A common problem that occurs when traveling with luggage is that airline employees can easily misplace said belongings. All it takes is for the bag of personal items to make a wrong turn on the travel belt and it ends up heading to another country on a whole different plane. Therefore, it’s even more stressful to travel, because you have to worry about your luggage making it to the same location as you.

Airbus aims to eliminate some of that stress with their new smart bag and companion iPhone app. Thanks to an integrated RFID chip inside the bag, the system is capable of doing a lot more than just tracking your precious belongings. According to a promo video for the smart bag setup, it would keep track of a list of restricted items and even determine the total weight of the bag. When you’re finally ready to set off, you can scan a QR code to synchronize the mobile app with the device- thus sealing it up for the journey.

As soon as you check your bag, the app will keep track of its progress and inform you of things like its location, and whether or not it has been opened. The system can even alert you when you’re allowed to use electronics on your trip (the FAA has strict rules now, don’t ya’ know).

Ultimately, it helps reduce the stress during travel in regards to luggage. Well, most of it anyway, I’m sure some people will stress over other things. Although, there’s no mention about what to do if the situation turns sour. For example, what if you’re sitting on a plane waiting to taxi off to Hawaii for a nice vacation and the tracker shows your luggage headed in the opposite direction to London? Even worse, what if it tells you that your bag is being opened, there’s not all that much you can do about it in the moment is there?

Still, those are issues that would need to be addressed in some way or another in the future, and right now it sounds like the whole system is still in a prototype stage. Rightfully called the Bag2Go system, it was developed in partnership with T-Mobile and Rimowa (German luggage company).

Airbus’s Chief Innovation Officer, Yann Barbaux apparently told Australian Business Traveller that the bag will only cost about 20 percent more than traditional luggage. How about them apples?

Can I just say though, that thing is one bulky looking piece of luggage and from the screenshots it looks pretty ugly? Of course, aesthetics matter little when it comes to practicality and usefulness, but still- the Bag2Go could really use a makeover.

[via Ars Technica Source Australian Business Traveller]