Return leg remote passenger check-in
By using electronic devices and paper baggage tag identifiers to create digital data and generate passenger manifest records, the patent addresses the challenge of efficient baggage handling and automated check-in across multiple carriers, enhancing multi-modal transportation efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- HK62026124543
- Authority / Receiving Office
- HK · HK
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-01-08
- Filing Date
- 2026-06-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-31
AI Technical Summary
Existing baggage handling systems lack efficient methods to create digital baggage tag identifier data and passenger manifest records, especially in multi-modal transportation scenarios involving both first-mode and second-mode carriers, and there is a need for automated passenger check-in processes for multiple passengers.
Utilizing electronic devices and original paper baggage tag identifiers to create digital baggage tag identifier data, linking it to first-mode carrier information, and generating passenger manifest records based on passenger reservation records, enabling autonomous check-in for multiple passengers across different carriers.
Facilitates efficient creation of digital baggage tag identifier data and passenger manifest records, allowing for automated and streamlined passenger check-in processes in multi-modal transportation systems.
Smart Images
Figure 00000000_0000_ABST
Abstract
Description
This abstract discloses various methods and systems for improving baggage handling across a first-mode and a second-mode carrier. The systems and methods can utilize electronic devices and original paper baggage tag identifiers located on passenger baggage to create digital baggage tag identifier data linked to the first-mode carrier. Passenger baggage numbers and passenger reservation records can be used to autonomously create passenger manifest records based on the baggage tag identifier data. The passenger manifest record may include data for passengers checking in for their return flight using the second-mode carrier. In some embodiments, the systems and methods can be applied to multiple passengers associated with an accommodation entity to autonomously generate manifest documents with channels for checking in the multiple passengers separately.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method comprising: a) electronically acquiring, by an electronic acquiring device, an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the 0- BTI generated by a travel carrier; b) accessing, by at least one processor, information in a manifest record of the passenger, the manifest record located using the O-BTI acquired from the indicium; and c) printing, by a printing device, a return leg travel International Air Transport Association [IATA] formatted bag tag for a return flight from information in the manifest record.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indicium is an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the originating paper bag tag.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the indicium is an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the airline baggage marker.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the acquiring, by the electronic acquiring device, includes one of: a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the O-BTI from the indicium from the airline carrier that is a printed bag tag and attached to the luggage item; or b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the O-BTI on the indicium from the airline carrier that is a printed marker and adhered to the luggage item.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the O-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: checking in, by the at least one processor, the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising, during the check in: obtaining boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: creating, by the printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the manifest record to the luggage item when the O-BTI from the indicium is damaged or missing; and populating the manifest record with the marker identifier.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the marker identifier is a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes one of the O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
10. A method comprising: a) electronically acquiring, by an electronic acquiring device, an IATA license plate from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the IATA license plate generated by a travel carrier; b) receiving, by at least one processor, information in a manifest record of the passenger, the manifest record located using the IATA license plate acquired from the indicium; andc) printing, by a printing device, a return leg travel IATA formatted bag tag for a return flight from information in the manifest record.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the indicium is an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the IATA license plate acquired from the originating paper bag tag.
12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the indicium is an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the IATA license plate acquired from the airline baggage marker.
13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the acquiring, by the electronic acquiring device, includes one of: a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the IATA license plate from the indicium from the airline carrier that is a printed tag and attached to the luggage item; or b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the IATA license plate on the indicium from the airline carrier that is a printed marker and adhered to the luggage item.
14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: checking in, by the at least one processor, the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising, during the check in: obtaining boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:creating, by the printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the manifest record to the luggage item when the IATA license plate from the indicium is damaged or missing; and populating the manifest record with the marker identifier.
17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the marker identifier is a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes one of the IATA license plate or a new passenger tracking identifier.
18. A method comprising: a) receiving, by at least one processor, information from a manifest record of a passenger, the manifest record located using an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) electronically acquired from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of the passenger, the O-BTI generated by a travel carrier; and b) printing, by a printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a return leg travel International Air Transport Association (IATA) formatted bag tag for a return flight for the passenger from information in the manifest record received by the printing device.
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the indicium is an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the originating paper bag tag.
20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the indicium is an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the airline baggage marker.
21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the O-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
22. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: checking in, by the at least one processor, the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising, during the check in: obtaining boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
24. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: creating, by the printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the manifest record to the luggage item when the O-BTI from the indicium is damaged or missing; and populating the manifest record with the marker identifier.
