Here's a cool touch for Spain-bound travelers: Iberia, the country's flag-carrier, has launched a MyBagTag service, becoming the world's first airline to let passengers download and print their own luggage tags from its website.
Customers checking in on line at www.iberia.com can specify the number of pieces of luggage they wish to check in, and download, print, and attach the tags themselves, having folded the printer page into quarters. The re-usable plastic envelopes for holding the tags can be picked up at any Spanish airport. The pre-tagged luggage can be checked in at fast bag-drop counters (numbers 810-811 and 850-851 at Iberia’s T4 hub in Madrid-Barajas airport).
The MyBagTag service can be used on Iberia, Iberia Express, and Air Nostrum point-to-point flights to/from any domestic destination, and the service is soon to be extended to the Spanish airline’s European and overseas destinations. Later on, it will be extended to cover flights with connections.
The service lets customers get their tags wherever there is an Internet connection. Even better, use of this service can significantly shorten airport waiting time.
This system, including the plastic envelopes, and the automatic reading of the tags, was tested in recent months in Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Majorca, Barcelona, and Alicante airport. The reading of the tags proved to be 100 percent reliable, regardless of the printer, paper, or ink colour used.
MyBagTagis aligned with the recommendations of the IATA Fast Travel initiative, calling for more customer participation in check-in, boarding, and incident-resolution procedures. In 2012 Iberia was one of only six of the world airlines to receive IATA’s Gold Fast Travel Award for its accomplishments in this area.