Question

Alaska Airlines: 20-Minute Baggage Process-Guaranteed! Video Case Alaska Airlines is unique among the nine major U.S. carriers not only for its extensive flight coverage of remote towns throughout Alaska (it also covers the U.S., Hawaii, and Mexico from its pri mary hub in Seattle). It is also one of the smallest independent airlines, with 10,300 employees, including 3,000 flight attendants and 1,500 pilots. What makes it really unique, though, is its abil- ity to build state-of-the-art processes, using the latest technology that yield high customer satisfaction. Indeed, J. D. Power and Associates has ranked Alaska Airlines highest in North America for seven years in a row for customer satisfaction. SELF TAG CHECK Alaska Airlines was the first to sell tickets via the Internet, first to offer Web check-in and print boarding passes online, and first with kiosk check-in. As Wayne Newton, Director of Systenm Operation Control, states, "We are passionate about our pro- cesses. If it's not measured, it's not managed." One of the processes Alaska is most proud of is its baggage han- dling system. Passengers can check in at kiosks, tag their own bags with bar code stickers, and deliver them to a customer service agent at the carousel, which carries the bags through the vast under- ground system that eventually delivers the bags to a baggage han- dler. En route, each bag passes through TSA automated screening and is manually opened or inspected if it appears suspicious. Witlh the help of bar code readers, conveyer belts automatically sort and transfer bags to their location (called a "pier) at the tarmac level A baggage handler then loads the bags onto a cart and takes it to the plane for loading by the ramp team waiting inside the cargo hold. There are different procedures for "hot bags" (bags that have less than 30 minutes between transfer) and for "cold bags" (bags with over 60 minutes between plane transfers). Hot bags are deliv- ered directly from one plane to another (called "tail-to-tail"). Cold process relies not just on technology, though. There are detailed, documented procedures to ensure that bags hit the 20-minute timeframe. Within one minute of the plane door opening at the gate, baggage handlers must begin the unloading. The first bag plane within three minutes of parking the plane. This means the ground crew must be in the proper location with must be out of the p s are sent back into the normal conveyer system The process continues on the destination side with Alaska's t unique guarantee that customer luggage will be delivered to the terminal's carousel within 20 minutes of the plane's arrival at the gate. If not, Alaska grants each passenger a 2,000 frequent-flier mile bonus! trucks and Largely because of technology, flying on Alaska Airlines is remarkably reliable even in the dead of an Alaska winter with only two hours of daylight, 50 mph winds, slippery run- ways, and low visibility. Alaska Airlines has had the industry's st on-time performance, with 87% if its flights landing on The airline's use of technology includes bar code scanners to check in the bag when a passenger arrives, and again before it is placed on the cart to the plane. Similarly, on arrival, the time the passenger door opens is electronically noted and bags are again scanned as they are placed on the baggage carousel at the destination tracking this metric means that the "time to carou sel" (TTC) deadline is seldom missed. And the process almost guarantees that the lost bag rate approaches zero. On a recent day only one out of 100 flights missed the TTC mark. The bagsage be Discussion Questions Prepare a flowchart of the process a passenger's bag follows from kiosk to destination carousel. (See Example 2 in Chapter 6 for a sample flowchart.) Include the exception process for the TSA opening of selected bags. 2. What other processes can an airline examine? Why is each 4. What metrics (quantifiable measures) are needed to track bag important 3. How does the kiosk alter the check-in process? gage? 5. What is the role of scanners in the baggage process?

Answer 1

ANS 1.   THE PROCESS A PASSANGER BAG FOLLOWS

FROM KIOSK TO DESTINATION CAROUSEL  

1. STARTING POINT

2.CHECK IN AT KIOSKS

3.TAGGING THE BAGS WITH BAR STICKERS

4. DELIVER BAG TO THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT AT THE COROUSEL

5.THEIR BAGS TRAVEL THROUGH AN UNDERGROUND ROUTE .

6.EN ROUTE BAGS PASSES THROUGH A AUTOMATED SCREENING {TSA}

7.MANUAL CHECKING OR INSPECTION OF BAGS

8.ON THE CONVEYER BELT BAGS GET AUTOMATICALLY SEPARATED WITH THE HELP OF BARCODE READER.

9.REACHES THE PIER {AT TARMAC LEVEL}

10.AND FINALLY THE BAGS ARE LOADED BT THE HANDLER ON THE CART TO GET LOADED ON THE PLANE WITH THE HELP OF THE RAMP TEAM.

HERE IS THE EXCEPTIONAL PROCESS TSA CONDUCTS

CARRY ON BAGGAGE SCREENING-- CHECK ON THEM FOR EXPLOSIVE AND OTHER DANGEROUS ITEMS OR MAY BE FOR ELECTRONICS ITEMS MUCH BIGGER THEN MOBILE PHONES LIKE LAPTOP, TABLETS ETC

CHECKED BAGS SCREENING -- UPON CHECK IN YOUR CHECKED BAGS WILL BE PROVIDED TO TSA FOR SECURITY SCREENING IF THE BAGS ARE CHECKED MANUALLY TSA WILL PLACE A NOTICE OF BAGGAGE INSPECTION IN YOUR BAG.JUST TO INFORM THE PASSANGER THAT HIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN PHYSICALLY CHECKED BY TSA

INTERNATION FLIGHTS ON LAST POINT-- IF TRAVELLING FROM ANY OF THE LAST POINT DEPARTURE AIRPORT YOU MAY EXPERIENCE A EXTENSIVE SCREENING PROCESS.

PAT DOWN SCREENING-- ARE USED TO DETERMINE WHETHER PROHIBITED ITEMS ARE CONCEALED ON THE PERSON FOR TRANSPORTATION SECURITY.