25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the marker identifier is a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes one of the O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
26. A method comprising: a) electronically acquiring, by an electronic acquiring device, an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the 0- BTI generated by a travel carrier; and b) communicating, by the electronic acquiring device, the O-BTI to at least one processor, wherein the least one processor locates a manifest record of the passenger, the manifest record located using the O-BTI acquired from the indicium, the least one processor communicating to a printing device information to print a return leg travelInternational Air Transport Association (IATA) formatted bag tag for a return flight from information in the manifest record of the passenger, the manifest record located using the O-BTI acquired from the indicium.
27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the indicium is an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the originating paper bag tag.
28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the indicium is an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the airline baggage marker.
29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the acquiring, by the electronic acquiring device, includes one of: a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the O-BTI from the indicium from the airline carrier that is a printed bag tag and attached to the luggage item; or b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the O-BTI on the indicium from the airline carrier that is a printed marker and adhered to the luggage item.
30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the O-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
31. A method comprising: a) receiving, by at least one processor, an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) electronically acquired from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the 0- BTI generated by a travel carrier; b) locating, by the at least one processor, information from a manifest record of the passenger, the manifest record located using the O-BTI acquired from the indicium; andc) communicating to a printing device in communication with the at least one processor, information to print a return leg travel International Air Transport Association (IATA) formatted bag tag for a return flight from information in the manifest record.
32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the indicium is an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the originating paper bag tag.
33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the indicium is an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the airline baggage marker.
34. The method according to claim 31, wherein the O-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
35. The method according to claim 31, further comprising: checking in, by the at least one processor, the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
36. The method according to claim 35, further comprising, during the check in: obtaining boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
37. The method according to claim 31, further comprising: communicating to the printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the manifest record to the luggage item when the O-BTI from the indicium is damaged or missing; andpopulating the manifest record with the marker identifier.
38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the marker identifier is printable as a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes one of the O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
39. A method comprising: after completion of a leg of travel of a passenger with a first-mode travel carrier: a) electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier that is on a first luggage item of the passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the first-mode travel carrier; b) extracting, by at least one processor, a passenger bag number from the digital BTI data record; c) accessing, by the at least one processor, a passenger name record (PNR) from a computer system of the first-mode travel carrier, based on the extracted passenger bag number; d) autonomously creating, by the at least one processor, a passenger manifest record from the digital BTI data record and the PNR, the passenger manifest record including data for check-in of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier; and e) repeating a)-d) for a plurality of passengers beginning a stay associated with a lodging entity to autonomously form a manifest file with a conduit for checking in the plurality of passengers with the designated return travel carrier.
40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the first-mode travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, includes at least one of: a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed paper bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the first luggage item;b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed marker from the airline that is attached to the first luggage item; and c) reading, by a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader, RFID information associated with the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI).
41. The method according to claim 39, wherein the OP-BTI includes an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate.
42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the passenger manifest record associates the digital BTI data with the passenger.
43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising: merging lodging entity data from the lodging entity with the manifest file; and forming a master manifest file with the manifest file and the lodging entity data, wherein the lodging entity data includes a room number or cabin number of each passenger of the plurality of passengers.
44. The method according to claim 39, wherein the data for identifying the check-in of the return leg of travel includes return leg flight times; and further comprising: sorting, by the at least one processor, the master manifest file by information associated with the return leg flight times for the plurality of passengers; and executing, by the at least one processor, a remote check-in process for the return leg of travel with the designated return travel carrier of each passenger based on the sorted master manifest file.
45. The method according to claim 44, further comprising: during the remote check-in process, obtaining, by the at least one processor, airline bag tag information for the return leg of travel for checked in luggage items for the passenger; andprinting, by a printer, a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
46. The method according to claim 45, further comprising: replacing the printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier with the new bag tag for the return leg of travel.
47. The method according to claim 44, further comprising: during the remote check-in process, obtaining, by the at least one processor, boarding pass information for the return leg of travel of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
48. The method according to claim 47, wherein the boarding pass information includes bar coded boarding pass information.
49. The method according to claim 47, wherein the boarding pass information is in an e-ticketing format.
50. The method according to claim 39, further comprising: creating, by a printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest record to the first luggage item when the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of first luggage item is one of damaged or missing; and populating the passenger manifest record with the marker identifier.
51. The method according to claim 50, wherein the marker identifier is a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes one of OP-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
52. The method according to claim 39, wherein the first-mode travel carrier is one of an airline carrier and train carrier; and the lodging entity is one of a cruise ship, train, and a resort destination.
