Swissport has announced a new strategic partnership with AirPortr, a leading provider of smart baggage management solutions, to transform the baggage handling process across 269 airport locations. This will enable off-airport baggage processing for airlines and airports, transforming the passenger experience as well as driving operational efficiencies.
The partnership will allow passengers travelling in all classes to pre-book an at-home baggage collection slot for departing flights. A courier will digitally verify ID and travel documents at the doorstep and seal the baggage for secure delivery to the airport. Passengers will then receive live updates and digital airline baggage tags.
According to the two companies, this will transform the often neglected first-stages of the travel experience, allowing passengers to travel bag-free to the airport, switch to public transport if preferred, bypass the check-in and baggage drop at the airport, and proceed directly to security.
The solution also streamlines the last leg of the passengers’ journey, allowing them to digitally submit an eDeclaration, have their bags cleared through Customs, and delivered to their destination within hours of landing – skipping baggage reclaim altogether.
Off-airport processing has the potential to transform the baggage handling process across the airport and aviation ecosystem. For air travellers, it facilitates a contactless airport journey underpinned by seamless digital experiences and improves passenger mobility. For distribution partners it creates value by generating new ancillary revenue streams. For operators, it increases the throughput of existing airport infrastructure by reducing passenger interactions, queues and resource requirements, as well as maximising space utilisation. AirPortr has also reported that off-airport processing can have a positive sustainability impact, with 66% of its users switching from car usage to public transport as a result of travelling bag-free. This can also lead to unlocking the large-scale modal-shift that is required for the aviation industry to meet its sustainability targets – vowing to halve emissions by 2050.
Bruno Stefani, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Switzerland and France, Swissport, said: “As the world’s leading provider of aviation ground services, Swissport strives to continuously enhance its service quality. We want to generate added value for airlines and their passengers in order to offer a simpler and even more enjoyable travel experience in the future. AirPortr’s platform, as well as our global network and existing airline customer relationships, enable an end-to-end solution and user experience for passengers. The complexity of baggage handling will be transformed through user-friendly, intuitive and scalable solutions into a customer-centric service for passengers, allowing them to personalise ancillary services according to their individual needs.”
Randel Darby, CEO and Founder at AirPortr, said: “The partnership with Swissport is a significant milestone – it outlines a blueprint and scalable platform for the introduction of smart baggage solutions across the aviation industry. With Swissport, we are transforming baggage from a customer and cost pain point into a new revenue stream, increasing handling efficiency and improving passenger experience. The first deployment will launch imminently, facilitated by a go to market strategy which enables us to deploy rapidly, making the product available across airline client networks.
“Our vision is to create a global connected network for airline clients – this partnership with Swissport brings us one step closer to making that vision a reality. By marrying the strength of our technology with Swissport’s operational footprint, this solution is redefining the role of baggage.”
FTE recently hosted the first round of its new FTE Baggage Innovation Working Groups, for which AirPortr was one of the Strategic Partners. These interactive calls brought together hundreds of industry stakeholders who participated in highly engaging discussions around modernising and improving the end-to-end baggage experience. You can catch up on the discussions here.
