Paris Airports yesterday announced a deal to add 100 new auto bag drop machines (ABDs) to its facilities in the next couple of months.
The ABDs are built by Amadeus subsidiary ICM Airport Technics and will join the 360 machines already set up at Charles De Gaulle and Orly airports.
Paris Airports hopes to ease passenger flow through check-in by increasing the number of self-bag drop machines at the two airports.
These systems cut down bag drop time significantly. In a statement, Amadeus said it had found the average bag drop on its machines to be just 37 seconds.
Yannick Beunardeau, SVP Airport and Airline Operations, EMEA, Amadeus, said: “Airports and airlines have experienced significant operational challenges as they adapt to rapidly rising passenger numbers. At the airport, automation offers a proven route to reduce queues by allowing passengers to take control of their own experience. Paris Airports is placing self-service at the heart of its passenger service strategy.”
Paris Airports Deputy CEO, Edward Arkwright, said while passengers would always have the choice between the automated service or a traditional experience at the airline's check-in counter, they were seeing an increasing number of travellers choosing to check in their own luggage.
