Where's my bag?

luggageIt's the middle of summer. Vacation time for many of us. And if you're planning to travel via the friendly skies, you may have already started worrying about whether you and your luggage will arrive at the same time in the same place.

In that vein, there's a great article in the July issue of Conde Nast Traveler, reporting on the current state of checked luggage. The report covers airlines all over the world, and reveals some startling statistics.

While domestic airlines lose or damage almost two million pieces of luggage each year, in 2010 about 26 million pieces of checked luggage on international flights were affected. Wow!

For those in the autoID industry, that sounds like an opportunity. Doesn't it?

Take a look at this graphic and click on pin number one to read more about how radio frequency identification (RFID) may provide solutions for the airline industry.

It sounds like many of the challenges in upgrading baggage handling relate to the infrastructure within airports. And the cost of the RFID tags isn't insignificant when you consider the 400 million bags handled by U.S. carriers each year. And from what I read on the web some airports are making strides in this area.

But I have a feeling that the efficiencies achieved with RFID outweigh a lot of the cost issues. Since I'm not an expert on the latest advances in this area, I'd love to hear from those of you who are.

Will we see RFID tags popping up in baggage tags in the United States and around the world sometime soon? What's already out there?

Leave a comment below and let us know what's brewing. That guy still waiting for his luggage by Carousel D will thank you for it.