Amman (JT) -- Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) is set to introduce a new integrated baggage management system as from Nov. 20 based on the IBM WebSphere software platform, according to a company statement.
The new baggage reconciliation and management system, which is being implemented with the help of IBM's business partner in Jordan, United Business Machines (UBM), is designed to automate and streamline the baggage handling process, reduce errors and allow the airline to deliver a level of service on a par with airports around the world, according to the company.
The baggage reconciliation system (BRS),developed using the IBM Websphere Studio development environment, allows baggage handling processes by using wireless hand-held devices for screening baggage at the check-in counters where information on the passenger is captured by the wireless device and transmitted via the web to the main system. The advanced system brings the airline enormous cost and time benefits by reducing the amount of time spent by its on-ground staff locating baggage and respective owners.
Running on an open-standards-based platform, the new system runs on IBM series integrated servers using WebSphere Application Server to allow the different data sources to be linked together.
Since the company began the privatisation process in 2002, it has had a cultural shift to focus more on business issues whilst striving to maintain a high level of customer service.
"Our goal is to give our customers great service from the moment the ticket is purchased to when each passenger arrives at their destination," said Ahmad Abul Ragheb, executive assistant of information technology at RJ.
"We chose WebSphere as it is very robust and based on open standards, allowing us to leverage the power of web services. This gives us enormous flexibility to add features or tie in other information systems as we increase the sophistication of our operation," he added.
RJ has been using IBM mainframes since the 1980s and was one of the first companies in the Kingdom to have a dedicated information technology department.
"This project has been very exciting for UBM, as it allows us to demonstrate the power and flexibility of web services in such a demanding environment," said Ali Rugibani, marketing manager at UBM .
"We can now show other organisations in the region how web services can be used to tie together a wide array of disparate technology systems using open standards," he added.
Error-free baggage handling is crucial to RJ, as it impacts not only the safety of the aircraft, but mis-handled baggage causes frustration for passengers and losses to the airline through compensation payments.
The new automated system complements the existing IATA system, with full integration capabilities between the two systems.
"Any organisation investing in technology today needs to look at four aspects: Reliability, flexibility, ease of application development and the ability to interconnect any information system with any other," commented Bashar Kilani, manager of IBM Software Group for the Middle East and Pakistan. Ultimately, the system will allow ground crew to scan luggage anywhere on the apron, and know exactly where it should be loaded without having to return it to the departure hall.
The first phase will cover Queen Alia International Airport and the second phase will extend the system to cover King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba and the city airport at Marka.
© Jordan Times 2004
