Avery Dennison, Print-O-Tape Receive Extended Contract for McCarran International Airport with RFID-Based Baggage Tags

Avery Dennison and converting partner Print-O-Tape, Inc., have been awarded a three-year contract (renewable by two years) by McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, NV, to continue to supply RFID-based tags for its technologically advanced baggage handling system.

The contract, which was signed earlier this year, is being formally announced now due to interest by the RFID and airline industries.

The contract extends and expands Avery Dennison’s and Print-O-Tape’s long relationship with McCarran. In 2005, McCarran was the first airport in the United States to deploy the technology, using RFID’s capabilities to handle baggage more quickly and accurately for its nearly 57,000 departing passengers and nearly 500 outbound flights per day.

The airport is now upgrading its system to EPCglobal Class One, “Gen2” standards with Avery Dennison’s AD-833 UHF RFID inlay, specifically designed for aviation needs, and Print-O-Tape’s global expertise in baggage tag converting.

RFID tags allow more-accurate tracking of baggage through an airport and more efficient loading and unloading of planes, enabling significant decreases in associated costs. Airport RFID systems help reduce lost luggage and improve on-time departures meaning greater passenger satisfaction.

Unlike bar code-only tags, which must be in the line of sight to be read by a scanner, the Avery Dennison/Print-O-Tape RFID tags can be read from a few feet without line-of-sight and in any orientation. RFID-based systems are also more reliable, achieving average read rates of more than 97 percent, much better than a barcode-only system’s average of around 80 percent.

Avery Dennison’s AD-833 inlay is also currently used in Print-O-Tape-manufactured RFID baggage tags supplied to Hong Kong International Airport, the largest volume user of RFID tags in the aviation industry.

Avery Dennison inlays and Print-O-Tape converted tags are both certified by the IATA, the International Air Transportation Association.

“Avery Dennison is proud to work with Print-O-Tape to supply RFID technology to a number of the busiest airports in the world,” said Peter Bloch, senior manager of strategic alliances for Avery Dennison RFID. “McCarran’s choice to extend our contract is a testament to the quality of the product and services our two companies provide.”

“Print-O-Tape has always had strong strategic partnership with Avery Dennison’s RFID team,” said Jon Barrere, vice president of sales and marketing for Print-O-Tape. “Their technical expertise coupled with our decades of converting experience means customers like McCarran get the best product possible.”