53. The method according to claim 39, further comprising: capturing by an imaging device an image of the first luggage item.
54. The method according to claim 53, further comprising: populating, by at least one processor, the passenger manifest record with the captured image of the first luggage item, wherein the designated return travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the manifest file with the conduit for checking in the plurality of passengers with the designated return travel carrier is implemented in a graphical user interface to remotely check-in each passenger leaving the lodging entity within a designated window prior to a return flight.
55. A method comprising: a) electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from a first-mode travel carrier that is on a first luggage item of a passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the first-mode travel carrier; b) extracting, by at least one processor, a unique identifier from the digital BTI data record; c) accessing, by the at least one processor, additional passenger data derived from the unique identifier from a computer system of the first-mode travel carrier; d) automatically creating from the additional passenger data, by the at least one processor, a passenger manifest record comprising data for check-in of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier; and e) repeating a)-d) for at least one passenger beginning a stay associated with a lodging entity to automatically form a passenger manifest file.
56. The method according to claim 55, wherein the first-mode travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, includes one of: a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) on a printed paper bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the first luggage item; b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) on a printed marker from the airline carrier that is attached to the first luggage item; or c) reading, by a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader, RFID information associated with the originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI).
57. The method according to claim 55, wherein the O-BTI includes an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate.
58. The method according to claim 57, wherein the passenger manifest record associates the digital BTI data record with the passenger.
59. The method according to claim 58, further comprising: merging lodging entity data from the lodging entity with the passenger manifest file; and forming a master manifest file with the passenger manifest file and the lodging entity data, wherein the lodging entity data includes a room number or cabin number of each passenger of the plurality of passengers.
60. The method according to claim 55, wherein the data for check-in of the return leg of travel includes return leg flight times of a return flight.
61. The method according to claim 60, further comprising: obtaining, by the at least one processor, airline bag tag information for the return leg of travel for checked in luggage items for the passenger of the return flight; andprinting, by a printer, a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
62. The method according to claim 61, further comprising: replacing the printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier with the new bag tag for the return leg of travel.
63. The method according to claim 60, further comprising: obtaining, by the at least one processor, boarding pass information for the return leg of travel of the passenger.
64. The method according to claim 63, further comprising: communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
65. The method according to claim 64, wherein the boarding pass information includes bar coded boarding pass information.
66. The method according to claim 64, wherein the boarding pass information is an e-ticketing format.
67. The method according to claim 55, further comprising creating, by a printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest record to the first luggage item and populating the passenger manifest record with the marker identifier.
68. The method according to claim 67, wherein the marker identifier is a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes one of O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
69. The method according to claim 55, wherein the first-mode travel carrier is one of an airline carrier and train carrier; and the lodging entity is one of a cruise ship, train, and a resort destination.
70. The method according to claim 55, further comprising: capturing, by an imaging device, an image of the first luggage item.
71. The method according to claim 70, further comprising: populating, by at least one processor, the passenger manifest record with the captured image of the first luggage item.
72. A method for facilitating check-in of a passenger having a first luggage item, the passenger traveling to and from a destination, the method comprising: after the first luggage item arrives at the destination: a) electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from an originating airline carrier that is on the first luggage item of the passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the originating airline carrier, the BTI data record having a unique identifier; b) accessing, by a processor, a B-type message containing a passenger name record (PNR) number corresponding to the passenger using the unique identifier from a computer system associated with an originating airline carrier; c) retrieving, by the processor, check-in information of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier using information associated with the PNR number; and d) checking in, by the processor, the passenger with the designated return travel carrier based on the retrieved check-in information, during a check-in window.
73. The method according to claim 72, wherein the electronically acquiring, by the at least one electronic acquiring device, includes one of:a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed paper bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the first luggage item; b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed marker from the airline that is attached to the first luggage item; and c) reading, by a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader, an RFID tag associated with the BTI data record.
74. The method according to claim 72, wherein the OP-BTI includes an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate and the BTI data record is representative of the license plate.
75. The method according to claim 72, wherein the retrieved check-in information includes return leg flight times.
76. The method according to claim 75, further comprising: during the checking in, by the processor, obtaining airline bag tag information for the return leg of travel for checked in luggage items for the passenger; and printing, by a printer, a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
77. The method according to claim 76, further comprising the step of replacing the printed bag tag from the originating airline carrier with the new bag tag for the return leg of travel.
