Dublin Airport in Ireland has invested €2m (US$2.2m) in installing 62 state-of-the-art self-service solutions in terminals 1 and 2, including the world’s first touchless bag-drop kiosks.
The airport recently installed 32 self-service kiosks and 12 touchless self-service bag-drop units in Terminal 2 (T2) for use by Aer Lingus, and has now added a further 15 self-service bag-drop units in Terminal 1 (T1) for use by Ryanair customers, as well as three separate bag-drop units in check-in Area 7 for common-use by airlines such as CityJet and Flybe.
The 15 self-service units in T1 use a one-step approach, enabling passengers that have checked in online to take their bags straight to the self-service bag drop, where they can print their bag tags, attach the tags and then dispatch the bag straight onto the baggage system. The new kiosks have also been fitted with audio prompts for visually impaired passengers and availability indicators so that passengers can immediately see which devices are free.
The solutions in T2 use a two-step approach, where passengers print their boarding card, weigh their bag and print a bag tag at the first terminal, before attaching the bag tag and taking the luggage to the self-service bag-drop kiosk. The system then automatically detects if the tag is attached and if the weight is correct, and then dispatches the bag without the need for the passenger to touch any buttons or the screen.
Vincent Harrison, managing director, Dublin Airport, said, “This €2m investment streamlines and simplifies the baggage check-in process for passengers. It will reduce check-in queue times and also increase the overall capacity at check-in in both T1 and T2.
“While we used the same technology in both terminals, it was adapted to specifically meet the needs of our airline customers. The new self-service systems are already having a significant impact on check-in times at Dublin Airport.
“This project is one of a large number of investments that Dublin Airport is making across both terminals, at the boarding gates and on the airfield, to add capacity and to continue to improve the passenger experience. The self-service kiosk and bag-drop installation underlines our ongoing commitment to ensuring that passengers enjoy the very latest technological advances in their journey through Dublin Airport.”