I've had the lower one in October, ex-HKG to LAX, checking in at F counter, business class. Maybe its a trial, or maybe something to do with connecting to another flight (which for me happened to be Alaska, not one world, and I still had to pick up and drop the bag in LAX as usual). I think its a better method than the ring - as it gets refreshed with each flight, no residual tags left on the bag that I have to cut off.