What is hidden in the luggage? First assessments of illegal seashells gathering in Sardinia (Italy)

Natural souvenirs collection has been identified as a driving force in biodiversity and habitat degradation of tropical marine ecosystems. This work considers this phenomenon in the Mediterranean region taking Sardinia (Italy), one of the most renowned tourism destinations, as a case study. The biological material seized at Cagliari-Elmas Airport (years 2019–2020: 138 kg) was analyzed: 199 taxa were identified, gastropods (112 species, 7866 pieces) and bivalves (63 species, 34,218 pieces) resulted the most represented classes. Twenty-two protected species were found in the tourists' luggage including Patella ferruginea and Pinna nobilis, the invertebrates most threatened with extinction in the Mediterranean Sea. This study demonstrates that the illegal collection of natural mementos is common in Sardinia, thus its relevance is not limited to tropical regions. Regulation, enforcement and compliance shortcomings emerged, highlighting the importance of strengthening stakeholders' collaboration for a deeper insight on this phenomenon and implementing effective conservation strategies.

Ultraviolet sterilization information provision system of baggage carts and arriving baggage for airports

In this study, we develop a system to provide information on the sterilization of baggage carts and arriving passenger baggage to airport (Hereafter referred as arrival baggage) by using ultraviolet (UV) sterilization and information communication technology as border quarantine measures at airports. This system sterilizes arrival baggage and baggage carts by UV irradiation, and allows passengers to easily view the sterilization information recognized by radio frequency indentation technology. This is to provide safety and security not only to passengers, but also to staff, who may come into direct contact with the arrival baggage, of airport, airline, customs, and so on. In addition, the passengers can be provided with baggage tracking information, such as the current location and estimated delivering time of the baggage. This makes it possible to keep social distancing at baggage claims as an infection prevention. Furthermore, we verify the feasibility of the developed system and identify the issues to be addressed for its practical application through a demonstration of proof of concept at Central Japan International Airport. © 2022 International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences

Ultraviolet sterilization information provision system of baggage carts and arriving baggage for airports

In this study, we develop a system to provide information on the sterilization of baggage carts and arriving passenger baggage to airport (Hereafter referred as arrival baggage) by using ultraviolet (UV) sterilization and information communication technology as border quarantine measures at airports. This system sterilizes arrival baggage and baggage carts by UV irradiation, and allows passengers to easily view the sterilization information recognized by radio frequency indentation technology. This is to provide safety and security not only to passengers, but also to staff, who may come into direct contact with the arrival baggage, of airport, airline, customs, and so on. In addition, the passengers can be provided with baggage tracking information, such as the current location and estimated delivering time of the baggage. This makes it possible to keep social distancing at baggage claims as an infection prevention. Furthermore, we verify the feasibility of the developed system and identify the issues to be addressed for its practical application through a demonstration of proof of concept at Central Japan International Airport.

The Impact of Effectiveness of Luggage Arrangement on the Airplane Passengers' Boarding Process

The boarding process is the role activity to maintain the airline's efficiency in the turnaround process on the ground. One of the scenarios to optimize the boarding process is the arrangement of passengers who enter the plane based on the amount of carry-on luggage, adjusted to the selected boarding strategy. This research aims to develop an agent-based simulation model to increase the effectiveness of passengers' boarding process by applying the luggage arrangement method for an airplane with a 180-seat configuration. The simulation results showed that applying the Ascending luggage arrangement method reduced the overall boarding process performance by 6.12%, while the Descending method increased boarding performance by 2.50%, compared to the standard Random method.

Evaluation of operating efficiency of the Baggage handling system, depending on the damage of identification labels

The authors investigated the impact of anti-pandemic measures on the function of the Baggage Handling System (BHS). Disinfection procedures can damage the bag tag (BT) used to identify and sort luggage. Data obtained from a standard literature search were used to construct a 3D simulation in the Tecnomatix Plant Simulation 15 software. The simulation showed that decreasing the success rate of BT automatic scanning produces increasing the need of manual scanning. It can eventually result in the formation of additional bottlenecks, identification problems, and the loss of luggage. This consequently leads to further delays in the handling of luggage (flights). It also considerable increases the possibility of transmission of the corona virus (covid disease) due to additional human contact, and in addition to increased costs due to the need to expand manual scanning workplaces. Considering all factors, it is recommended to look for suitable disinfection methods with no damage to the BT along with other BHS components. © 2021 IEEE.