AirAsia is testing ‘Self Bag Drop’ and ‘Home Tag’ printing at Senai International in Malaysia
AirAsia will be the first airline in Malaysia to introduce a Self Bag Drop option.
Self bag drop
Self Bag Drop enables passengers to check-in their baggage by themselves without having to queue at a check-in desk. Passengers who opt for this will be able to print their bag tags while performing self-check-in at the kiosks and proceed to drop their baggage at an automated counter, without any assistance.
The user-friendly Self Bag-Drop unit will automatically check flight data, baggage weight and size allowances as well as multiple bags before securely depositing the bag into the baggage handling system.
Self print bag tag
To further complement this automated service, the airline will also be introducing ‘Home Tag’ which allows passengers to print their bag tags at home together with their boarding pass.
The bag tags can be printed on standard A4 paper and the passenger simply has to fold the paper and place it into a plastic cover provided by the airline, which is then attached to the bag. The bag can then be deposited at the Self Bag-Drop counter upon arrival at the airport.
The new services are currently being tested at its southern hub with two machines, making Johor Bahru the very first AirAsia station to offer a complete self-service experience to its guests.
Both options will be made available to all passengers on the Johor Bahru–Kuching and Johor Bahru–Kuala Lumpur flights beginning April 20 this year.
Chief executive officer of AirAsia Berhad Aireen Omar said:
“The average time needed to check-in at the airport counter, including queuing time is about 5 minutes; but with the introduction of the complete Self-Service options, including the latest Self Bag-Drop feature, it takes only up to two minutes and 35 seconds on average to complete the whole check-in process.”
AirAsia introduced the Self Check-In option in 2009 where guests were able to check-in via the web, and subsequently expanded the option to include mobile check-in as well as via the Self Check-In kiosks at the airports. In 2013, the airline then introduced the Self Bag Tag where guests can print their own bag tags at the airport kiosks before dropping their bags at the counter.
Among other innovative implementations by AirAsia is the introduction of Wi-Fi on board, as well as the e-boarding pass, which allows guests without check-in-baggage to walk straight-to-gate at selected airports. AirAsia was also the first airline in the world to collaborate with Interpol to integrate the I-Checkit system to screen the passports of all its prospective passengers against information contained in the world police body’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database.
