b'24 MCO BAGGAGE The South Terminal Complex that Orlando InternationalThe key to transporting baggage from the ground level to Airport (MCO) is scheduled to unveil this September willthe upper level where passengers arrive is a tote system with include several noteworthy features, including 100% facialmore vertical circulation than a traditional conveyor belt system. recognition for international arrivals and departures, large-screenThe bag tag on each checked item is synched at check-in to a interactive digital media and the first fully integrated terminal in theradio frequency identification (RFID) chip embedded in the tote, U.S. for rail, air and ground transportation.providing 100% tracking of the tote and bag to significantly The entire $4.2 billion project is aboutreducing the risk of lost or misrouted items.enhancing customer service, and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority considers baggageAdvanced Technologyhandling a key component. ReducingWhen MCO officials were in the early stages of planning what they baggage delays, damage or losses will addwanted in a new baggage system, their research took them to to the terminals wow customer service,Germanys Dusseldorf Airport. If youre going to buy something, says Davin Ruohomaki, the Authoritys senioryou want to test drive it first, explains Ruohomaki. We took our director of Construction and Engineering. CEO, COO and core team that knows baggage to talk to the user, DAVIN RUOHOMAKI look at the system, observe it and understand how it works. Although the new system for checked bags will be largely invisible to passengers, it is already turning heads This first-hand look ultimately sealed the deal. Thats when within the industry as the second U.S. airport to use a TSA- we knew it was reasonable and logical to be the flagship airport approved individual carrier/tote system rather than a traditionalin the U.S. with a totally integrated system for the new terminal, belt system. And thats not the only big difference.says Ruohomaki, noting that better operational efficiency, power reduction and sustainability aspects for LEED certification were Passengers arriving at MCOs new South Terminal C will retrieveconvincing factors. their checked bags on the same level where they deplane. Project designers explain that this will not only be more convenient forBlair Cox, vice president of Design at travelers, it will also provide a pleasing welcome to the regionJSM & Associates, counseled the project thanks to skylight canopies and floor-to-ceiling windows in theteam about the advantages of a tote-based bag claim area.system like the one at Dusseldorf Airport. Cox notes that traditional conveyor systems used in most U.S. airports are adaptations of systems designed to carry aggregate andBLAIR COXother raw materials. The technology was forced into a baggage handling environment and was not designed for the unique demands of an airport environment, he explains. It was never going to be able to do all the things that you would like a bags system to do. Conversely, tote technology was designed specifically for transporting baggage. As a result, it offers multiple benefitsmost notably, 100% tracking, energy savings, faster conveyance, reduced labor and maintenance costs and lower total cost of ownership. MCO is all about customer service and how to make the passengers journey as joyful of a process, or as painless, as possible, Cox adds. Because bags in the South Terminal have less distance to travel from aircraft to the inputs to the claim carousel, they will often arrive to the claim area before passengers. Instead of relying heavily on tugs, the system efficiently pushes bags to four different areas out near the planes. The Aviation Authoritys goal was for 5.5 minutes of in-system time, with no bag taking longer than 15 minutes. But the system was consistently May | June 2022AirportImprovement.com'