A
video recorded at one of the world’s busiest airports has lifted the
veil on what happens to passengers’ luggage after it is left with
airline staff at the check-in counter.
It’s
fascinating look at a suitcase’s journey along a sophisticated conveyor
belt system that separates and delivers luggage to the appropriate
holding area at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
The
automated system is like a network of motorways, with intersections and
lane changes, and the addition of robotic arms that lift and lower
suitcases and place them on belts.
The
three-minute video brings an end to the belief – at massive airports,
at least – that passengers’ checked luggage is moved and sorted by hand.
Schiphol airport recorded the behind-the-scenes footage with a camera attached to the top of a suitcase.
The bag’s journey changes course several times until it reaches the robotic arm and is finally ready to be loaded onto a plane.
Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol is the fifth busiest airport in Europe, with more than
55 million passengers flying to more than 300 destinations last year.
Its south baggage hall operates the world’s most innovative baggage system, with six robots to load baggage containers.
