Case Story: Delta Airlines
Enhancing Scaling Visibility Across One of the World´s Largest Operations
From High-Performance Tracking to Near-Perfect Visibility
Real-Time Visibility Across Complex Logistics Operations
In large-scale logistics operations, knowing where your assets are at all times is critical. Whether those assets are baggage in airports, pallets in warehouses, or containers moving through supply chains, the challenge remains the same: ensuring real-time visibility, accuracy, and operational reliability.
For Delta Air Lines, this means handling upwards of 130 million bag tags every year across a global network of airports. When relying on barcode-based tracking, Delta faced limitations in data capture and visibility.
A Long-Term Partnership Built on Trust
Delta and Lyngsoe Systems have been working together for more than a decade, building a strong and trusted partnership.
“We have now been in partnership with Lyngsoe Systems since 2014. What began as a vendor-client relationship has evolved into a true partnership.”
The collaboration is built on trust, continuous alignment, and a shared focus on delivering operational value.
Delta & Lyngsoe: Partners since 2014
As Brandon T. Woodruff, Manager, ACS Tools, Infrastructure and Technology at Delta Air Lines, explains:
“When we were using barcode scanning only, we had 4 million missed opportunities for tracking events annually with our barcode infrastructure. We decided to evaluate other technologies that could help close that gap and move us toward 100% baggage tracking.”
Achieving this level of visibility requires more than technology – it requires a trusted partner with a proven end-to-end solution. Faced with barcode scanning challenges, the cost of mishandled baggage, and a need to improve safety and reduce job-related injuries, Delta initiated its RFID journey in 2014.
Lyngsoe Systems was selected as the end-to-end RFID technology partner, delivering the infrastructure, software platform, and operational expertise required to deploy and operate RFID baggage tracking at global scale.
Building End-to-End Visibility Across the Operation
Delta Air Lines is one of the world’s largest global airlines, operating an extensive network of domestic and international routes. Handling more than 130 million bag tags annually, Delta’s operation represents one of the most complex and high-volume logistics systems in the aviation industry. Delta’s RFID program now delivers end-to-end tracking across the airline’s operations, including:
- Fixed RFID infrastructure across baggage handling environments
- RFID-enabled belt loaders at aircraft operations
- Mobile RFID solutions for recovery and irregular operations
- RFID tag encoding and certification standards
Together, Delta and Lyngsoe Systems have built the aviation industry’s largest RFID asset tracking systems, enabling high-performance, data-driven operations.
Solving Complexity and Improving Safety
Deploying RFID at scale in an airport environment introduces significant technical complexity. Factors such as belt speed, bag spacing, and tag readability create a challenging operational environment.
Lyngsoe Systems played a critical role in solving these challenges—particularly through the development of RFID-enabled belt loader solutions that ensure accurate aircraft loading and operational safety.
As Woodruff explains:
“Lyngsoe Systems was able to solve this challenge and provide the solution we needed to ensure aircraft are loaded safely and correctly, so flights depart as expected and passengers are protected.”
In addition, Lyngsoe Systems brings deep expertise in RFID and sensor technologies, enabling reliable tracking events and supporting a consistent, high-quality operational performance.
By eliminating the need for handheld scanners and enabling hands-free operations, Delta has improved both efficiency and workforce ergonomics. This has resulted in a 16% reduction in employee injuries, improving overall workforce health and safety.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, the collaboration continues to evolve, focusing on automation, predictive operations, and enhanced visibility.
As Delta continues to scale its RFID platform, the focus remains on leveraging data to drive operational excellence—ensuring higher efficiency, improved reliability, and sustained competitive advantage across its logistics operations.
Ensuring Reliability Through 24/7 Support and Secure Infrastructure
At Delta’s scale, system reliability and IT security are essential to maintaining a high-performing logistics operation.
As Woodruff explains:
“Reliability is paramount for Delta. With more than 1,000 RFID read points across 90 stations, any downtime results in lost tracking events and reduced confidence in operational decisions.”
To support this, Delta relies on Lyngsoe Systems’ service capabilities, including continuous monitoring and rapid issue resolution.
“We also benefit from the Lyngsoe Service Desk, available 24/7, ensuring minimal downtime and rapid recovery when issues occur. This allows us to maintain the reliability we require.”
In parallel, the partnership supports Delta’s transition to cloud-based infrastructure, ensuring scalability, stability, and compliance with strict IT security requirements.
From Reactive to Proactive Operations
As the RFID platform has scaled across Delta’s domestic network, the operation has transitioned to a fully proactive, data-driven operating model.
With 24/7 monitoring, real-time dashboards, and proactive alerts, potential issues are identified and resolved before they impact operations—ensuring consistent, high-performance tracking across the entire network.
Operational Results and Impact
Looking back on more than a decade of collaboration, Delta has achieved significant operational improvements through RFID and its partnership with Lyngsoe Systems.
Key results include:
- 16% improvement in mishandled baggage rate
- Increase in tracking events per bag from 4 to 16
- Over 2 billion RFID scan events annually
- 99.9% scan accuracy across the network
This enhanced visibility enables:
- Better operational decision-making
- Improved reliability and on-time performance
- Higher customer satisfaction
Scaling Visibility Across a High-Volume Logistics Network
Handling over 2 billion RFID scan events annually leaves no room for error. Reliable systems, strong IT security, and trusted partners are essential to prevent misplaced assets and protect the customer experience.
The transition from barcode to RFID enabled Delta to significantly increase tracking events per bag—from 4 to 16—strengthening operational insight across the entire flow.
As Woodruff highlights:
“From a tracking perspective, moving from 97% toward 100% resulted in an additional 4 million tracking events annually.”
This level of visibility enables more informed, data-driven decisions—improving flow efficiency, reducing delays, and enhancing overall supply chain performance. It allows Delta to determine whether to hold flights, understand where bags are in real time, and communicate accurate information to customers.
Solving Complexity and Improving Safety
Deploying RFID at scale in an airport environment introduces significant technical complexity. Factors such as belt speed, bag spacing, and tag readability create a challenging operational environment.
Lyngsoe Systems played a critical role in solving these challenges—particularly through the development of RFID-enabled belt loader solutions that ensure accurate aircraft loading and operational safety.
As Woodruff explains:
“Lyngsoe Systems was able to solve this challenge and provide the solution we needed to ensure aircraft are loaded safely and correctly, so flights depart as expected and passengers are protected.”
In addition, Lyngsoe Systems brings deep expertise in RFID and sensor technologies, enabling reliable tracking events and supporting a consistent, high-quality operational performance.
By eliminating the need for handheld scanners and enabling hands-free operations, Delta has improved both efficiency and workforce ergonomics.
This has resulted in a 16% reduction in employee injuries, improving overall workforce health and safety.
The RFID Journey
Delta has been on this journey since 2014. They started with the belt loader solution, which includes 1,600 belt loaders that enable hands-free loading and unloading. Then transitioned into fixed RFID infrastructure to eliminate the need for manual barcode scanning and replace those tracking events with passive RFID technology.
During the initial deployment, they installed 550 read points, primarily utilizing Zebra hardward, which has been an excellent addition to their technology portfolio. Since then, they grown with Lyngsoe Systems to over 1,000 fixed read points, mostly domestically, but we are now beginning to expand internationally.
Are you looking to improve visibility, efficiency, and reliability across your logistics operations?
Talk to Lyngsoe Systems today to discover how RFID and real-time tracking can transform your supply chain.
