Improving baggage operations at the UK’s second busiest airport

Tell us about your role as Head of Baggage and how you got into it.

I rocked up at London Gatwick in 1996. I was working for an OEM supplier at that time, installing baggage conveyors, and didn’t quite dream, at that point, that 28 years later I’d still be at Gatwick. But it’s an exciting place to work!

Baggage gets under your skin, and it is something that you’re passionate about, and I know many people across different airports that feel the same. My journey started with installing, then a Technician, then Team Leader, then I was an Engineering Manager.

I did a little bit outside of baggage for a couple of years, which helped me with contract management and facilities, and then I came back as the Senior Manager for Baggage. So I’ve done the full set!

What are the most exciting developments happening in the Gatwick baggage handling domain now?

At London Gatwick, we’re always looking at what’s possible. We are considering all sorts of technology and innovation. We have an innovation team, but also in my own department in baggage, we’re trying to push the boundaries.

We are looking at camera technology around what we can do with reducing bags going to manual coding and needed interventions, to using AI for security at check-in to stop people getting on belts, or using manual lifting aids for better manual handling for our handling partners.

We are lucky enough to have an early bag store here at London Gatwick, it’s a Beumer tote system. It gives us more flexibility in the south terminal to cater to our airlines’ and partners’ demands. We can have day before check-in, twilight check-in, etc., so we can accept things three to four hours in advance.

If passengers are coming from far away, they can check their bags in, go and stay in a hotel for the night and just go through security the next day, stress-free. This is a trend we see going forward.

What are you doing to make the baggage handling systems more efficient and less prone to error?

Just like with top sports teams or Formula One, we’re always looking at trends, analysis and data.

We look at how we can be proactive and not reactive, along with looking at technology. It’s easy to see technology as a flat answer, but there is a myriad of clever technology out there like camera technologies and AI predictions that we can use.

How are you embracing innovation in your department?

We’re working with a supplier on reducing the amount of bags that need human intervention and have to go for manual coding, and tag quality, et cetera.

We’re using the latest cameras and technology to be able to improve rebates, to reduce the bags that need that, from probably an average of 5-7% to under 1%. We’re trying to achieve our goal of making sure that all the bags get to where they need to be on time.

What is London Gatwick doing to make the systems more energy efficient?

Energy is key in our sustainability goals here as a group of airports. Since the pandemic, we are spending more time looking at every stone we can unturn around energy efficiency.

We are forecasting better and ensuring we’re not using all of our systems at the same time if we do not need to. We only use what we need on demand.

We are also using more energy efficient motors and belts, which means we use less energy, and they’re also easier to handle. We are also using our software to ensure we are only hitting the power demand when we need it.

You’ve worked at Gatwick for over 20 years, what is it about airport baggage handling that has kept you engaged for so long?

I think the main thing is that no two days are the same. So, as an operation, at least 20 hours a day, you live, sleep and eat baggage. It’s a bit like supporting a football team, you get hooked into it. There’s a lot of team spirit in your shift teams, camaraderie, and you are always looking to improve. That’s what I get up for.

Some days you might feel you’ve gone two paces back, and the next day you scratch your head and work out how you’re going to do better. I think that’s just made me want to drive and continue for 28 years. By no means, however, am I the longest serving in my department!

What are you doing to make the job of the agent safer, easier and more enjoyable?

When we’re looking at innovation and technology, we are looking at ways to help the baggage agent in their job. Naturally, as we know from baggage handling, agents can experience a lot of musculoskeletal issues and a lot of lifting and shifting. So, we’re looking at various work streams around what elements we can use as lifting aids or automation to make it easier.

Right now, we’re doing a trial with a power stow unit on our arrivals reclaims, which is a mini conveyor belt which you can ease along with your body weight, and it will mean less lifting and shifting, and fewer people needed to offload. So, that’s a key project for us at the moment, but there are other ones in the pipeline.

What are the three trends or technology in baggage that you are keeping an eye on for this year?

We’re working very heavily on camera technology around reducing bags getting mis-tracked and misplaced.

The second is we’re working on the security at check-in, around people getting onto belts, children, for instance. For this we are looking at AI technology and AI cameras. We’ve got plenty of different security measures in place, but we’ve found that there’s always different ways that people will try and circumnavigate. AI is quite smart, so we’re trying that for now.

Lastly our team is looking at automation on the journey from the baggage system to the plane. Plenty to look forward to in terms of improving the systems here!

c: LGW

Stevie Summers joined London Gatwick in 1996. He’s been in his current role of Senior Engineering Manager since November 2018. Stevie is responsible for all baggage assets at London Gatwick from check-in to make-up; the role takes on engineering and operational elements of baggage. Stevie is passionate about baggage and most enjoys the responsibility of looking to grow London Gatwick’s bag numbers and providing an excellent service to passengers.