AKL airport - Xbox Kinect cameras x 2 in each automated bag drop-off counter

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RogerMellie

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#198827 24-Jul-2016 16:02

I took my brother to Auckland international airport last night and after doing the automated check-in, we proceeded to the automated bag drop-off 'counter' where you place your bags on a treadmill, it weighs it etc, you scan your passport and boarding pass again etc.., and then it feeds your bag through to the main treadmill where it takes it through to the baggage handlers.

My beady eyes noticed that they are employing 2 x Xbox One Kinect cameras in the baggage tunnel, I suppose to take photos of your bags and do whatever measuring they do. Does anyone know any more about this system?

FWIW, the bag was 24.2kg, an egregious 1.2kg over the 23 kg limit. The screen told us this would cost us NZ$200! Would we like to 'continue or re-pack'? Yeah right.

There was even a credit card slot for payment built into the unit, making your daylight robbery that much more efficient. A big F.U. to Air NZ.

sbiddle

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#1597763 24-Jul-2016 16:18

You get a .5kg allowance on this. Most countries now operate on a 50lb (23kg) per item rule and once a bag goes over that it's treated as excess/overweight baggage at rates which will be pretty similar.

Even if you went to a normal counter you would not have been able to proceed with a bag that heavy as the system will prevent it from being checked in at that weight.

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billgates

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#1597800 24-Jul-2016 17:57

Had the same 2KG extra weight issue when my Wife flew overseas last year on a ticket booked via Singapore airlines. Because Air NZ flies the route to Singapore, weight allowance was only 23KG and the check in counter staff who did not even have the courtesy of saying 'Hello' said that will be extra $200 please. While from Singapore to Auckland it was 30KG because that route is considered Singapore airlines primary route even though its Air NZ flying her back. Even Malaysian airlines is 30KG.

After complaining and staff not budging after telling that we drove from Hamilton, I was ready to pay the $200 since it was 11 at night and headed to a different counter. Told staff story there and she waived the excess charges off and agreed that AirNZ should be matching Singapore Airlines baggage policy.

Do whatever you want to do man.

Behodar

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#1597804 24-Jul-2016 18:06

As I understand it, if the booking was made with Singapore Airlines then its policies (30 kg) apply, regardless of which company owns/operates the physical plane. The reverse is also true; if booked with Air NZ then the limit would be 23 kg, even if using a Singapore Airlines plane.

I was on a Singapore Airlines-operated flight last week, booked through Aegean, and Aegean's 23 kg limit was quoted and presumably applied (I was only at 16 so no issues).

djtOtago

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#1597831 24-Jul-2016 19:26

My beady eyes noticed that they are employing 2 x Xbox One Kinect cameras in the baggage tunnel, I suppose to take photos of your bags and do whatever measuring they do. Does anyone know any more about this system?

My guess and it is only a guess, they are using the cameras to measure the volume of each baggage item. One Kinect cameras + software can measure in the x, y and z directions.

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#1597842 24-Jul-2016 19:55

Removing a few posts that I feel were rude and unnecessary for this discussion.

My technology disclosure

sbiddle

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#1597851 24-Jul-2016 20:17

Behodar:

As I understand it, if the booking was made with Singapore Airlines then its policies (30 kg) apply, regardless of which company owns/operates the physical plane. The reverse is also true; if booked with Air NZ then the limit would be 23 kg, even if using a Singapore Airlines plane.

I was on a Singapore Airlines-operated flight last week, booked through Aegean, and Aegean's 23 kg limit was quoted and presumably applied (I was only at 16 so no issues).

Baggage rules are incredibly complex and involve the concept of the most significant carrier (MSC), marketing carrier, and whether a flight crosses IATA regions. A general comment such as the SQ baggage limit applying across a partner airline flight whether it be a codeshare or simply an interline is not necessarily correct (but could be), it would depend on a lot of variables. A typical scenario where a SQ ticketed flight from (say) AKL -> SIN -> LHR flying on NZ metal on the first leg and SQ metal on the 2nd leg would have the NZ baggage limit to SIN but the SQ limit on the 2nd leg to LHR. MSC changes in 2015 can however mean this is not always the case as the wording around most significant carrier and marketing carrier was changed.

Behodar

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#1597854 24-Jul-2016 20:39

Hence the "as I understand it" qualifier :)

Technofreak

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#1597864 24-Jul-2016 21:20

RogerMellie:

FWIW, the bag was 24.2kg, an egregious 1.2kg over the 23 kg limit. The screen told us this would cost us NZ$200! Would we like to 'continue or re-pack'? Yeah right.

There was even a credit card slot for payment built into the unit, making your daylight robbery that much more efficient. A big F.U. to Air NZ.

I presume you read the conditions on the ticketing information, so the 23 kg limit should not have been a surprise.

Where do you suggest the line should be drawn? 2 Kg? 5Kg? Have think about how much extra weight that adds up to across an aircraft full of passengers. There's a limit to how much baggage can be carried.

While you might see the excess baggage fee as a revenue stream for the airline, it's there to discourage passengers from turning up with vast amounts of baggage.

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RogerMellie

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#1598048 25-Jul-2016 10:53

Technofreak:

RogerMellie:

FWIW, the bag was 24.2kg, an egregious 1.2kg over the 23 kg limit. The screen told us this would cost us NZ$200! Would we like to 'continue or re-pack'? Yeah right.

There was even a credit card slot for payment built into the unit, making your daylight robbery that much more efficient. A big F.U. to Air NZ.

I presume you read the conditions on the ticketing information, so the 23 kg limit should not have been a surprise.

Where do you suggest the line should be drawn? 2 Kg? 5Kg? Have think about how much extra weight that adds up to across an aircraft full of passengers. There's a limit to how much baggage can be carried.

While you might see the excess baggage fee as a revenue stream for the airline, it's there to discourage passengers from turning up with vast amounts of baggage.

Technofreak - I understand all that as I've been flying for close to 40 years, and understand that implementing a high tariff on overweight bags is a necessary measure now that the great unwashed are able to travel. The 23kg limit was not a surprise.

My point was that NZ$200 is excessive.

I am amused that my main reason of starting this thread was about the Xbox cameras and can see only one response in regard to that.

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#1598077 25-Jul-2016 11:06

RogerMellie:

....The 23kg limit was not a surprise......

.....My point was that NZ$200 is excessive.

Why was the bag overweight if you knew about the 23 kg baggage limit?

What amount do you think is appropriate to pay for excess baggage, especially as the excess baggage rate is there to discourage passengers from taking weight above the allowance?

I think the amounts charged for speeding fines are excessive too, but if I get caught speeding that's what I have to pay. They're set at a level that is considered a deterrent, just like excess baggage fees.

If you don't want to pay the excess baggage make sure your bag isn't over weight to start with. I know I've taken the trouble to weigh my bags before I head away to avoid nasty excess baggage surprises.

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