SAN JOSE (KCBS RADIO) – Mineta San Jose International Airport is the first airport in the United States to use Alaska Airlines' electronic bag tag program.
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Instead of printing a bag tags at the airport, Alaska Airlines has designed an electronic bag tag that you pair with your phone for your flight.
"When you walk into the airport you can just come and drop it off. We think about 40% of your time is saved because of that one step going away," Charu Jain, Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Innovation for Alaska Airlines told KCBS Radio.
The electronic bag tag is made of durable plastic meant to last a lifetime and doesn't have buttons or batteries. Senior Software Engineer Gus Naughton said they have been working on this for a while.
"One of the things that didn't work out for us in 2015 was the durability of the devices that we were trying out," Naughton said. "So, I mean we have taken this out to the operation we’ve run over it with luggage tugs, food trucks you name it."
They do have these tags in Europe but this will be the first time they will be used in the United States. Andre Roberts, Station Manager for Alaska Airlines in San Jose said it's the perfect fit for the Silicon Valley traveler.
"A customer base that really appreciates the cutting edge of technology," Roberts said.
The program will roll out this fall to 2,500 Elite Alaska Airlines travelers and eventually it will be offered to all members of the Alaska Mileage plan.
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