Share these talks and lectures with your colleagues
Invite colleaguesPractice paper
Looking at the bigger picture: Total cost of ownership considerations for baggage handling systems
Journal of Airport Management,
19
(2),
173-184
(2025)
Abstract
There is ever-increasing pressure on airlines and airports to provide a positive customer experience for travellers. Coupled with the imposition of fees for baggage, the expectation of efficient and effective service is high. Yet, airport baggage handling systems (BHS) are often overlooked in large terminal projects. BHS design and procurement decisions are frequently based solely on capital investment considerations, without a holistic analysis of the life cycle cost of the system. Encouraging stakeholders to look at the project through a total cost of ownership (TCO) lens involves diving into design decisions, equipment selection, construction planning, operations and maintenance strategies, as well as the impact of various procurement methods. This paper offers a framework for engaging in a broader analysis of the considerations and trade-offs across the BHS project life cycle. Engaging all stakeholders from the beginning and helping them understand the impact of their choices during each phase of a BHS project can not only reduce costs, but uncover opportunities for innovation, energy efficiency and automation.
Keywords: baggage handling; total cost of ownership; BHS; equipment cost; procurement
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Larry Studdiford ’s 30 years in aviation have largely been focused on baggage handling systems (BHS) and checked baggage inspection systems (CBIS) design, construction management and related services, including technology integration, configuration management, specification development and commissioning for airports worldwide. He has worked alongside the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) since its inception 23 years ago, helping to develop and implement its policies, procedures and to orchestrate screening technology deployment. He was a founding participant of the TSA’s Baggage Screening Investment Study (BSIS) and contributed to multiple versions of the TSA’s Planning Guidelines and Design Standards (PGDS), specifically as a charter member of the PGDS Industry Working Group (IWG). As a member of the Washington Homeland Security Roundtable (WHSR) Deployment, Systems Engineering & Acquisition focus groups, he collaborated with TSA in development of their five-year technology investment plan and was a member of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee’s (ASAC) Security Checkpoint Working Group. In 2015, Larry founded Studdiford Technical Solutions, LLC (STS), a small business technical solutions provider specialising in aviation, baggage and material handling, passenger boarding bridges (PBBs) and transportation security. STS provides services at every point across a project life cycle, from planning to detailed design, installation oversight, commissioning, close-out and transition, depending on the needs of the programme. With this vast subject matter expertise, STS has the tools and experience to successfully guide projects through a changing marketplace. Through their staff’s experience, STS has amassed a broad knowledge of situations and solutions that few other firms can claim.
