800 possible matches in two hours adds ADP

Who has never felt a stress point seeing lost her suitcase, swept away by a treadmill behind the counter of an airport And yet we can't imagine in what surprising circuit it is powered! Worthy of "Modern times", the complex machinery of the "treatment of luggage" has concerns about, but, highly codified and professionalized, it may on the other hand equally reassuring...

Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the scenery is impressive. On the "platform" three terminals of Roissy transit every day approximately 200,000 baggage. In the offices behind their computers, in the teeming underground world descending sometimes to five levels below tracks and where 60 kilometres from "conveyors" automated mingle and carts pulled by electric tractors, some 10,000 people are there to take care of the French expert in logistics at the Porter manipulating every day to the force of arms and sometimes four-legged in the hold of the aircraft 7 tons of suitcases and bags of all kinds. For each of them, a single objective: that the baggage parte well with its owner, and arrives at its destination with him. "The baggage is in the heart of our work," says Franck Goldnadel, Director of terminals 2E, F and G of Roissy airport in Paris. "For us, it is as important as the passenger," adds Hughes Marchessaux, "Mr. baggage" to Air France. People accustomed to work hand in hand: in accordance with the needs of companies, ADP provides the equipment and maintenance of facilities; airline or airport societies working on their behalf (such as Alyzia Airport Services, Europe Handling or Swissport) provide their side the operation. The delivery record, they work together in a "trace" of priesthood-like background.

The obsession of "tracing".

Draw a suitcase, it is first to give an identity: standardized for the whole world, destination equipped with a barcode label is used to it. It will "mark" its passage through the circuit which led to the aircraft, using electronic readers books connected by Wi - Fi to a central system, or its passage in tunnels equipped with readers multidirectional laser at 360 degrees allowing, regardless of its position, to identify, locate it and direct it. Manual and Visual sorting of baggage on the conveyor belts "carousels" is rare, for the benefit of automatic systems of orientation of the background to this or that container (for larger equipment, from the type A320) or such carriage (baggage in "bulk" for smaller aircraft) which will take the direction of a plane. Adapted state of the art technique of sorting mail. The grande complication comes from matches, important in a "hub" of Air France, where 60 of flights are multi-stop. "You can have up to 40 or 50 opportunities for connections on the same aircraft", explains-t-on to Air France; "to CDG2, on a weekly 23.800 possible matches in two hours", adds ADP. A real industry... As soon as the stop of departure baggage are placed in separate containers. Upon arrival, they are divided into specialized, their time of correspondence sorting centres: less than 90 minutes, between 90 and 180 minutes, and beyond. The race against time becomes at this level essential: Air France created small units completely dedicated to short matches and installed direct between terminal E and F and C terminals underground conveyors to ensure correspondence record within 45 minutes.

Security, always and everywhere

Since September 2001, the security of luggage has become the number one priority. "All companies have been forced to stalling on the security level previously in force in Israel and in the United States," says professional. Immediately recorded at the airport, baggage between the "protected area", closed to the public and placed under video surveillance, where it is immediately and systematically radiographed even the carpet of the conveyor by specialized companies licensed by the State, to detect any explosives. If in doubt, it is automatically deflected towards a CT scanner from medical imaging, "cuts" on a screen the questionable item. If still remains a doubt, the baggage is ejected from the circuit to be opened in the presence of the passenger, or on the flair of specially trained dogs. Any "individualized" baggage (fell from a conveyor, for example) returns in this circuit. And all the baggage matching: the European Union is not required, but the France decided to be more restrictive. "Baggage is never parted eyes by personal all trained security." Even under the aircraft, their supervision is not interrupted. There are around a "zone of controlled evolution" devices; "marked on the ground, to which only a few authorized persons have the right to access," explains Marc Gratier of St. Louis, Swissport to CDG Station Manager. Unannounced, operated by the police or ADP, regularly tests to verify the behavior of agents, heavy penalties to the key.

No baggage must leave without its owner and vice versa. To be sure, the company is "reconciliation" of the two, just before the start, once the passengers. It then compared list of travellers with luggage, scanned directly or small stickers bearing a barcode on the label of destination and glued on a summary sheet. The counting of passengers in the aircraft is an element of this operation... before landing contingent of luggage if a passenger is not presented on board.

More often than lost late

It is the return of the baggage that poses the least ou problems plus. Least because its delivery, which is done directly on the mat, is not subject to security. The only concern of Air France and ADP is currently improving the systems of public information on the time of arrival of the baggage. The biggest problems, also, because it is likely that the luggage is not at the rendezvous. The airline will do everything to find: baggage is contractually placed under its responsibility and has the duty to deliver it to the more quickly, "even in a shelter full mountain", explains - it to Air France. It will be understood that in view of the chain of security measures, a suitcase can hardly get lost, or go on a bad vol. "almost all of undelivered luggage is in fact only delay, 90 of the result of difficult matches." It deplores in average 16 on 1.000, explains a logistician. Re-labelled, resécurisés, they arrive in "rush" on a next flight, one case where a luggage travel only. Often, the passenger is even notified of delay while it is still in the aircraft.

"Peak periods and equipment failures are conducive to human errors, and luggage can then getting lost", however recognizes Marc Gratier of Saint - Louis. Accidental loss of the label and the deterioration of the bag itself is also always possible, but flights are very marginal. Starts then the Worldtracer system, which confronts the statements of missing baggage and those found without an owner. If, after five days, baggage not has still not resurfaced, the company or a company that employs part by all means in his research. "In 95 of cases, it is found." "If it is not, it is often the result of some airports which, through negligence, do not open the suitcases or bags unclaimed or without label and do not fit in it", believes Marie - Paule Bechet, patron saint of the seven, customer relations services company. If baggage is not found, the passenger compensation is provided by IATA (International Air Transport Association). But it can compensate for the ultimate stress to the traveller without luggage