Thread: Bag Wrapping Gaining Popularity in Canada..Will it catch on Here?

Already commonplace in South and Central America, bag-wrapping services are gaining a foothold in the North American marketplace, with a high concentration in Canadian airports.

Ottawa International Airport (YOW), for instance, is currently testing the concept in Ontario. "Although we have a smaller international passenger volume, we are always motivated to innovate and offer improved levels and types of services to passengers, while at the same time growing non-aeronautical revenue," says Coleman Swartz, director of Commercial Development for the Ottawa International Airport Authority. In June, YOW entered into a six-month trial period with Safe Bag to confirm operational and financial viability of the new passenger service. The company's existing operations at airports in Montreal and Vancouver apparently helped "seal the deal."
Rudolph Gentile, founder and executive chairman of Safe Bag, explains that passengers gain peace of mind when their luggage and other checked items are securely wrapped in plastic film. Airports, in turn, generate revenue from a concession that requires a minimal footprint in areas not otherwise focused on retail. Facility operators gain additional confidence that their baggage handling systems will not be disrupted by home-wrapped bags.
"Baggage protection services are very popular in Canada," he reports, citing customer enthusiasm at major airports in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. "Having seen the growing demand, Ottawa Airport wanted to offer this service to its international passengers as well."