United Airlines Baggage Control Center at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

The PGAL-designed Baggage Control Center (BCC) is part of a complete baggage conveyor replacement project in Terminal’s C and E.  Additionally, the project includes an Early Bag Storage (EBS) project at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

The BCC will serve as the core of United Airline’s baggage operations at Terminals C and E, which handle an average of 26,000 bags per day during peak operation. The EBS project is part of a $300 million effort to replace the existing baggage system to handle an average of 77,000 bags per day and speed up bag delivery. 

The BCC functions as the command center and monitoring station for United’s baggage operations at IAH. The center operates 24/7 and includes six monitoring positions with UPS emergency power back-up capability. Each station has access to dozens of camera feeds and bag controls data to quickly identify and resolve back-ups or technical issues within the system.

The new baggage system will replace the existing, separate two-loop systems with a single four-loop system that spans both Terminals C and E. The four loops will be interlaid inside one another in concentric rings providing system redundancy if one loop malfunctions. The new system includes additional cameras at various angles, making it easier to scan bag tags denoting luggage destination. The bags will move on conveyor belts with a robotic arm that pushes bags down the proper ramp. The EBS will provide the capability to store bags that arrive more than two hours before a flight and reroute passengers’ bags if they choose to change flights.

Features Include:

1. 24/7 Operations for around-the-clock monitoring
2. Project increases baggage handling capacity by more than 296%
3. Capability to store bags that arrive more than two hours before a flight