78. The method according to claim 75, further comprising the steps of, during the checking in, by the processor, obtaining, by the processor, boarding pass information for the return leg of travel of the passenger; and communicating, by the processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.1 . The method according to claim 78, wherein the boarding pass information includes bar coded boarding pass information.
80. The method according to claim 78, wherein the boarding pass information is in an e-ticketing format.
81. A system for facilitating check-in of a passenger having a first luggage item, the passenger traveling to and from a destination, the system comprising: a processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, are configured to, after the first luggage item arrives at a destination, cause the processor to: a) electronically acquire, from at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from an originating airline carrier that is on the first luggage item of the passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the originating airline carrier; b) access a B-type message containing a passenger name record (PNR) number corresponding to the passenger using a unique identifier representative of the digital BTI data record from a computer system associated with an originating airline carrier; c) retrieve check-in information of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier using information associated with the PNR number; and d) check-in the passenger with the designated return travel carrier based on the retrieved check-in information, during a check-in window.
82. The system according to claim 81, further comprising at least one electronic acquiring device, the at least one electronic acquiring device including at least one of: a barcode scanner; and a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader.
83. The system according to claim 81, wherein the OP-BTI includes an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate and the BTI data record is representative of the license plate, and wherein the retrieved check-in information includes return leg flight times.
84. The system according to claim 81, further comprising: a printer; and wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to: during the check-in, obtain airline bag tag information for the return leg of travel for checked in luggage items for the passenger; and print, by the printer, a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
85. The system according to claim 81, wherein the instructions that, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to: during the check-in, obtain boarding pass information for the return leg of travel of the passenger; and communicate the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
86. A method for facilitating check-in of a passenger having a first luggage item, the passenger traveling to and from a destination, the method comprising: a) electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from an originating airline carrier that is on the first luggage item of the passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the originating airline carrier; b) accessing, by a processor, a B-type message containing a passenger name record (PNR) number corresponding to the passenger using a unique identifier representative of the digital BTI from a computer system associated with an originating airline carrier;c) retrieving, by the processor, check-in information of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier using information associated with the PNR; and d) checking in, by the processor, the passenger with the designated return travel carrier based on the retrieved check-in information, during a check-in window.
87. The method according to claim 86, wherein the B-type message containing the passenger name record (PNR) number corresponding to the passenger is one of a baggage transfer message (BTM), a baggage source message (BSM), a baggage processed message (BPM), a baggage unload message (BUM), a baggage control message (BCM), a baggage manifest message (BMM), or a baggage request (BRQ).
88. A method comprising: a) electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from a travel carrier that is on a luggage item of a passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the travel carrier; b) accessing, by at least one processor, passenger return flight information from a computer system associated with the travel carrier, based on the BTI data record; and c) printing, by a printing device, a return leg travel International Air Transport Association (IATA) bag tag for a return flight associated with the accessed passenger return flight information.
89. The method according to claim 88, wherein the OP-BTI associated with the travel carrier on the luggage item of the passenger is acquired from a radio-frequency communication.
90. The method according to claim 88, wherein the travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, includes one of:a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed paper bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the luggage item; b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed marker from the airline carrier that is attached to the luggage item; c) receiving, by a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader, RFID information associated with the OP-BTI; or d) receiving, by a near field communication (NFC) reader, an NFC signal associated with the OP-BTI.
91. The method according to claim 88, wherein the OP-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
92. The method according to claim 88, wherein the accessing, by the at least one processor, the passenger return flight information includes accessing a B-type message using the digital BTI data record, the B-type message containing a passenger name record (PNR) number.
93. The method according to claim 92, wherein the B-type message includes a baggage source message (BSM).
94. The method according to claim 88, further comprising the step of checking in, by the at least one processor, the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
95. The method according to claim 94, further comprising, during the check in, the steps of: obtaining boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
96. A method comprising:a) electronically acquiring, by an electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) printed on an originating printed bag tag from a travel carrier that is on a luggage item of a passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the travel carrier; b) accessing, by at least one processor, information of the originating printed bag tag of the passenger populated in a manifest file; and c) printing, by a printing device, a return leg travel IATA bag tag for a return flight linked to the originating printed bag tag from information in the manifest file.
97. The method according to claim 96, wherein the travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the electronically acquiring, by the electronic acquiring device, includes one of: a) scanning, by a barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed paper bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the luggage item; or b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed marker from the airline carrier that is attached to the luggage item.
