Blog: Claudia Imhoff

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DIA's Baggage Handling System Declared DOA

For those of us in the Denver area, we have long known about the infamous baggage handling system problems. For more than 10 years, Denver International Airport (DIA) has been trying to get its ultra-modern, $230 million computerized system to work. As one of its victims (my bag was shredded), I know I am happy to hear that United Airlines is giving up on trying to make it work.

"It never worked up to its potential" said United spokesperson, Jeff Green. I'll say. Its abilities to handle baggage are a far cry form what was hyped 11 years ago. We were promised a state-of-the-art system that was to use PCs and thousands of remote-controlled baggage carts to operate on a 21 mile long track. The carts were to carry the baggage from counter check in to sorting areas then directly to your airplane.

For many of us, United's "pulling the plug" on this deficient system has come many years too late. According to one spokesperson for a consulting company that works with troubled IT projects, " The first lesson is that the best way to build a large, complex system is to evolve it from a small systems that works."

There is a lesson here for those of you building a large and complex BI environment. Those of us who have done this for years always recommend building a working prototype before going after the full-blown production application. Let DIA's woes be a lesson for all of us.

United stated that "We're going to go back to the old way," -- that is, using manual labor to hump the bags from one place to another... Sure hope they read the tags correctly.

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