Asiana Airlines Selects Symbol's RFID Solution for Baggage Tracking and Monitoring

HOLTSVILLE, N.Y. -- Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company(TM) announced that Asiana Airlines, a South Korean airline, has deployed Symbol's radio frequency identification (RFID) readers and tags for its baggage tracking and monitoring systems at six local airports in South Korea. This is Symbol's first implementation with an airline of passive, UHF RFID technology. Symbol's RFID solutions have been deployed in conjunction with the Korea Airport Corporation and HiTrax Co., Ltd., a local Symbol RFID distributor who participated in the project by providing consulting services and implementation.

Symbol's high performance AR400 RFID reader and RFID baggage tags are enabling Asiana Airlines to manage security issues such as passengers traveling with prohibited items including drugs or weapons.

Symbol's RFID solution is also enabling Asiana Airlines to significantly improve the efficiency of its baggage tracking and monitoring systems by 20 percent by replacing existing bar code systems with RFID readers and tags. By providing visibility for baggage track and trace with RFID tags that can be read with near 100 percent accuracy, Asiana Airlines will be able to improve airline operations by reducing costs, improving customer satisfaction, and providing a means for more security in baggage handling with an audit trail and reporting system.

"Symbol's RFID solutions for baggage tracking and monitoring systems offer high- performance read rates and provide functionality that will enable us to extend services to other applicable areas of our business," said Ebong Jung, project manager, Asiana IDT, a subsidiary company of Asiana Airlines.

Asiana Airlines has finished its pilot project and will now extend the deployment of Symbol's RFID solutions to all of its baggage tracking and monitoring systems from check-in to collecting baggage at Cheju International Airport, Cheongju Airport, Gimpo Airport, Kwangju Airport, Pusan International Airport, and Taegu Airport.

"This is one of the first implementations of this type in Korea and we are very pleased with the performance of Symbol's RFID solutions and the cooperation and support that we have received from Symbol in order to make this project a success and a showcase for the aviation industry in Korea," said Dave Han, CEO of HiTrax Co., Ltd.

Symbol's AR400 multi-protocol RFID reader provides businesses with operational advantages such as listen before talk (LBT) and dense reader functionality to maximize reader performance in multi-reader environments. The AR400 RFID reader can also be upgraded as new standards evolve thus protecting customer investments.

"Asiana Airlines has taken a leading role in the deployment of RFID to improve both its own productivity and their customers' experience," said John Bruno, Symbol senior vice president and general manager, RFID Division. "Symbol is a leading supplier of RFID solutions to the aviation industry and is involved in deployments and pilots around the world."

(c) 2005 PR Newswire