Unisys Corporation announced that 16 international airlines operating to and from New Zealand have signed a four-year agreement for Unisys to continue providing an advanced baggage reconciliation system for international flights operating from Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington airports. The baggage reconciliation system links passengers with their bags, tracking both as they move through the system to help the airlines comply with aviation industry security requirements. The Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand (BARNZ), an organization representing airlines, manages the engagement with Unisys on behalf of the group of airlines.

Unisys has worked with BARNZ since 2010. Each year the participating airlines secure and validate bags for more than two million passengers on flights departing New Zealand. When passengers check in, each bag receives a barcode, which is then scanned and reconciled with a passenger record before the bag can be loaded onto the aircraft.

As the airline has a record of the baggage loading order, bags can be quickly identified and recovered if passengers fail to board. This process is designed to prevent a mismatch of passengers, crew and baggage, and to enhance security levels by avoiding the possibility of unaccompanied baggage being loaded on the flight. The Unisys baggage reconciliation system helps airlines comply with the Hold Baggage Authorization (HBA) regulations, also known as Account and Authorize (AAA) regulations, for baggage handling defined by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.

The Unisys baggage reconciliation system team provides a full managed service that includes managing the network infrastructure and security architecture; training and onsite support; application management; and round-the-clock help desk support.