Instead of a vet or rescue service, for the BAGdna system it is an airline or lost luggage facility at an airport that undertakes the scanning process and BAGdna that holds the owner’s details on its secure database. Oh, and the tag isn’t put into your bag with a big fat needle, apparently you can fit it yourself quickly and painlessly!
Once the lost bag’s ID has been obtained, it is put into the ‘Recovery’
Before airports can move lost bags by air, they currently have to scan them for security reasons. So if a bag has no obvious external ID, then another quick scan taking less than five seconds that could irrefutably show the owner’s details - and maybe save relocating the bag to a storage facility many miles away - must be another sensible procedure to apply. As BAGdna provides the scanners free of charge to all commercial airports, and will even train airline and airport staff in their use, there’s no cost associated with the service for any facility handling lost bags.
The most important factor for airlines recognising the BAGdna system - assuming everyone in the airport baggage-handling business is being sincere when they say they really do care about passenger’s lost luggage - is that it could improve their lost bag PR in…bag-loads!
BAGdna may seem a simple idea but it is a massive leap forward in identifying lost bags, and as such, should be welcomed with open arms by airlines and air passengers alike. It should also be, at the very least, the final luggage ID check before people’s bags are sent off to be sold at auction.
One cannot underestimate the powerful effect of bag loss felt by real people. The whole ‘lost bag’ topic is such an emotive one and it is likely that everyone knows of at least one person who has a harrowing story on the subject. In fact, the BAGdna idea came about as a direct result of planning a long-haul flight and major concerns over losing luggage during that trip. Apparently, if you have to change planes during a trip, for whatever reason, it massively increases the chances of losing a bag.
BAGdna says that having one of their RFID Tags in your bag is like having an extra insurance policy packed away, one that doesn’t even have to be taken out to be read. So if your bag does accidentally go missing from now, as long as you have BAGdna inside, you can be pretty sure you will eventually get it back.
What airline passengers should never forget is that over a million bags a year are lost forever because they allegedly have no form of ID, but with BAGdna installed that should no longer be the case. Passengers should feel comfortable about flying and be able to relax and enjoy their journey, not spend the whole flight wondering if they will ever see their bags again!
If you are in any doubt as to what happens to lost bags, take a look at this BBC Magazine article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
