New baggage handling system coming to Saskatoon airport

Skyxe Saskatoon Airport announced Thursday a new baggage handling system is coming.

After 12 years of use, the system is being replaced to increase efficiency and better sort, screen and help get guests’ bags to their final destination.

Vice-president of operations with Skyxe Andrew Leeming said the new system doubles the capacity of the existing one.

“You want to be able to have the bags flow through the system and not get bottle-necked, so it’s a big investment to make sure you have the capacity to put all the bags through,” Leeming said.

“And on top of that, we’re making an improvement on introducing inductor belts as well, which will also help so the agents are not having to handle every bag that the passengers hand over, the actual system does that itself.”

Leeming said, with the old system, there wasn’t an opportunity to grow any further, and this project allows them to get through the next 10 years.

While this work is being completed, a temporary bag drop area will be in place.

Construction will also begin on a makeover to the airport’s check-in hall in early March.

The project is a phase of the larger departures area project that started in summer 2018. It will include an expansion to the area, and adopt technology that will allow guests to complete their check-in and print baggage tags independent of airline staff.

Leeming said the completion of the departures hall project will ensure guests can be processed during the check-in stage faster and with less stress.

During construction, he recommends travellers arrive two hours before domestic flights and three hours ahead of international trips, to be on the safe side.

Both the baggage handling upgrade and the departures hall projects are scheduled to be done by early October 2019.

The price tag for both projects is higher than $20 million, according to Leeming.