Birmingham Airport's self service bag drop Reaches one Millionth Passenger Milestone
Published on Thursday, 25 April 2019
Today
(Wednesday 24th), Birmingham Airport welcomed the one millionth
passenger to use the Self-Service Bag Drop (SSBD) – automated self-service bag
drop technology officially launched across the airport in January 2018.
Designed to
reduce passenger check in times, SSBD allows passengers to print bag tags and
boarding passes and inject their bag into the baggage system using a simple,
customer friendly user interface. The SSBD service has decreased queue times
while increasing customer satisfaction and providing an improved customer
experience. SSBD allows staff to support passengers who might need assistance
elsewhere as well as reducing the overall check-in time by providing additional
points where customers can self-serve.
Chris Wilson,
Head of Capacity & Performance at Birmingham Airport said: “We are always
looking into ways make our passengers’ journeys as seamless as possible. This
is something which is not only important from the very moment a passenger
enters our terminal doors, but also to the very moment they leave.
“This is
especially significant as more than ever, passengers are looking for ways to
enable them to control their own travel experience. Whether this be through
apps where many airlines allow passengers to check in prior to reaching the
airport for example, or through using systems like the ePassport gates
providing an automated route through the UK Border.”
At the bag
drop point, passengers place their bag on the scales to start. They are then
prompted to scan their boarding pass where a set of instructions are displayed
on the screen on how to check in their bags. Each bag tag will have any details
of connecting flights, priority or heavy bag information automatically printed,
along with a receipt at the end of the transaction.
Anna Rusted,
TUI UK’s Director of Operations said: “We are very excited that a TUI customer
is the one millionth passenger to check-in using the Self Service Bag Drop at
Birmingham Airport. Our bag drops are very popular with our customers who can
enjoy the benefits of easy to operate technology allowing them a quick and
smooth check-in process. Working with Birmingham Airport we aim to deliver an
effortless airport experience for all customers flying with TUI.”
The airport
has 61 SSBD kiosks available in total, with 52 that allow passengers to print
boarding cards and check-in, and nine that also allow them to inject their bag.
Airlines which use the service currently include TUI, Jet2, Aer Lingus,
Ryanair, Thomas Cook and Flybe.
Photo
caption: From left – Andrew Thompson, Primary Airports Manager for TUI UK,
Stuart Haseley-Nejrup, Head of Customer Experience at Birmingham Airport and
passengers Niki Poyner and Giles Poyner from Coventry.