Bologna Airport enhancing passenger experience with common bag drop, virtual assistants and mobile app


Fourteen Sicheck Full Auto Check-In kiosks are being introduced at Bologna, including four in the test phase.
Sicheck Full Auto Check-In makes it possible to perform passenger check-in and baggage drop-off in one step. Fourteen kiosks are being introduced at Bologna, including four in the test phase.

Bologna Airport is striving to increase automation and self-service for the 5 million-plus annual passengers who use the airport. Its efforts to enhance the passenger experience include common bag drop, which it is testing with Siemens. Armando Brunini, Managing Director, Aeroporto di Bologna, explained to FTE’s Ross Falconer that the testing will take place in the “live” airport environment this spring. Fourteen Sicheck Full Auto Check-In kiosks are being introduced, including four in the test phase, with the installation to be complete in mid-2013, when the airport’s €23 million terminal renovation is finalised. “We are focused on efficiency, speed, self-service and more tailored information for the passenger,” commented Brunini. He added that Bologna will be the first Italian airport to use an automated check-in service for both passenger check-in and baggage drop off.

One-step bag drop

Armando Brunini, Managing Director of Aeroporto di Bologna (right), pictured with FTE’s Ross Falconer (left).
Armando Brunini, Managing Director, Aeroporto di Bologna, explained to FTE’s Ross Falconer that the airport will test common bag drop in the “live” airport environment this spring.

Sicheck Full Auto Check-In makes it possible to perform passenger check-in and baggage drop-off in one step. Once the required information is inserted, bags can be deposited to check their size and weight. Once the label has been printed and attached, the compartment closes to allow security checks to be carried out.

Bologna’s efforts also include plans to introduce a ‘virtual assistant’ next week. Meanwhile, following the success of its iPhone app, launched in December, Brunini explained that the airport is working on an Android version to be introduced soon. The iPhone app enables travellers to check flight schedules, book airport parking and find the simplest way to reach the airport.

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  1. Marc Michel

    Interesting to see but nothing identifies what airlines are going to utilise the hardware and how they will achieve common use. In reality the front end bag drop unit is the easiest part of the solution and it is the back end IT/Interface to the airlines that delivers the complexity.

  2. Marcell Twain

    I saw this recently – nice but completely unuseful..it works only with Alitalia flights…4 kiosks installed but just 1 works! And furthermore no-one would use it. I took a plane from Treviso last week and they have a lightweight and very simple to use bag drop kiosk for Ryanair passengers. There were a lot of people that shipped their baggage in a few seconds.