Vancouver International Airport’s (YVR) Innovative Travel Solutions (ITS) and New Zealand-based Glidepath, one of the world’s leaders in airport baggage handling, have successfully installed the first CHECKITXPRESS unit to offer passengers accessible, efficient and intuitive self-service bag drop.
Glidepath and ITS applied ergonomic design principles by lowering the profile of the conveyor to 4in (10cm) off the floor and creating durable ramps to wheel bags onto the conveyor. This allows CHECKITXPRESS to be accessible from multiple sides, offering a user-friendly bag drop for all travelers.
CHECKITXPRESS also takes up less space in airport terminals and helps alleviate congestion in the bag-drop area. Airports benefit by avoiding costly terminal expansions and saving valuable space for other airport features, amenities and procedures, which ultimately helps increase overall competitiveness.
“We strive to deliver an outstanding experience for every traveler that comes through YVR,” said Craig Richmond, president and CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority. “This is an exciting time for us and offering solutions that are more accessible, efficient and intuitive enables us to prioritize speed and ease of movement for everyone, which improves overall traveler satisfaction. We’re excited to be launching CHECKITXPRESS at YVR as a major step forward in becoming a world class sustainable hub airport.”
Through its innovative camera technology and superior first-time read-rates on baggage, CHECKITXPRESS boasts first-time read-rates of greater than 90% and the average processing time is eight seconds, with no agent intervention or assistance required.
With the installation of the first CHECKITXPRESS at YVR, ITS and Glidepath will roll out more units in the airport over the course of the year. The team is also planning to expand the service to other airports around the world.
“As passenger numbers continue to increase, the need for innovative approaches to solve global processing challenges is profound,” said Chris Gilliland, director of ITS, Vancouver Airport Authority.
“Our partnership with Glidepath, an industry leader with extensive expertise in baggage handling systems, allows our team at ITS to provide a solution that we know will improve the traveling experience at not only YVR, but airports around the world.”