ALL BASES COVERED

摘要

HUBS AND REGIONAL AIRPORTS MAY BE VERY DIFFERENT IN SIZE BUT THEY ALL HAVE A MAJOR FACTOR IN COMMON - RESTRICTED SPACE FOR A BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM. Air travellers' needs are really quite simple. They want their journey to the airport to be swift and smooth, followed by a fast and easy check-in and a not-too-lengthy wait in comfortable surroundings. After arriving at their destination they want to retrieve their baggage as fast as possible and get started on their business, holiday or journey home. Of these various stages of the journey, it is poor performance in baggage handling that annoys passengers most. They can cope with lower standards in other areas, but they cannot forgive having to wait around at a reclaim carousel for their baggage to finally make an appearance - or worse, not show up at all. It is the kind of bad experience that gets talked about between friends and can easily put people off using a particular airport or airline. Nowadays, passengers expect to receive the same level of comfort and service at regional airports as they do at major hubs. Increasingly, these smaller facilities are seeking innovative, more efficient baggage handling solutions that enable them to raise standards for higher operational efficiency while reaping the immediate financial benefit of reduced operating costs. The challenge for these airports is to find a solution that requires a low capital outlay, with advanced features and the speed to cope with high passenger flow. It must also be able to be expanded as passenger numbers increase.