Northwest Lets Fliers Check Own Baggage at Milwaukee

March 1, 2004

Northwest Lets Fliers Check Own Baggage at Milwaukee 
USA Today

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Northwest Airlines is testing a new
check-in system that lets travelers tag their own
baggage at Mitchell International Airport. 
Passengers can print and attach their own baggage tags
using a freestanding Northwest printer rather than
stand in line and have an airline employee do it for
them. Travelers then hand off their baggage to
security personnel. 

"This could have a huge effect on our entire system,"
Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch said. 

Robert Isom, Northwest senior vice president for
customer service, said the system shortens ticket
counter lines and gets passengers checked in quicker
and easier. 

The system could save the airline money because
Northwest would need fewer employees at the ticket
counter, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry
analyst at Forrester Research in San Francisco. 

"Obviously the benefit to the airline is the customer
is doing more of the work," he said. 

Northwest started testing the system in late January
in Milwaukee. The tests are scheduled to run until
March 10 and could extend through April, Isom said. 

"We are the only airline doing this in the United
States, and we feel as if we are testing some new
ground for the airline industry," he said. 

Northwest picked Milwaukee in part because of the
airport's crowded check-in area. The Eagan, Minn.,
company is second to Midwest Airlines in the number of
passengers at Mitchell. 


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************