SCREENING TECHNOLOGY-- USES MILLIMETER WAVE ADVANCED IMAGINING TECHNOLOGY AND WALK THROUGH METAL DETACTORS TO SCREEN PASSANGER

SECURE FLIGHTS-- BY PRESCREENING PROGRAM THAT ENHANCES SECURITY BY IDENTIFYING LOW AND HIGH RISK PASSANGERS BEFORE THEY ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT BY MATCHING THEIR NAMES AGAINST TRUSTED TRAVELERS LIST.

  

ANS2.HERE ARE THE OTHER VERIFICATION EXAMINATION IN AN AIRLINE .

PASSANGER IDENTIFICATION REGISTRATION --AT THE TIME OF CHECK IN ONE OF THE AGENT PRIMARY DUTY IS TO CHECK FOR A VALID DOCUMENTS THIS INCLUDES TICKETS ,PASSPORT ,LETTER OF CONSENT AND VERIFY ALL THE DETAILS WITH THEIR IDENTITY PROOFS TO ASSURE THE PRESENCE OF RIGHT PERSON ON THE FLIGHT.

BAGGAGE REGISTRATION -AT THE CHECK IN TIME PASSANGERS HAND OVER THE BAGGAGE WHICH IS CHECKED BY THE AIRPORT SECURITY AND SEALED .CHECKING OVER THE WEIGHT ,OR THINGS WHICH ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE CARRIED ARE RESTRICTED TO INSURE THE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY .

SEATING REGISTRATION-- AT THE TIME OF CHECK IN AN OPTION OF SELECTING A SPECIFIC SEAT IS PROVIDED WHETHER THEY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A WINDOW OR AN AISLE SEAT.TO KEEP THE COMFORT OF THE CUSTOMER UNDER CONSIDERATION AND TO PROVIDE THE BEST JOURNEY EXPERIENCE.

ONLINE CHECK IN --IS THE PROCESS IN WHICH PASSANGER CONFIRMS THEIR PRESENCE ON A FLIGHT VIA.INTERNET AND TYPICALLY PRINT THEIR OWN BOARDING PASSES SERVICE IS PROVIDED TO THE CUSTOMERS TO MAKE THE CHECK IN PROCESS EASIER AND FAST BECAUSE IT WILL REDUCE THE TIME THE CUSTOMER WILL SPENT AT THE AIRPORT CHECK IN POINT

CHNAGE OF RESERVATION-- IT IS NECESSARY TO CHECK IN A PERSONS TRAVEL PLAN AND THE CHECK IN COUNTER WILL HANDLE THIS CONSERNS INCLUDES UPGRADING CLASS OF TRAVEL,CHANGE TO AN EALIY OR LATE FLIGH.THIS PROCESS WILL HELP THE AIRLINE TO STAY UPDATED AND REDUCE THE CHANGE OF INCONVENIENCE TO THE CUSTOMER WHICH WORKS IN FAVOUR OF THE COMPANY

ANS3.HERE IS THE KIOSK CHECK IN

• PRINT YOUR BOARDING PASS AT THE TOUCH OF A SCREEN

KIOSK CHECK IN ANYTIME BETWEEN 45 MINS TO 24 HOURS BEFORE FLIGHTS DEPARTURES WITHIN THE COUNTRY AND 60 MIN TO 24 HRS BEFORE ANY INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS.

• CHOOSE YOUR PREFERRED SEAT FROM THE REAL TIME SEAT MAPS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN .
• EASY CHECK IN FOR THE SAME DAY RETURN .
• EASY SINGLE AND MULTIPLE GUEST CHECK INS.
• KIOSK IS A SECURE WAY TO CHECK IN BECAUSE IT VERIFIES THE NAME ON THE CARD YOU SWIPE WITH THE NAME ON THE RESERVATION RECORD.
• BAGGAGE DROP FACILITY FOR KIOSK CHECK IN .

ANS 4 --QUANTIFIABLE MEASURE TO TRACK A BAGGAGE

• SMART BAG TAGS-- IT HAS GONE A LONG WAY IN IMPROVING THE PROCESS .FOR INDIVIDUAL ASSURANCE THAT THE LUGGAGE CHECK IN WILL COME OUT THE SAME WAY AS ITS GONE IN
• RFID SYSTEM-- ALLOWS TO TRACK BAGS THROUGH OUT THE JOURNEY DIRECTLY ON YOUR SMARTPHONES USING GSM GPS AND BLUETOOTH TECHNOLOGY
• DESTINATION -CODED VEHICAL- UNMANNED CART PROPELLED BY LINEAR INDUCTION MOTOR MOUNTED TO THE TRACK CAN LOAD AND UNLOAD THE BAGS
• AUTOMATIC SCANNERS-SCAN THE LABELS ON THE LUGGAGES
• COVEYORS EQUIPPED WITH JUNCTIONS AND SORTING MACHINES AUTOMATICALLY ROUTE THE BAGS TO THE GATE.

ANS 5.SCANNERS WORKS AT THE AIRPORTS -THEY ARE USED TO BUILD THE IMAGE OF IS INSIDE YOUR BAG,ALLOW SECURITY STAFF TO CHECK ANYTHING THAT LOOKS SUSPICIOUS .X-RAYS LAUNCHED FROM ONE SIDE OF THE MACHINES ARE LAUNCHED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DETECTOR .HELP THE DETECTOR TO UNDERSTAND THE LEVEL OF ENERGY IT CONTAINS TO ESTIMATE THE STUFF CONTAINED IN THE LUGGAGE.