Hal Bowling	- Download MP3-

As airlines and airports suffer from high fuel prices, a business that services the aviation industry is offering a pair of new products designed to curb costs related to lost luggage.

ERMC Aviation Service, a division of Chattanooga-based ERMC that does maintenance on baggage handling systems at 32 airports nationally, contends the offerings also will drastically improve the experience of air travelers.

“We believe both these products are cutting edge,” said Bill Capps, who directs ERMC Aviation.

There’s a potential of millions of dollars in savings for its industry clients by avoiding incidents of lost luggage incidents, he said.

One product is a software system that controls and monitors every aspect of a baggage handling conveyor system.

According to the company, the system provides alarms, notification and reports related to a jam or problem in any section of the conveyor. It also allows control of the system to occur from a central location.

The second product provides cameras which photograph baggage as it passes from ticket counter to airplane. By linking the digital image of the bag with the airline-provided bar code tag, luggage can be more easily identified and located, according to ERMC Aviation, based in Dallas.

A pilot program of the new camera system is under way with Southwest Airlines at Love Field in Dallas, said Hal Bowling, ERMC’s vice president of marketing.

“They’re evaluating it for all of their facilities,” he said.

Mr. Bowling said the software system will be part of the division’s service offerings and not off-the-shelf software.

“We work hard to listen to our customers,” he said. “We believe this will really make a difference in the airline industry.”

ERMC has annual revenues of more than $100 million and more than 4,000 workers across the country.