Nantes airport unveils new automated luggage check-in system
‘Conveyor belt’ system allows passengers to drop off luggage without manual checking
The system aims to cut check-in times, particularly during busy periods
Aéroport Nantes Atlantique
Nantes Airport has become the first in France to offer a conveyor belt-based self-check-in service for hold luggage.
The airport piloting the scheme believes it will cut down on overall check-in times for passengers and particularly during busy periods.
The system allows travellers to drop off luggage without having to physically queue at a bag-drop kiosk.
Once checked in for their flight (usually through an app or online prior to arrival at the airport), they can then print their travel tags and deposit their bags automatically. They can then go through airport security as normal.
Introduced by airport operator Vinci, similar systems are in place at other airports under the group’s management – including Edinburgh – and if successful at Nantes may be deployed elsewhere in France.
How does the system work?
The system uses an ’open collector’ conveyor belt system to take deposited luggage directly from the drop-off zone.
This conveyor belt distinguishes it from other automatic systems known as ‘automated baggage drop-off kiosks’ in place at several airports including Paris and in Nantes.
These kiosks allow passengers to print travel tags and check their baggage, using individual kiosks to transport and hold luggage. Much like traditional staffed check-in desks, the kiosks are enclosed and operate individually.
Nantes’ new conveyor belt system however allows passengers to drop bags off freely anywhere along the carousel once they have been checked and the tags attached.
This allows more people to simultaneously check in their luggage without needing to queue to use a kiosk (either manned or self-serve).
To receive their luggage tags, passengers will need to weigh their luggage at stations near the conveyor belt, where they must also confirm the contents do not contain illegal or prohibited items (as is the practice at automated kiosks).
Once checked-in and placed onto the carousel, bags are treated the same way as if they were manually dropped off at a kiosk.
“This new self-service baggage drop-off area illustrates our ambition to tangibly improve the passenger journey. By rethinking how things are done and the spaces used, we are offering a solution that is seamless, safe, and comfortable,” said Director of Nantes Atlantique Airport in a press release.
