It might truly be time to say goodbye to paper baggage tags. After we heard about Alaska Airways’ new bag tags (made by an organization known as Bagtag), we wished to check them out in actual life.
In a bid to assist passengers save time on the airport and reduce down on wasted paper, Alaska is now promoting the digital bag tags for $89.
It is a marvelous new expertise — and though to this point I am not discovering them 100% prepared for prime time, they do work.
Alaska digital bag tags
The $89 price ticket might be well worth the funding for critical Alaska flyers. You purchase the bag tags on-line, after which they mail them on to you, as you possibly can see within the pictures under.
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You should utilize them for flights on Alaska Airways, SkyWest flights operated by Alaska, Oneworld accomplice Qatar Airways and Alaska accomplice Icelandair.
Merger accomplice Hawaiian Airways flights will ultimately even be eligible for digital bag tag use as soon as the techniques are extra totally built-in.
Qatar and Icelandair have their very own variations of digital bag tags, as do a number of different worldwide carriers. For instance, Lufthansa has been utilizing them for years.
How you can use the brand new Alaska bag tags
Add a bag to your flight after which use the Alaska app to test into your flight; you may see an “Digital bag tag” button in your app.
As soon as that’s completed, you merely use your telephone to scan the bag tag.
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As soon as the 2 units have an digital connection, a digital model of your baggage bar codes will present up on the display screen.
Loyalty replace: Alaska Airways unveils 4 main adjustments to MVP elite standing
It took a while to type a decent e-connection, however ultimately, a digital model of a paper bag tag appeared on the display screen.
I first used my tag on a current flight from Newark to San Francisco. The Alaska agent on the ticket counter hadn’t seen one of many bag tags earlier than, however she bought assist from one other agent who knew how they labored. They really added a conventional paper tag to my baggage anyway to point out I had precedence bag dealing with — a lot for not losing paper.
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Truthfully, regardless of that, it was fairly cool to see it in motion.
Sadly, the story took a darker flip in San Francisco. After I bought to baggage declare, my bag was there, however my digital bag tag face had been marked with inexperienced marker; the tag had apparently come off throughout dealing with as a result of the tag was taped to the highest of my baggage deal with.
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It will have been an issue if that tag had separated from the bags, since there would have been no option to establish which bag was speculated to be with the digital tag.
My greatest concern is that these tags will not final via frequent journey, because the connecter strap appears flimsy.
I’ve since checked that very same bag 4 extra instances, although, and it has gone via a number of extra check-ins and a number of connections with out coming off. Nonetheless, I do have it very tightly hooked up to the suitcase now.
General, fairly spectacular.
I am going to additionally give a shout-out to the brand new Travelpro Versapack suitcase I have been utilizing. It has held up remarkably effectively regardless of the abuse I have been placing it via in all my travels.
Backside line
The bag tags have been a enjoyable experiment for a traveler who would not usually test baggage. Whereas the trial bought off on a tough observe, the bag tags did work. My greatest piece of recommendation if you’re investing on this bag tag: Be sure it’s hooked up tremendous tightly to your bag.
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