Improving the baggage handling services at Tan Son Nhat international airport

i Declaration I declare that this master thesis is the result of my own research except as cited in the references. The thesis has not been submitted before for any other degree or examnination. Huynh Thi Kim Thu June 2014 ii Acknowledgements I am so much indebted to the love and support of the people around me. Without you, this would have been a very difficult task. I would like to express my deepest gratitude towards Professor Jacques Martin for his guidance. I sincerely thank my colleagues at Tan Son Nhat International Airport; Vietnam Airlines and TIAGS.: Trong San Nguyen, Chi Kien Nguyen, Duc Thanh Bui, Mai Nguyen, Duc Vinh Nguyen, Diep Thuy Vo and Thanh Tuan Ngo for helping me completing this final thesis. I also thank my husband for supporting me spiritually throughout the time I had to concentrate on my master thesis. iii TABLE OF CONTENT Declaration i Acknowledgements ii List of abbreviations and glossary of terms vi List of figures x List of tables xi INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW OF THE BAGGAGE HANDLING AT TAN SON NHAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 2 1. BAGGAGE HANDLING PROCESS 2 1.1 Departure baggage handling process 3 1.2 Arrival and transfer baggage handling process: 3 2. BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM 4 2.1 Check-ins 6 2.2 Barcode 6 2.3 Transfer offloads 6 2.4 Security Check 7 2.5 Conveyors 7 2.6 Sorting system: including primary sorting and secondary sorting 7 2.7 Oversize Baggage 10 CHAPTER 2. DATA CONCEPT 11 1.INTRODUCTION 11 2.BAGGAGE INFORMATION MESSAGES (BIM) 11 2.1 Baggage Source Message (BSM) 12 2.2 Baggage Transfer Message (BTM) 12 2.3 Baggage Processed Message (BPM) 13 2.4 Baggage Unload Message (BUM) 13 iv 2.5 Baggage Manifest Message (BMM) 13 3.BAGGAGE TAG NUMBER 13 3.1 Issuer Code 14 3.2 Serial Number 14 3.3 License Plate 14 3.4 Barcode 15 4.BAGGAGE GUIDANCE AND SORTING 15 CHAPTER 3. DATA ANALYSIS 17 1.INTRODUCTION 17 2.DATA ANALYSIS 17 CHAPTER 4. ANALYZING AND FINDING PROBLEMS IN SORTING SYSTEM WITH FMEA METHOD 20 1.FAILURE MODES AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS (FMEA) 20 2.FMEA PROCESS 21 3.CHOICES MADE ON SCOPE AND ANALYSIS TOOLS 22 4.DATA ANALYZING 23 5.CORRECTIVE ACTIONS 28 CHAPTER 5. IMPROVING THE DEPARTURE BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM WITH RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION30 1.RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION (RFID) 30 2.COMPONENTS OF RFID 30 2.1 RFID Tag. 30 2.2 RFID reader 31 2.3 Supporting Infrastructure 31 v 3.BAG FLOW WITH AN RFID SYSTEM 31 3.1 Check-in 31 3.2 RFID Tag Reading 31 3.3 Transfer bag 32 3.4 Sorting system 32 3.5 Routing 32 3.6 Delivery to planes 32 3.7 Missing baggage sortation message (BSM) 33 4. PROS AND CONS OF RFID TECHNOLOGY 33 4.1 Pros of RFID 33 4.2 Cons of RFID 34 5.RFID AT HONG KONG INT‘L AIRPORT (HKIA) 36 CONCLUSION 37 REFERENCE 40 vi List of abbreviations and glossary of terms Abbreviations Meaning AMS APR BIM BMM BNS BPM BRS BSM BTM BUM DCS HAN FMEA FS HKIA IATA LAS PNR RF RFID RL RPN SGN SYD SITA TIA TIAGS ULD WLAN IATA three-letter code for Amsterdam Schiphol Airport April Baggage Information Message Baggage Manifest Message Baggage Not Seen Message Baggage Processed Message Baggage Reconciliation System Baggage Source Message Baggage Transfer Message Baggage Unload Message Departure Control System IATA three-letter code for Ha Noi – Noi Bai Airport Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Fault station Hong Kong International Airport International Air Transport Association IATA three-letter code for Las Vegas McCarran Airport Passenger Name Record Radio Frequency Radio Frequency Identification Reason for loss Risk Priority Number IATA three-letter code for Sai Gon – Tan Son Nhat Airport IATA three-letter code for Sydney Airport Société Internationale de Telecomunications Aéronautiques Tan Son Nhat International Airport Tan Son Nhat International Airport Ground Service Unit Load Device Wireless Local Area Network vii Glossary Airside - The secure area of the airport, as opposed to landside Bag tag number - The number on a checked baggage is identified with 2 letters and 6 numbers. Baggage handler - is a person who loads and unloads baggage (suitcases or luggage), and other cargo (airfreight, mail, counter-to-counter packages) for transport via aircraft Baggage handling - The work of sorting, loading and unloading checked baggage Baggage Reconciliation - Baggage reconciliation is required by law and is described as the linking of each piece of baggage