98. The method according to claim 96, wherein the OP-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
99. The method according to claim 96, further comprising: checking in, by the at least one processor, the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
100. The method according to claim 99, further comprising, during the check in: obtaining boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
101. A system comprising: an acquiring device to electronically acquire an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) printed on an originating printed bag tag from a travel carrier thatis on a luggage item of a passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the travel carrier; at least one processor to access information of the originating printed bag tag of the passenger populated in a manifest file; and a printing device to print a return leg travel IATA bag tag for a return flight linked to the originating printed bag tag.
102. The system according to claim 101, wherein the travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the electronic acquiring device includes a barcode scanner to scan the OP- BTI.
103. The system according to claim 101, wherein the OP-BTI includes an IATA license plate.
104. The system according to claim 101, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to check-in the passenger for the return flight with a return flight carrier.
105. The system according to claim 104, wherein the at least one processor is further configured, during the check in, to: obtain boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger; and communicate the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
106. The system according to claim 101, wherein the information accessed in the manifest file includes that for a cruise ship.
107. The system according to claim 101, wherein the information accessed in the manifest file includes that for a lodging entity.
108. A method comprising:a) electronically acquiring, by an electronic acquiring device, an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) printed on an originating printed bag tag from an airline travel carrier that is on a luggage item of the passenger; b) utilizing, by at least one processor, the OP-BTI as a unique identifier to query a database to retrieve return flight data; and c) printing, by a printing device, a return leg travel IATA bag tag for a return flight from the retrieved return flight data.
109. The method of claim 108, wherein the database is queried by at least a substring of integer characters comprising the OP-BTI.
110. The method of claim 108, wherein the database is a travel information system of the airline travel carrier.
111. The method of claim 108, wherein the return leg travel IATA bag tag includes a human readable character string.
112. The method of claim 108, further comprising the step of formatting the return flight data to an IATA bag tag specification prior to printing.
113. A computing system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are configured to after completion of a leg of travel of a passenger with a first-mode travel carrier system cause the at least one processor to: a) electronically acquire from at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating paper bag tag identifier (OP-BTI associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier that is on a first luggage item of the passenger to create digital BTI data linked to the first-mode travel carrier; b) extract a passenger bag number from the digital BTI data;c) access a passenger name record (PNR) from a remote computer system of the first-mode travel carrier, based on the extracted passenger bag number; d) autonomously create a passenger manifest record from the digital BTI data and the PNR, with data for identifying the check-in of a return leg oftravel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier; and e) repeat a)-d) for a plurality of passengers beginning a stay associated with a lodging entity to autonomously form a manifest file with a conduit for checking in the plurality of passengers with the designated return travel carrier.
114. The system according to claim 113, wherein the at least one electronic acquiring device is a barcode scanner.
115. The system according to claim 114, wherein the barcode scanner is configured to scan the OP-BTI on the printed bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the first luggage item.
116. The system according to claim 114, wherein the barcode scanner is configured to scan the OP-BTI on a printed marker that is attached to the first luggage item.
117. The system according to claim 113, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to: create a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest record to the first luggage item; and populate the passenger manifest record with the marker identifier.
118. The system according to claim 117, wherein the marker identifier is automatically created by the processor when the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of the first luggage item is damaged or missing.
119. The system according to claim 117, further comprising: a printer that is configured to print the marker identifier for the return leg of travel, wherein the marker identifier is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
120. The system according to claim 117, further comprising a communication device that is configured to communicate the marker identifier to at least one of: the designated return travel carrier and a mobile device of the passenger.
121. The system according to claim 113, further comprising a printer that is configured to print a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
122. The system according to claim 113, wherein at least one electronic acquiring device is a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader that is configured to acquire RFID information.
123. The system according to claim 122, wherein the RFID information is associated with the originating paper bag tag identifier (OP-BTI).
124. The system according to claim 122, wherein the RFID information is associated with the first luggage item of the passenger.
125. The system according to claim 113, wherein the first-mode travel carrier and the designated return travel carrier are each airlines.
126. The system according to claim 125, wherein the lodging entity is a cruise ship.
127. The system according to claim 113, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to: determine if the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of the first luggage item is damaged or missing based on information acquired by the at least one electronic acquiring device; and create a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest record to the first luggage item if the system determines the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (0P- BTI] associated with or on the printed bag tag of the first luggage item is damaged or missing.
