For years, Alaska Airlines has been trialing the concept of electronic bag tags, intended to make the process of checking a bag easier. Well, the airline has just taken a major step, as these bag tags are now on sale to the general public. While I think this is a cool(ish) concept, trying to make customers pay for it seems like a major hurdle to this being adapted on a widespread basis.
In this post:
How Alaska’s DIY electronic bag tags work
Alaska Airlines is the first airline in the United States to launch electronic bag tags. This has been a long time coming. The airline first trialed this back in 2016. Then in 2022, the airline tested this further, by sending these tags to 2,500 Mileage Plan elite members. Now the airline is selling these to the general public.
The intent is that electronic bag tags allow those with checking bags to skip the step of printing traditional bag tags at the airport. Instead, passengers will be able to “load” their bag tag up to 24 hours before departure from anywhere.
How is that possible? Customers will be given a permanent electronic bag tag, measuring three inches by five inches. By touching the phone used for check-in to the electronic bag tag, the information will be transmitted from the phone. The electronic bag tag screen will then display the passenger’s flight information.
Then when the passenger arrives at the airport, they can go straight to the bag drop, and just present their boarding pass and ID. Alaska claims that this program will reduce the time spent dropping off checked luggage by nearly 40%.
Alaska is partnering with Dutch company BAGTAG on this program, as these devices are also being used in other parts of the world. It’s claimed that the devices have durable screens that have been tested to withstand being run over by a luggage cart.
Note that these electronic bag tags don’t allow baggage tracking, so these wouldn’t replace an AirTag for those purposes. It sure would be cool if these devices had trackers, so you always know where your bag is. It might also make the cost of these devices easier to stomach.
Below is a video showing the process of checking a bag with this electronic tag.
Alaska Airlines’ SVP of Merchandising and Innovation, Charu Jain, describes this as saving passengers time and giving Alaska Airlines employees more time to spend with other people:
“This technology allows our guests to tag their own bags in just seconds and makes the entire check-in process almost all off-airport.”
“Not only will our electronic bag tags allow our guests to quickly drop-off their luggage after they arrive at the airport, the devices will also give our employees the opportunity to spend more one-on-one time with guests who ask for assistance and reduce lines at our lobbies.”
Alaska selling electronic bag tags for $89
So, how can Alaska Airlines customers get their hands on these tags? Well, they’re now for sale at the cost of $89 per tag.
It goes without saying that $89 seems like a really steep price to pay for the privilege of having less interaction with Alaska employees. That’s especially true when you consider that you need one tag per bag, so if you were checking multiple bags, you’d have to buy more than one of these.
I would assume that these tags would be much cheaper if produced on a larger scale, but I imagine the demand just isn’t there yet. But also, of course the demand isn’t there, because you can’t expect most airline customers to pay $89 for an electronic bag tag, and that’s also not a cost airlines are willing to cover on a large scale.
It’s one thing if all airlines accepted these electronic bag tags, but to buy them specifically for travel on one airline is quite an ask.
I suppose if you’re a frequent flyer with Alaska and frequently check a bag, this could be a worthwhile investment. However, I really have a hard time imagining there will be widespread appeal at this price point.
Bottom line
After trials spanning several years, Alaska Airlines is finally rolling out electronic bag tags on a more widespread basis, as these are now available for purchase. The airline is charging $89 per tag, which sure is steep.
These tags allow eligible travelers to skip the step of printing luggage tags, instead allowing them to load those tags electronically onto a device. This is a cool innovation, no doubt, I just think the cost is going to prevent this from being too popular.
What do you make of these electronics bag tags? Would you pay for one?
That is pretty brilliant, charge your elites (the only ones who would even consider buying these) to be beta testers
I really don't get the purpose of these. I would understand it maybe when you do a self-checkin but when I go to a desk it takes 10-20 seconds for them to print my tag. If the airline thinks it saves money/time doing it (also 10 seconds rolled-over 100 passengers becomes 17 minutes) they should not make passengers pay for it but give them for free to those frequently flying.
Also when I fly...
I really don't get the purpose of these. I would understand it maybe when you do a self-checkin but when I go to a desk it takes 10-20 seconds for them to print my tag. If the airline thinks it saves money/time doing it (also 10 seconds rolled-over 100 passengers becomes 17 minutes) they should not make passengers pay for it but give them for free to those frequently flying.
Also when I fly in Europe they always put stickers on multiple sides of my bag for automatic processing, not sure if this is done in the US as well, but with just the tag I imagine processing the bags will require manual work.
I've been a beta tester of the Alaska bag tags for well over a year, so I'll share some thoughts about my personal experience.
First, a few factual notes:
- Most importantly...an agent, after scanning the tag, has printed a print tag and placed it on the bag roughly 80% of the time. (I am including in this 80% when I didn't actually see them do it, but it came out at bag claim with...
I've been a beta tester of the Alaska bag tags for well over a year, so I'll share some thoughts about my personal experience.
