Can airports make baggage handling predictable? Darin Juby on AI, robotics and passenger trust

Baggage handling is becoming more automated, connected and data-driven. But what if its most important breakthrough is something far less glamorous: consistency?

For passengers, the promise is simple: checking a bag without worrying whether it will arrive.

In this episode of APEX FTE Podcasts, host Max Gosney speaks with Darin Juby, Head of Transformation at Future Travel Experience and leader of the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group (BIWG).

Drawing on more than 30 years in airport operations, including his time leading baggage services at Toronto Pearson, Darin explores what it takes to turn promising technologies into dependable, everyday performance.

From AI-powered insights to robotic baggage handling

From computer vision and electronic bag tags to robotic loading systems, the tools available to baggage teams are evolving rapidly.

Darin considers how improved tracking, smarter use of operational data and automation could help airports reduce variability, while creating new opportunities for the people responsible for keeping baggage moving.

The discussion also moves beyond the baggage hall and onto the ramp.

How close are airports to autonomous baggage vehicles becoming an everyday reality? And could shared, intelligent ground support equipment help airlines, airports and ground handlers make better use of their resources?

Modernising airports that never close

Few airports have the luxury of designing their baggage infrastructure from scratch. Existing conveyor systems, crowded terminal footprints and operations that never stop create demanding conditions for innovation.

Max and Darin discuss how new technologies can be introduced into these complex environments without relying on a costly wholesale rebuild.

There is a human challenge too.

Reflecting on his experience at Toronto Pearson, Darin explains why bringing operations, maintenance, IT and external partners together can be just as challenging as implementing the technology itself.

He also explores how the FTE Baggage Innovation Working Group is helping the industry move beyond demonstrations and towards wider adoption of promising new solutions.

Could we transform the passenger baggage journey entirely?

The conversation raises a fascinating possibility: what if passengers could increasingly hand over their luggage before reaching the airport, with their bags waiting at their destination?

From passenger confidence and airport capacity to workforce transformation and industry collaboration, this episode explores the practical challenges and exciting possibilities shaping the future of baggage handling.

Listen to the full APEX FTE Podcasts episode to hear Darin Juby’s perspective on the technologies, partnerships and operational changes that could make checked baggage a service passengers genuinely trust.