Smart baggage solutions at ESP
At ESP, we’re always striving to push the boundaries of service excellence in aviation, and 2024 has been an exciting year for baggage services. One of our team members, Peter Ball — known in the industry as ‘The Baggage Guy’ — embarked on a journey of learning and innovation, proving that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks!
Peter joined ESP in January 2024, bringing with him a wealth of expertise in baggage reconciliation. However, bag drops were a new area for him. Over the past year, he’s immersed himself in understanding service levels, liner-less vs. lined tags, and the critical importance of scale calibration — all while being supported by a talented and experienced team.
Harnessing AI for Smarter Baggage Solutions
2024 also marked Peter’s first foray into AI. With a decade of ESP’s support data on bag drops, border gates, and other airport equipment, we’ve been able to leverage AI-driven analytics to model variable support strategies. By integrating this with airport flight and passenger data, we can enhance passenger experiences while optimising support costs. Now that’s artificial intelligence making a real impact!
Strengthening Baggage System Support
ESP has long-standing relationships with several baggage reconciliation system (BRS) vendors, providing robust hardware support to our customers. What was once a daunting task — managing HHTs, printers, and monitors — has now become an enjoyable and essential part of our operations. Looking ahead, we’re working on automating aspects of hardware support, with exciting developments to come in 2025.
Looking Ahead: 2025 – The Year of the Bag?
In October, Peter secured his first baggage consultancy project of the year, marking the return of The Baggage Guy in full force. As we enter 2025, he is championing the idea of making it ‘The Year of the Bag,’ an initiative fully supported by our Senior Management Team.
One of our key ideas is the creation of a baggage performance league table, engaging airlines and airports to benchmark their baggage operations. A similar project at a major European airport two years ago yielded remarkable improvements, as data-driven insights helped pinpoint areas for enhancement, ultimately leading to a better passenger experience.
Expanding Knowledge with a Baggage Blog & Podcast
Understanding the complexities of airline baggage handling isn’t common knowledge, and we want to change that. That’s why we’ll be launching a dedicated baggage blog and podcast in 2025. The Baggage Guy will share insights, tips, and best practices to help travellers navigate the baggage process more smoothly. One simple yet valuable tip? Include your contact details inside your checked luggage — Peter will explain why in an upcoming blog post!
Additionally, Peter plans to deepen his involvement with baggage forums and industry discussions, continuing to drive thought leadership in this space.
If our 2025 plans have sparked your interest and you’d like to collaborate or learn more, get in touch — we’d love to start the conversation!
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