Jul. 7th 2016 5:11 am

Online check-in is great when travelling hand-baggage only, but doesn’t save much time when you have hold baggage. The waiting in line you used to have to do at check-in you now do at the baggage-drop instead.

But luggage-maker Rimowa has a solution. Its latest luggage range has a built-in e-ink display the exact dimensions of an airline baggage-tag, and your airline app can transmit the correct details to the bag via Bluetooth. A dedicated drop area then lets you skip the queues …

To prevent someone else registering your bag with their details, you need to initially pair the bag to your iPhone using a code. Rimowa told Engadget that the two AAA batteries are good for around 500 tag changes, and as e-ink displays only need power to refresh them, the tag will continue to be displayed even if the power fails.

The display is protected by Gorilla glass, and Rimowa claims that test show that it is less likely to be damaged than a paper tag is to be destroyed. The display, like the luggage, has a five-year warranty.

So far, only Lufthansa supports the technology, initially only at three German airports and only on iPhone, but United is testing it and other airlines are expected to adopt it.

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