Montreal Airport’s “High Tech” baggage sorting system. At Montreal airport in Canada, it is the passengers themselves who register their luggage through a unique system which ensures traceability and saves time for customs officials. For the moment these luggage deposit points are only available on flights to the USA. At Montreal airport in Canada, it’s the passengers themselves who register their luggage through a unique system which ensures traceability and saves time for customs officials. For the moment these luggage deposit points are only available on flights to the USA. Antoine Rostworowski : Director - Aviation Industry Relations - ADM ( MONTREAL AIRPORT ) : "Any passenger with any airline can go to a luggage deposit point. From then on, it’s much more efficient and faster. Throughout the process we follow the passengers and their baggage simultaneously. The U.S. Customs officials makes their decision with the passenger in front of them by using a customs touchscreen, which gives them a VIRTUAL inspection of the passenger’s luggage by simply scanning the boarding pass on which there is the image of the items concerned together with other required information. In this way they can make a more informed decision, without the passengers having to haul their luggage around." Using a scanner, the luggage is identified and electronically linked to its owner, after which it is transferred one floor below to the luggage area. Each item is individually placed in one of 105 autonomous vehicles and monitored in real time via WiFi on a railed circuit over 2 km long. A control centre ensures the proper functioning of the system. Having been weighed, photographed and passed through an x-ray scanner, the luggage then goes to an area containing more than 450 bays, where it remains until the passenger passes through the checkpoint. Antoine Rostworowski : Director - Aviation Industry Relations - ADM ( MONTREAL AIRPORT ) : "If ever a search is required, once more at a simple touch of the screen, the customs official recalls the baggage automatically from the luggage area, all of which takes less than two minutes. An inspection or search may then take place in the presence of the passenger, making it more efficient, faster and agreeable for everyone. Moreover, in such cases, passengers are less likely to miss their flight and arrive more relaxed in the boarding area." Once the passengers arrive at the boarding gate, their baggage goes on its way to the aircraft hold. This baggage sorting system is fully automated and can handle up to 1,800 items per hour. With speed and more efficiency in mind, touch screens were recently placed at the baggage drop-off points for additional passenger autonomy making the whole sorting system one of the most sophisticated in the world; it is unique, and many other airports could adopt it soon. Antoine Rostworowski : Director - Aviation Industry Relations - ADM ( MONTREAL AIRPORT ): "The more there are airports that use it, the more there will be traceability from the beginning to the arrival point. " 30% of Montreal’s airport traffic passes through this border terminal to the United States each year – that’s nearly 4 million passengers.