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With Bagtrakka, you’ll never lose your luggage again
Hi folks,
just wanted to share this article with you. I am not affiliated in any way with this company. Cheers Shudder at the thought of checking in your luggage at the airport? Bagtrakka may be the solution for you. Developed by UK-based startup Global Location Systems, Bagtrakka is a small device that can track your luggage in case it gets lost or stolen. GLS chief technology officer Alex Paterson announced the device at our MobileBeat 2011 conference today as part of our startup competition. Bagtrakka uses GSM (cellular) and GPS technology to triangulate your bag’s location, which is accessible on smartphones, the Web or via text messages. The device itself resembles a typical luggage tag, except it sports a braided steel cable so that it can’t be easily removed by thieves. Paterson said 42 million bags are mishandled annually and 1.26 million are never returned to their owners, according to a 2007 SITA report. Bagtrakka is powered by the company’s Global Locating Operating System (GLOS), which allows third-party developers to tap into the power of the device. It also means that Bagtrakka can easily be branded and deployed by airlines. The company is aiming to release Bagtrakka to consumers in a few months, with pricing potentially around $100. The device can roam on GSM networks globally, thanks to a partnership with the Swiss company Sunrise Business Communications, which provides the SIM card and roaming agreement. Bagtrakka also has several sensors on board, including an accelerometer and light sensor. Using those sensors and a patented process, the device can turn itself off when it enters a plane’s cargo hold, saving precious battery life. That also allows it to turn off wireless communications so that it can comply with airline regulations. Typically, Bagtrakka can stay powered for 4 to 5 days, Paterson said. GLS has been working on the technology since 2009. At the moment, the company is self-funded and is seeking investors in the US. |
Probably wouldn't work in the dark recesses of the SFO baggage claim area, where United stashed by bag in a cage a few years ago, after:
1) Mixing my SMF bag tag up with another woman at BDL checkin, realizing it only when they went to put my tag on her bag, which was already gone. 2) Assuring me they were calling down and it would be fixed before being loaded. 3) Insisting for a *week* that they had no idea where the bag was, and that they were sending messages to the SFO station when I told them that was probably where it was. Ended up going to SFO myself, spotting the bag in a cage myself, and cutting in the baggage office line to make them unlock it. Fortunately I'd seen the other woman's destination and my GF lived in SF, or the bag might still be sitting in it's cage... |
My checked belongings aren't usually worth $100, although I guess there are some repeat savings.
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Originally Posted by Yuengling
(Post 16734326)
My checked belongings aren't usually worth $100, although I guess there are some repeat savings.
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This will definitely make the life of a baggage thief a lot easier. Any bag with a GSM/GPS enabled tracking device hanging on the outside pretty much begs to be stolen. And I highly doubt that the cable will be much of a threat to a thief. By the time you realize your bag has taken off, the lock will be in a dumpster at the side of the the road.
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The baggage thief can take his time removing the tag. Once the stolen bag is safely hidden in another suitcase or the trunk of the thief's car, the light sensor will tell the bag that it "is in flight" and turn itself off until light hits it.
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Originally Posted by shiv666
(Post 16741111)
I have a very generic suitcase. I figure the expensive ones get stolen and broken into more.
One issue for me when I am flying with checked bags is when I know I have a wait at the terminal. For example, I am flying into Billings, MT this week and will have to wait two hours for my ride to pick me up. I would rather wait inside the sterile zone where I can nurse a beer or two. If I had a checked bag, I always try to get to the conveyer before the bags start unloading. What surprised me was the articles about baggage thefts that took place in international baggage return areas before customs. Either you have baggage thieves flying around collecting airmiles and boosting luggage, or there is a trick I am not privy to about how to slip into this area and what if customs pulls you aside for an inspection. You'll need a credibly forged ticket, disembarkation card, passport with an appropriate and freshly minted entry stamp. |
Is there a reason you couldn't attach a device like this to the inside of the bag somewhere? Would it still work? It would seem to me that would be preferred to having it flailing around on the outside.
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Originally Posted by whitearrow
(Post 16745054)
Is there a reason you couldn't attach a device like this to the inside of the bag somewhere? Would it still work? It would seem to me that would be preferred to having it flailing around on the outside.
IMHO, the best system for tracking baggage should come from the airlines -- not third parties. A well implemented RFID tracking system at all major airports would help a lot -- you'd be able to track your bag on your mobile phone, see exactly where it was scanned, and even get an email or SMS as soon as it passes the reader on its way to the conveyor in the baggage hall. Sadly, I don't think we'll see this any time soon. |
Originally Posted by Dubai Stu
(Post 16744700)
I spent a few minutes googling this morning and ran into a thousand stories about the husband/wife luggage theft team that got busted in Phoenix. Their bag of preference was a generic black roller. People can't be as sure that someone is grabbing "their bag" and you blend into the crowd once you are ten feet from luggage return.
One issue for me when I am flying with checked bags is when I know I have a wait at the terminal. For example, I am flying into Billings, MT this week and will have to wait two hours for my ride to pick me up. I would rather wait inside the sterile zone where I can nurse a beer or two. If I had a checked bag, I always try to get to the conveyer before the bags start unloading. What surprised me was the articles about baggage thefts that took place in international baggage return areas before customs. Either you have baggage thieves flying around collecting airmiles and boosting luggage, or there is a trick I am not privy to about how to slip into this area and what if customs pulls you aside for an inspection. You'll need a credibly forged ticket, disembarkation card, passport with an appropriate and freshly minted entry stamp. |
In my experience, the airline already knows where my bag is. The issue is getting it to be in the same place I am. And, frankly, in thousands of segments worldwide, I've only had a bag misplaced 3 or 4 times and always had it returned to me within a day. I think this is a solution looking for a problem.
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