First, a few factual notes:
- Most importantly...an agent, after scanning the tag, has printed a print tag and placed it on the bag roughly 80% of the time. (I am including in this 80% when I didn't actually see them do it, but it came out at bag claim with a paper tag attached.)
- It only works (at all) if your entire itinerary is on AS. If you have, say, a segment on AS and a segment on AA, you can't use it. My understanding is that this may improve in the future.
- The tags were initially near-impossible to remove, but they addressed that problem.
- Originally it wasn't possible to "clear" the thing and agents had to place a sticker over them on your next flight if the tag wasn't usable. That problem was solved some time ago.
Now, some thoughts / opinions:
- The AS app has struggled to handle these. You pretty much have to "write" the tag at check-in, and the app has altered how this works numerous times over the past year. It frequently just straight-up didn't work, or required multiple attempts. I don't really see much evidence that this has improved, although AS just did a pretty significant software update to their app in the last 2-3 days.
- It's surprisingly common for agents to have never seen one (note: my primary airport is SEA). I've had agents ask for supervisors numerous times, although that's more common at outstations. I've also had agents do the, "Hey, come look at this!" thing.
- In my experience, they have saved no time, and ~often added time.
I generally agree with the consensus that they are a solution in search of a problem. Printing paper does take time, but these don't seem to help...yet.
I *disagree* with the complaints that the tag is easily breakable (it isn't) or subject to power concerns (it doesn't have its own power and rather "borrows" a temporary bit of power from your phone when you write out the code).
I got mine for free as part of the beta test. I don't see a compelling reason to pay just shy of $100 for one, and I'm a frequent AS traveler (100K).
Useless junk. First it’s bulky, super easy to break. This objectively worse than current bag tags.
Second, it doesn’t even contain AirTag like feature for $89 dollars… so again it’s objectively worse experience than current.
When I check a bag, I go to the agent and have the agent do it for me. Why try to save time by putting effort on travelers … I want the agents to serve me instead. Self check in is worse enough.
Cool concept but I doubt it will be widespread. I think the bulkiness and the hurdle that you have to buy it would not make much sense.
Rimowa used to have it on the check-in size luggage back a while ago but have since stopped implementing it.
Another hurdle I think would be how to separate priority luggage on arrival since SOME of the airports still use visual confirmation whether the baggage is Priority...
Cool concept but I doubt it will be widespread. I think the bulkiness and the hurdle that you have to buy it would not make much sense.
Rimowa used to have it on the check-in size luggage back a while ago but have since stopped implementing it.
Another hurdle I think would be how to separate priority luggage on arrival since SOME of the airports still use visual confirmation whether the baggage is Priority such as the orange *A tag when they separated the luggage on to the luggage truck. (I know because there are some instances that my luggage came out with the last batch due to those priority tags being ripped off during the handling)
Rimowa had e-tags on their luggage back in 2016, and it supported Lufthansa and EVA. It was promptly discontinued in 2018. Not sure what's going to be different this time around, unless they get at least a dozen major flag carriers on board.
They look seriously shitty. Like some 1990s tech device.
Calling an electronic device "permanent" is somewhat like calling an airport "worst."
I wonder if the charge when you buy them is coded at a BAGTAG transaction or an Alaska Airlines transaction. If the latter, and you have a credit card that reimburses airline fees, that could be an incentive to get one.
We have been using BagTags since March of this year. Curiously, most agents at Alaska check in, were unfamiliar with them. However, they do save time, and the hassle of finding a printer at a hotel. On our most recent flights, two weeks ago, the online checkin did not allow the option of using the BagTags. I’m sure these glitches will be fixed.
I travel Alaska whenever possible. I have no problem taking a few minutes to print and affix a paper tag onto my 1 roller bag. And backup is an AirTag. At 84, I’m never in any hurry. Just relax and ‘go with the flow’.
The new bag tags have a much better strap that while secure, is easier to get on and off. I was part of the testing for this and like the ease and convenience of the tag. The biggest downside, thus far is that two of them have gone missing from my bag. The first, with the old impossible to remove strap, was missing when my bag came through the bag claim. The second, was ripped off my bag, along with my handle. Neither was ever found.
I was part of the test. The second I pulled the tag out of the box, I knew that I would never use it. Besides being bulky and cumbersome, you are warned that once you put this on your bag, you might not be able to get it off even with the special tool that they provide.
The technology is just decades behind what you would expect if you use, say, Apple products.
A solution looking for a problem...
How so? Printing bag tags can be annoying.
You need one per bag. What if I swap between a large checked bag and a medium one? Now I need two just in case - so I'm out $178 to save what? 30 seconds?
You still have to have your ID checked. You still have to have the bag weighed. Putting a tag on it isn't the issue, especially at staffed check-ins with experienced agents.
Even if I have to do it myself at...