128. A computing system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, configured to cause the at least one processor to: a) electronically acquire from at least one electronic acquiring device, an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from a first-mode travel carrier that is on a first luggage item of a passenger to create digital BTI data linked to the first-mode travel carrier; b) extract a unique identifier from the digital BTI data; c) access additional passenger data derived from the unique identifier from a computer system of the first-mode travel carrier; d) automatically create from the additional passenger data a passenger manifest record comprising data for check-in of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier; and e) repeat a)-d] for at least one passenger beginning a stay associated with a lodging entity to automatically form a passenger manifest file.
129. The system according to claim 128, wherein the at least one electronic acquiring device is a barcode scanner.
130. The system according to claim 129, wherein the barcode scanner is configured to scan the 0-BTI on the printed paper bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier that is attached to the first luggage item.
131. The system according to claim 129, wherein the barcode scanner is configured to scan the O-BTI on a printed marker from the first-mode travel carrier that is attached to the first luggage item.
132. The system according to claim 128, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to: create a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest file to the first luggage item; and populate the passenger manifest file with the marker identifier.
133. The system according to claim 132, wherein the marker identifier is automatically created by the processor when the originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of the first luggage item is damaged or missing.
134. The system according to claim 132, further comprising: a printer that is configured to print the marker identifier for the return leg of travel, wherein the marker identifier is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
135. The system according to claim 132, further comprising a communication device that is configured to communicate the marker identifier to at least one of: the designated return travel carrier, a mobile device of the passenger, and the lodging entity.
136. The system according to claim 128, further comprising a printer that is configured to print a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
137. The system according to claim 128, wherein at least one electronic acquiring device is a radio frequency identifier (RFID) reader that is configured to acquire RFID information.
138. The system according to claim 137, wherein the RFID information is used to create digital BTI data.
139. The system according to claim 138, further comprising: a communication device configured to communicate the digital BTI data to at least one of the designated return travel carrier and the lodging entity.
140. The system according to claim 137, wherein the RFID information is associated with the bag tag identifier (BTI).
141. The system according to claim 137, wherein the RFID information is associated with the first luggage item of the passenger.
142. The system according to claim 128, wherein the first-mode travel carrier and the designated return travel carrier are each airlines.
143. The system according to claim 142, wherein the lodging entity is a cruise ship.
144. The system according to claim 128, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to: determine if the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of the first luggage item is damaged or missing based on information acquired by the at least one electronic acquiring device; and create a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest record to the first luggage item if the system determines the originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of the first luggage item is damaged or missing.
145. A computing system for optimizing luggage handling, comprising: a printing device; at least one processor; memory containing computer readable instructions that are accessible by the at least one processor, wherein the computer readable instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to: acquire an electronic representation of an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI) associated with a luggage item of a passenger; locate and access information of a manifest record of the passenger based on information contained in the O-BTI; and transmit print instructions to the printing device for printing a return bag tag identifier based on the information of the manifest record of the passenger, the return bag identifier being formatted according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) standard.
146. The computing system of claim 145, wherein the manifest record is created and stored on an external travel carrier system and the computing system is granted permission to access the external travel carrier system including the manifest record of the passenger.
147. The computing system of claim 145, wherein the O-BTI is initially generated by an external travel carrier system and contains information accessible by the computing system.
148. The computing system of claim 147, wherein the external travel carrier system is operated by an airline, and the airline generated the O-BTI for tracking the luggage item of the passenger for a first leg of travel.
149. The computing system of claim 145, further comprising: a barcode scanner in communication with the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire the electronic representation of the O-BTI via the barcode scanner.
150. The computing system of claim 145, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a check in request, on behalf of the passenger, to a return flight carrier, and wherein the check in request comprises passenger information corresponding to the return bag tag information.
151. The computing system of claim 145, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger from an external travel carrier system; and transmit the boarding pass information to a device of the passenger.
152. The computing system of claim 145, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: create, by the printing device, a marker identifier linking the manifest record to the luggage item; and transmit marker identifier information to populate the manifest record with the marker identifier information.
153. The computing system of claim 142, wherein the marker identifier comprises a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes the O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
154. A computing system for optimizing luggage handling, comprising: a printing device; an electronic acquiring device; at least one processor; and memory containing computer readable instructions that are accessible by the at least one processor, the computer readable instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to: acquire, by the electronic acquiring device, an IATA license plate from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the IATA license plate being generated by a travel carrier; obtain information in a manifest record of the passenger, the manifest record located using the IATA license plate acquired from the indicium; and print, by the printing device, a return leg travel IATA formatted bag tag for a return flight based on information in the manifest record.
155. The computing system of claim 154, wherein the indicium is printed on an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, and wherein an external third-party computer system associated with the airline generated the IATA license plate that was acquired by the electronic acquiring device.
