Automatic baggage check-in at Orly

PASSENGERS flying out of Paris Orly will soon be able to check their baggage in automatically - the whole process taking as little as 30 seconds.

The system was developed by Orly itself and it is the first automatic baggage check-in in France, although systems are used in the US.

Passengers can already check in online and print off their boarding passes which can be scanned at checkpoint bornes in the airport and the new procedure will allow those using Hall 2 to avoid the check-in desks completely.

Once their boarding card has been scanned this registers them for the new baggage check-in. They put their bags into the large new white and red machine which lets the airline know the identity of the passenger and the baggage weight. The passenger gets a baggage receipt before the luggage is whisked away. It is checked automatically for illegal objects before going on to the plane.

Deputy managing director of Orly Bernard Cathelain told Le Figaro: "We will be testing the equipment for several months so we will not be taking away the traditional desks just yet."