You need one per bag. What if I swap between a large checked bag and a medium one? Now I need two just in case - so I'm out $178 to save what? 30 seconds?
You still have to have your ID checked. You still have to have the bag weighed. Putting a tag on it isn't the issue, especially at staffed check-ins with experienced agents.
Even if I have to do it myself at a kiosk... it's still a matter of seconds to do. I'd have to fly a hell of a lot to "recoup" that upfront cost in useful time savings.
Now, if it were a smaller, easily swappable item like the Q tag, it might be more appealing. But the fact Qantas dropped that indicates to me it just isn't worth it.
"Putting a tag on it isn't the issue, especially at staffed check-ins with experienced agents"
Well yeah, if you have staffed check-ins, use them. That's what I do with DL all the time. Problem is, AS has been heavily cutting back on those, so if you're flying out of an AS hub like SEA you're talking very big lines. With these tags you just walk straight up to Bag Drop, right?
I think it's a...
"Putting a tag on it isn't the issue, especially at staffed check-ins with experienced agents"
Well yeah, if you have staffed check-ins, use them. That's what I do with DL all the time. Problem is, AS has been heavily cutting back on those, so if you're flying out of an AS hub like SEA you're talking very big lines. With these tags you just walk straight up to Bag Drop, right?
I think it's a neat idea and don't understand the pessimism. Don't want/need one? Don't get one.
I hope these become widespread. Qantas has stopped issuing their q-tags and, although I have a lot them, the system will surely be gradually abandoned. It’s a real incentive to check stuff when it’s free and all you have to do is walk up to the machine put the bag on the belt, tap your phone and it gets whisked away to reappear at the other end.
Unfortunate the new brag tags don’t have...
I hope these become widespread. Qantas has stopped issuing their q-tags and, although I have a lot them, the system will surely be gradually abandoned. It’s a real incentive to check stuff when it’s free and all you have to do is walk up to the machine put the bag on the belt, tap your phone and it gets whisked away to reappear at the other end.
Unfortunate the new brag tags don’t have the q-tag chip. So it’s an extra step to get a paper tag and more bags in the cabin.
Would definitely use this if other airlines adopted it.
This is another worthless technology....only barely a step more worthless than digital boarding passes which frequently clog up TSA lines and boarding at the jetway door. I hope enough of these fail and some of these bags are lost forever. I'm willing to bet that anyone who actually has one of these on their bags is also wearing a mask.
What a micropenised moron you are, Chris. TSA hasn’t been scanning boarding passes for quite some time. The jetbridge is bottlenecked because it takes time for people to stow bags overhead and sit down. No matter how fast you scan your boarding pass at the gate reader, you’re going to be waiting in a line out the door of the aircraft.
Sorry about your small penis.
Wow, what an insanely stupid take. Congratulations.
So what happens when the battery goes dead, the bag tag comes off or there's an IROP and the bag needs to be rerouted? I also imagine it won't work with international flights connections.
E-ink does not require power to show, only to write.
And the barcodes are the same as today's, so they will work with any airline. IROP no different than today, with removable sticker placed on existing barcode.
There is no battery. It borrows power from your phone (which you tap) to ink itself.
I just bought an unbranded BagTag and they added me to the trial - it's really really awesome, even if it's solving a one-minute issue, and it always makes for a nice chat subject while I'm checking in. It does truly save time, and opens up agents and kiosks for other passengers (which are at a premium in Seattle).
That being said... mine broke off the bag within a year of buying it (6 or...
I just bought an unbranded BagTag and they added me to the trial - it's really really awesome, even if it's solving a one-minute issue, and it always makes for a nice chat subject while I'm checking in. It does truly save time, and opens up agents and kiosks for other passengers (which are at a premium in Seattle).
That being said... mine broke off the bag within a year of buying it (6 or 7 round trips) and 8 months later I have yet to receive a replacement from the company. It sounds like they've improved the strap design, but for some bags, it sticks out far too much to not catch on things.
So you bought it so that people would pay attention to you? PLEASE tell me that you have your boarding pass on your apple watch too!
"So you bought it so that people would pay attention to you?"
We missed the part where Mark J said that. Where did Mark J say that?
Oh, that's right, nowhere.
@Chris your comments are oddly aggressive and completely nonsensical.
These tags are expensive, yes, but they certainly seem like a superior alternative to the annoying paper slings we currently use. With Alaska's move away from traditional check-in desks, this could save some time vs using the self-bagging stations. I will likely pick one up.
Solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
Rimowa tried selling suitcases with these integrated a few years ago and stopped.
Qantas had something similar but slightly different.
Integrated tracking would be of limited use and not a replacement for an airtag.
I would still add a well-placed airtag, as airline employees are the biggest theft culprits (not accounting for weird bald members of the Office of Nuclear Energy searching for Tanzanian women's clothing) and they would know to quickly cut the bag tag.
I wonder what happens if your flight is disrupted and Alaska rebooks you on another airline.