BCS will enable airlines, airports, ground handlers, and solution providers to gain the operational and passenger experience benefits of BIX even while parts of the industry are in transition from legacy Type B messages for baggage handling.
‘Improving baggage operations depends on timely, accurate, and secure information exchange. We cannot do that with legacy Type B messages on teletype networks. And we cannot wait for everyone to convert to modern BIX capabilities,’ said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations, safety, and security.
‘That is where BCS plays an essential role. By handling both BIX and legacy Type B systems, it enables early adopters to gain the benefits of their investments without losing connectivity with those still operating legacy systems,’ Careen adds.
Fast, accurate, and secure exchange of messages between airlines, airports, ground handlers, and solution providers are the backbone/fundamental to improving baggage operations. BIX messages track bags through key stages of the journey, including check-in, screening, loading, transfer, and delivery.
BCS is currently operating a live test environment where industry partners can validate integrations and messaging workflows in a controlled setting. The full platform is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2026. Participants already include a broad group of airlines and airports, including Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada and more, as well as airports such as Berlin Brandenburg and Toronto Pearson.