with an accompanying passenger before the baggage is allowed to travel. If bags travel unaccompanied, they must pass further security checks. Baggage tag – a document issued by carrier solely for identification of checked baggage Baggage Tag Issuer Code - This code combined with the tag serial number are used to identify each piece of checked luggage through all baggage handling processes. It is a three numeric identifier assigned by IATA. The code is generally referred to as the BTIC. Baggage Tray - Tray is used to convey rucksacks and small pieces of baggage through the baggage sorting system in order to prevent them from jamming on the conveyors. Checked baggage – baggage that is transported in the hold of the airplane as opposed to hand baggage. Corrective maintenance Maintenance carried out after fault recognition and intended to put an item into a state in which it can perform a required function Departure Control System - A computer system to execute check-in, capacity control and dispatch of flights. Downline Station - When baggage travels between two or more airports, the transfer airports and the final destination airport are called the downline stations. Failure - Termination of the ability of an item to perform a required function viii Frequency reader - A radio wave receiver which reads signals emitted from a transmitter, transmitting at a certain frequency. Once it reads a signal, the frequency reader can decode it into information or send it onwards for use elsewhere. Handling Agent - A company that provides all the ground handling services needed at an airport (e.g. check-in, baggage loading and unloading, etc.) on behalf of an airline. Interline Baggage - Baggage traveling on two or more different airlines during a journey. International Air Transport Association (IATA) - IATA was founded in 1945 as a panel for inter-airline cooperation to promote safe, reliable, secure and economical air services throughout the world. Today it has over 270 member airlines from more than 140 nations, explaining its large relevance in the aviation industry. IATA is also heavily engaged in specifying industry standards. Linear Motor - A motor that propels its load in a linear direction by use of a magnetic coil. The motor's magnetic counterpart piece is attracted to the motor's coil when charged with opposite polarity. Very quickly as the piece passes, the motor's coil reverses its charge, changing to alike polarity. The piece is then repelled away from the motor's coil. Local baggage - Baggage that does not have a connecting flight to another airport (see transfer baggage) Mishandle baggage - baggage which is damaged, delayed, lost or pilfered. Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) - A computerized device which controls a switch, hinge or other piece of machinery. PLCs can be programmed to open a valve in a car, for example. Ramp crew / staffs - Personnel responsible for loading and unloading the airplane Société Internationale de Telecomunications Aéronautiques (SITA) – SITA is a multinational information technology company specializing in providing information technology and telecommunications services to the aviation community. SITA was founded in February 1949 by 11 airlines (10 European airlines and Trans World Airlines) as a cooperative providing communications between airports and airlines. ix Sortation system System used to transfer and sort baggage within an airport Taxi - The moving of an aircraft between the apron and the runway for take- off or Tilt-tray sorter - a tilting devices to sort baggage. Each tilt-tray is mounted on a conveyor, as the tray passes the drop-off point, it will tilt allowing the baggage to fall onto another conveyor. Transfer Baggage - Baggage that merely connects between two flights at the airport under consideration. Transfer offload – Airport sites where baggage that arrive on one flight are offloaded to continue its journey on another flight within a defined time limit. Unit load device - A container or a cart used for transporting baggage vice versa. x List of figures Figure 1. Baggage handling process 2 Figure 2. Departure baggage sorting system 5 Figure 3. Check-in counters at TIA 6 Figure 4. Primary sorting system at TIA. 8 Figure 5. Scanning baggage at secondary sorting. 9 Figure 6. BIM involved in the baggage handling process. 11 Figure 7. Forms of a tag number 14 Figure 8. Components of a license plate 15 Figure 9. RFID tag 30 Figure 10. RFID tag at HKIA 30 [...]