LAX Begins Using Self-Service Luggage Check-In System

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A high-tech self-service system which could significantly cut down on lines and reduce the time it takes fliers to check their luggage is being tested at Los Angeles International Airport beginning Wednesday.

The self-service bag drop system is being tested in a pilot program at LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal.

The software allows passengers to check in their bags using self-service kiosks, the airport said in a news release. Passengers are able to print their bag tags and then drop the bags off on a conveyor belt.

The system is capable of using facial recognition technology, but that is not part of the pilot program. The biometric technology could be added later on, LAX said.

The program is only being tested for customers flying Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Norwegian and Scandinavian airlines. It will eventually be expanded to Air France/KLM, ANA, British Airways, Korean Airlines, Singapore Airlines and EVA.

The pilot program will last four to eight months.