Cairo - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has developed the Baggage Community System (BCS), a secure digital platform to support the progressive adoption of the Modern Baggage Messaging (BIX) standard. BCS will enable airlines, airports, ground handlers, and solution providers to gain the operational and passenger experience benefits of BIX even while parts of the industry are in transition from legacy Type B messages for baggage handling.
“Improving baggage operations depends on timely, accurate, and secure information exchange. We cannot do that with legacy Type B messages on teletype networks. And we cannot wait for everyone to convert to modern BIX capabilities. That is where BCS plays an essential role. By handling both BIX and legacy Type B systems, it enables early adopters to gain the benefits of their investments without losing connectivity with those still operating legacy systems,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety, and Security.
Fast, accurate, and secure exchange of messages between airlines, airports, ground handlers, and solution providers are the backbone/fundamental to improving baggage operations. BIX messages track bags through key stages of the journey, including check-in, screening, loading, transfer, and delivery. However, many are still exchanged with Type B messages on teletype, limiting data sharing, increasing costs, and limiting improvements.
BCS is a community platform capable of real-time, structured data exchange, including between those operating with Type B messages and using BIX. This allows legacy and modern systems to continue exchanging information even as partners modernize at different speeds. (....)