Alaska Airlines' nifty e-paper tags could ease some major travel frustrations
In an attempt to speed up bag checking and save the environment, Alaska Airlines is rolling out a new electronic bag tagging program, a first for the United States. The airline is working with Dutch company BAGTAG to create these durable e-paper displays that will hold flight information and replace those long paper tags that we struggle to feed through luggage handles without accidentally sticking them to our hands. You start by opening your ticket on the Alaska Airlines mobile app and place your phone over the electronic bag tag. According to TechCrunch , the data will transfer via NFC from your phone to the tag which will display a barcode for your flight information. You can upload the travel information 24 hours before a flight. From there, you strap on the tag via the on-device zip tie, drop off your luggage, and hop on your flight without having to print anything from a kiosk. And if you ever lose your bag, the devices come with a RFID (radio frequency identification) chip ...