated directly into a range of Rimowa's most popular suitcase models. The tag itself has a tough, durable surface built to withstand the rigour of international travel. The battery is long-lasting due to the use of E-Ink Mobius technology, and a tamper proof system ensures nobody opens your bag apart from you.
A panel of experts awarded Rimowa's digital tag the Best Baggage Initiative prize at the recent FTW Global – Future Travel Experience.
Rimowa's Electronic Tag System suitcase start from $1610 from Hunt Leather.
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