Zurich Airport installs self bag drop

As the largest airport in Switzerland, Zurich Airport (ZRH) is an important gateway in and outside the country. To offer its passengers the best possible travel experience, ZRH has decided to integrate an automated baggage handling system to streamline the baggage drop process. The self-service kiosks are the latest in progressive technology coming from ZRH, which was named Europe’s Leading Airport (25-40 Mio. Pax) at the World Travel Awards for the 19th time in 2022.

Since 1 April 2022, a total of 20 self-service units are available to passengers at the airport. The first self bag drops (SBD) are located in check-in area two, the other half went into operation in check-in area three. The double units in front-loader design resemble regular counters where the baggage is placed on the belt from the front. The new system will decrease the average passenger transaction time and therefore significantly reduce waiting times during check-in. The first airlines to make the new technology available to their passengers are SWISS, Edelweiss, Lufthansa, and Austrian Airlines, other airlines will follow in the coming months.

In order to meet ZRH security requirements, the system has been developed to aid highly secure intrusion detection at the SBDs. This system prevents children or unauthorised persons from entering the SBD system by monitoring the insertion area, as well as the scanning tunnel and tunnel exit. If an intrusion – or any unnecessary object movement – is detected, the SBD system immediately stops to prevent injury.

“The self bag drop service allows different airlines to operate at the same counter. This increases flexibility in the check-in process and enhances passenger convenience by providing additional bag drop points,” said Roman Jung, Project Manager Self Bag Drop, Flughafen Zürich AG.