... give an overview of the system layout, the technical equipment in use and the data concept of the baggage sorting system In last two parts, we state implementation recommendations for a future solution in the baggage handling system at Tan Son Nhat Airport 2 CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW OF THE BAGGAGE HANDLING AT TAN SON NHAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT This chapter gives an overview of the baggage handling process... can not read the barcode on the bagtag, it sends the unidentified baggage the the non-read baggage room At this room, the baggage handlers sort baggage manually to put them into the right container and on the right flight 1.2 Arrival and transfer baggage handling process: At Tan Son Nhat Airport, the departing baggage is handled in a separated terminal from the arriving ones The arriving baggage process... errors 9 % Airport/ customs/weather 7 % Space-weight restriction 6 % Arrival station mishandling 5 % In order to improve the services and cut cost, improvement actions were suggested Tan Son Nhat International Airport Authorities should consider the improvement in the baggage handling system The reasons for the improvement are: This maste parts In the first three parts, we analyze the present baggage sorting... read the barcode on the baggage tag, the baggage has to be identified manually No-reads can occur for various reasons: baggage In any of the cases stated above, the affected piece of baggage is ejected from the primary sorter and goes to the no-read room Depending on the availability and the state of the barcode label, the operator either scans the barcode or manually routes the piece of baggage to the. .. successful identification, the baggage is re injected into the secondary sorter Sometime, the system does not send the unreadable baggage the the non-read room, the baggage just goes around on the conveyor belt and miss its flight Figure 4 Primary sorting system at TIA 9 2.6.2 Secondary sorting There are two secondary sorting areas at Tan Son Nhat International Airports that numbered 1 and 2 Baggage is tranfered... Furthermore, elements can appear multiple times in a baggage information message, e.g for baggage that has more than one onward flight 2.1 Baggage Source Message (BSM) the baggage sorting system of the departure airport at the time of checkin The BSM must be received in the baggage sorting system before the baggage reaches the baggage sorting system, since the BSM provides information for baggage handling. .. an the airlines to find out the root causes and implement appropriate corrective actions 2 DATA ANALYSIS In order to find out the potential risks and problems of the current baggage handling system at SGN, data of baggage mishandled has been collected from Tan Son Nhat International Airport Authority, Vietnam Airlines, and TIAGS The data analysis has been conducted based on baggage mishandling data... concentrate on baggage sorting A data approach to the reasons of these mishandlings could very well be seen as beneficial But many of the reasons for fluctuations in air travel, like weather or other forces of nature are often outside human control, and therefore are left outside the study 24 Throughout analyzing the data, we find out that in error codes that relate to baggage handling, the most happen... our their suitcases over to the airline at check-in, they expect that their bags will arrive with them at destination airport When the bags are missing on the arrival, they are define as mishandled And the period between first reporting a bag missing and eventually seeing it again can be intensely frustrating and costly There is a variety of reasons for baggage mishandling, and IATA have categorized international. .. (IATA, 2007) governs baggage information messages Baggage information messages provide a standardized form of communication between computer systems involved in the baggage handling process, namely: The baggage sorting system at fully complies with IATA Recommended Practice 1745 Figure 6 gives an overview of the baggage information messages sent between the computer systems involved in the baggage handling . HANDLING AT TAN SON NHAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 2 1. BAGGAGE HANDLING PROCESS 2 1.1 Departure baggage handling process 3 1.2 Arrival and transfer baggage handling process: 3 2. BAGGAGE HANDLING. BAGGAGE HANDLING AT TAN SON NHAT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT This chapter gives an overview of the baggage handling process currently in operation at Tan Son Nhat Int‘l Airport to offer process. were suggested. Tan Son Nhat International Airport Authorities should consider the improvement in the baggage handling system. The reasons for the improvement are: • Reducing the number of