156. The computing system of claim 154, wherein the indicium is printed an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline.
157. The computing system of claim 154, further comprising at least one barcode scanner, andwherein the at least one processor is configured to acquire the IATA license plate via the barcode scanner from a printed tag attached to the luggage item or a printed marker adhered to the luggage item.
158. The computing system of claim 154, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit a request on behalf of the passenger with a return flight carrier including passenger information for the return bag tag information.
159. The computing system of claim 158, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger from an external system associated with the return flight carrier; and transmit the boarding pass information to a device of the passenger.
160. The computing system according to claim 154, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: create, by the printing device, a marker identifier linking the manifest record to the luggage item if the O-BTI appears damaged or is missing; and populate the manifest record with the marker identifier.
161. The computing system of claim 160, wherein the electronic acquiring device is a barcode scanning device and the marker identifier comprises a barcode readable by the barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier includes the O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
162. The computing system of claim 161, wherein the electronic acquiring device is an RFID reader and the marker identifier is associated with an RFID enabled bag tag, and wherein the marker identifier includes the O-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
163. A computing system for optimizing luggage handling, comprising: a communication device; a printing device; an electronic acquiring device; at least one processor; and memory containing computer readable instructions that are accessible by the at least one processor, the computer readable instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to: acquire, by the electronic acquiring device, passenger data from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the passenger data including information contained in an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI); obtain, by the communication device, information from a manifest record associated with the passenger based on the passenger data acquired from the indicium; and print, by the printing device, a return leg travel International Air Transport Association (IATA) formatted bag tag for a return flight for the passenger from information in the manifest record.
164. The computing system of claim 163, wherein the indicium is printed on an originating paper bag tag, and the travel carrier is an airline, wherein an external third-party computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the originating paper bag tag.
165. The computing system claim 164, wherein the indicium is printed on an airline baggage marker, and the travel carrier is an airline, wherein a computer system associated with the airline generated the O-BTI acquired from the airline baggage marker.
166. The computing system of claim 163, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:transmit, via the communication device, a check in request on behalf of the passenger with a return flight carrier including passenger information for bag tag information for the return leg travel IATA formatted bag tag.
167. The computing system of claim 166, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain, via the communication device, boarding pass information for the return flight of the passenger from an external system associated with the return flight carrier; and transmit, via the communication device, the boarding pass information to a device of the passenger.
168. The computing system of claim 163, further comprising: printing, by the printing device, a marker identifier based on the manifest record of the passenger, the marker identifier including printed information contained in the originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI); and populating the manifest record with the marker identifier.
169. The computing system of claim 168, wherein the electronic acquiring device comprises a barcode scanning device, and wherein the marker identifier comprises a barcode.
170. The computing system of claim 169, wherein the barcode comprises a new passenger tracking identifier.
171. A computing system for optimizing luggage handling, comprising: a communication device; an electronic acquiring device; at least one processor; andmemory containing computer readable instructions that are accessible by the at least one processor, the computer readable instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to: acquire, by the electronic acquiring device, passenger data from an indicium affixed to a luggage item of a passenger, the passenger data including information contained in an originating bag tag identifier (O-BTI); obtain, by the communication device, information from a manifest record of the passenger based on the passenger data acquired from the indicium; create a digital recreation of the indicium based on the manifest record and the passenger data; and transmit, via the communication device, the digital recreation of the indicium to a mobile device of the passenger.
172. The computing system of claim 171, wherein the digital recreation of the indicium contains information suitable for tracking the luggage of the passenger during a return leg travel trip.
173. The computing system of claim 171, further comprising: a printing device; wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: print, by the printing device, a new bag tag based on the digital recreation of the indicium.
174. The computing system of claim 173, wherein the new bag tag is suitable for checking the luggage in for a return leg travel and is formatted according to International Air Transport Association [IATA] criteria.
175. The computing system of claim 174, wherein the digital recreation of the indicium contains information suitable for tracking the luggage of the passenger during the return leg travel trip.
176. A method comprising:after completion of a leg of travel of a passenger with a first-mode travel carrier:[a) acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, an electronic representation of an originating hardcopy bag tag identifier [OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier that is on a first luggage item of the passenger to create a digital BTI data record linked to the firstmode travel carrier;[b) extracting, by at least one processor, a passenger bag number from the digital BTI data record;[c) accessing, by the at least one processor, a passenger name record [PNR) from a computer system of the first-mode travel carrier, based on the extracted passenger bag number; and[d) autonomously creating, by the at least one processor, a passenger manifest record from the digital BTI data record and the PNR, the passenger manifest record including data for check-in of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier.
