Alaska Airlines Electronic BagTag

Alaska Airlines is my primary airline and I hold MVP Gold 75K status with them. Late last year (November 2022), I was invited to beta test a new electronic baggage tag for checked luggage. For longer trips, I check a bag so this was a cool new technology to test out. Alaska Airlines sent a free BagTag via FedEx and I was able to try it out in early December 2022.

The NFC-enabled BagTag integrates very easily with the Alaska Airlines iOS app to allow me to update the screen on the BagTag to show my upcoming trip. Each time since December 2022, check-in agents are always curious to see the tag and excited to see it in real life. It’s very easy to use and makes the check-in process seamless. No more paper baggage tags! The only downside is the hard plastic strap used to attach it to my bag is very hard to remove. They are working on an improved design.

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/baggage/checked-bags/electronic-bag-tag

Conclusion: For checking a single bag, it’s seamless. I don’t see a family checking multiple bags to be using this technology unless they travel monthly with checked bags on Alaska Airlines. Solo leisure and business travelers seems to be the target market for this product. Alaska Airlines plans to charge around $75 for a BagTag when rolled out officially in Fall 2023. Thoughts? Would you use it?