NGCI & Priority Baggage

[reductionist]

From Qantas' point of view the nice thing about the NGCI bag tags is that (with the right systems in place) it'd be easy to track the unload performance of the baggage handlers.

With RFID scanners on or near the baggage carousels you could easily determine the time between each flight reaching the gate and the bags reaching the carousel.

Such a system could also be used to determine how well bags are being prioritised.

I don't have particularly strong feelings on whether the baggage handlers are doing a good job. I just think that if QF is putting such a strong emphasis on getting people IN to the airport quickly (NGCI) they should also be at least monitoring how fast people get OUT too.

Instrumentation is your friend.

 

[anat0l]

From Qantas' point of view the nice thing about the NGCI bag tags is that (with the right systems in place) it'd be easy to track the unload performance of the baggage handlers.

With RFID scanners on or near the baggage carousels you could easily determine the time between each flight reaching the gate and the bags reaching the carousel.

Such a system could also be used to determine how well bags are being prioritised.

I don't have particularly strong feelings on whether the baggage handlers are doing a good job. I just think that if QF is putting such a strong emphasis on getting people IN to the airport quickly (NGCI) they should also be at least monitoring how fast people get OUT too.

Instrumentation is your friend.

Well what I don't get is how can bigger airports like HKG get it so right. Sure, it's CX handling, not QF handling, but since when was the purpose of alliances not to share a few lessons here or there.

I don't know what the incidence of mishandled baggage or the KPI of first-bag-to-belt is for HKG, but it's got to be better on all fronts compared to any Australian airport. OK, the first time HKG opened there were teething problems with the baggage system - still no idea why it happened (because for every new airport that's opened it's affected every single baggage operation)...

 

[Blackadder]

Has it been people's experience that the NGCI RFID bag tags still give priority? I didn't have a good experience with them this morning from SYD-CNS, but then this was my first flight with the bag tags as a WP - I haven't had any others as yet.

Mixed so far for me as a SG, on two SYD-BNE-SYD runs bags came out with the general bags in BNE, and amongst the first few in SYD on each trip.

 

[LiamR]

NGCI doesn't deliver any faster luggage - it just has to be organised in a different way. Delivering faster luggage involves getting it off the plane quicker, driving it to the baggage reclaim bay quicker and then unloading onto the belt quicker. NGCI won't do that and any idiot worth two bits who thought it would lead to faster delivery is absolutely kidding themselves; the only solution is baggage handlers have to work faster, or smarter, or both, and/or we need more of them.

I constantly watch baggage handlers in Melbourne stop half way to go have lunch or whatnot. Usually between 5-30 mins long. And we wonder why baggage takes forever? FWIW DJ T3 aren't much better.

I'm sorry, but how hard can it be. Plane pulls up, unload bags, drive to baggage reclaim, unload. Bags are picked up by people.

I have been to airports where they are waiting at baggage claim before you get there yourself.

Maybe we should write a letter and get anybody who is sick of this to sign it? Maybe Qantas can listen a bit then.....

 

[LiamR]

From Qantas' point of view the nice thing about the NGCI bag tags is that (with the right systems in place) it'd be easy to track the unload performance of the baggage handlers.

With RFID scanners on or near the baggage carousels you could easily determine the time between each flight reaching the gate and the bags reaching the carousel.

Such a system could also be used to determine how well bags are being prioritised.

I don't have particularly strong feelings on whether the baggage handlers are doing a good job. I just think that if QF is putting such a strong emphasis on getting people IN to the airport quickly (NGCI) they should also be at least monitoring how fast people get OUT too.

Instrumentation is your friend.

Its just as easy to track the preformance of paper tags too, Q Bag tags are just a different medium which the barcode is stored on.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

There is a QF Baggage handler on this forum and there was also a thread on this topic. Maybe we could dig it up -or- ask him specific questions?

 

[dfcatch]

Sorry to bump an old thread - but wanted to report on NGCI and Priority Baggage.

Actually checked baggage for the first time with NGCI during the week and was amazed!!

Besides the usual painful wait time in MEL for bags - bags actually arrived!

AND - they came out in the first few bags too!!

I was somewhat sceptical about where my Marc Newson tags might actually send my bags - but I was pleasantly surprised


Not sure how keen I am to push the system - kinda like the casino - maybe I should quite while I'm ahead

 

[sydflyer]

My history of mixed results with baggage priority hasn't changed with the NGCI tags. On a recent trip to SYD-HKG-SYD, I was flying J with WP status. In SYD First check-in put First tag on my bags. In HKG my bag was one of the first on the carousel. First tags on return leg saw my bag (and some other First tagged bags) emerge well after many non status bags.

 

[drron]

The only airport in australia where my bag comes out regularly in the first lot is DPO.