177. The method according to claim 176, further comprising: repeating steps [a)-[d) for a plurality of passengers associated with at least one lodging entity to autonomously form a manifest file with a conduit for checking in the plurality of passengers with the designated return travel carrier.
178. The method according to claim 176, wherein the first-mode travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the electronically acquiring, by at least one electronic acquiring device, includes at least one of:[a scanning, by a barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed paper bag tag from the airline carrier that is attached to the first luggage item;[b) scanning, by the barcode scanner, the OP-BTI on a printed marker from the airline that is attached to the first luggage item; and[c) reading, by a radio frequency identifier [RFID] reader, RFID information associated with the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier [OP-BTI).
179. The method according to claim 176, wherein the OP-BTI includes an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate.
180. The method according to claim 179, wherein the passenger manifest record associates the digital BTI data with the passenger.
181. The method according to claim 180, further comprising: merging lodging entity data from the lodging entity with the manifest file; forming a master manifest file with the manifest file and the lodging entity data, wherein the lodging entity data includes a room number or cabin number of each passenger of the plurality of passengers.
182. The method according to claim 176, wherein the data for identifying the checkin of the return leg of travel includes return leg flight times; and further comprising: sorting, by the at least one processor, the master manifest file by information associated with the return leg flight times for the plurality of passengers; and executing, by the at least one processor, a remote check-in process for the return leg of travel with the designated return travel carrier of each passenger based on the sorted master manifest file.
183. The method according to claim 182, further comprising: during the remote check-in process, obtaining, by the at least one processor, airline bag tag information for the return leg of travel for checked in luggage items for the passenger; and printing, by a printer, a new bag tag for the return leg of travel that is compatible with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) license plate for each checked in luggage item of the passenger.
184. The method according to claim 183, further comprising: replacing the printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier with the new bag tag for the return leg of travel.
185. The method according to claim 184, further comprising: during the remote check-in process, obtaining, by the at least one processor, boarding pass information for the return leg of travel of the passenger; and communicating, by the at least one processor, the boarding pass information to an electronic communication device of the passenger.
186. The method according to claim 185, wherein the boarding pass information includes bar coded boarding pass information.
187. The method according to claim 185, wherein the boarding pass information is in an e-ticketing format.
188. The method according to claim 176, further comprising: creating, by a printing device in communication with the at least one processor, a marker identifier linking the passenger manifest record to the first luggage item when the originating hardcopy bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or on the printed bag tag of first luggage item is one of damaged or missing; and populating the passenger manifest record with the marker identifier.
189. The method according to claim 188, wherein the marker identifier is a barcode, readable by a barcode scanning device, wherein the marker identifier includes one of OP-BTI or a new passenger tracking identifier.
190. The method according to claim 176, wherein the first-mode travel carrier is one of an airline carrier and train carrier; and the lodging entity is one of a cruise ship, train, and a resort destination.
191. The method according to claim 176, further comprising capturing by an imaging device an image of the first luggage item; and populating, by at least one processor, the passenger manifest record with the captured image of the first luggage item.
192. The method according to claim 176, wherein the designated return travel carrier is an airline carrier; and the manifest file with the conduit for checking in the plurality of passengers with the designated return travel carrier is implemented in a graphical user interface to remotely check-in each passenger leaving the lodging entity within a designated window prior to a return flight.
193. A computing system comprising: at least one processor; a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, are configured to cause the at least one processor to:(a acquire, from at least one electronic acquiring device, an electronic representation of an originating paper bag tag identifier (OP-BTI) associated with or printed on a printed bag tag from the first-mode travel carrier that is on a first luggage item of the passenger to create digital BTI data linked to the first-mode travel carrier;(b) extract a passenger bag number from the digital BTI data;(c) access a passenger name record (PNR) from a remote computer system of the first-mode travel carrier, based on the extracted passenger bag number;(d) autonomously create a passenger manifest record from the digital BTI data and the PNR, with data for identifying the check-in of a return leg of travel of the passenger with a designated return travel carrier.
194. The computing system of claim 193, wherein the instructions stored in the memory, when executed by the at least one processor, are further configured to cause the at least one processor to:(e) repeat elements (a)-(d) for a plurality of passengers associated with at least one lodging entity to autonomously form a manifest file for checking in the plurality of passengers with the designated return travel carrier.