Alaska Airlines (AA) on Wednesday said it was “the first US airline to launch an electronic bag tag programme” with new tech that allows passengers to tag luggage on the airline’s phone app.

The roll-out is to see 2,500 Alaska Mileage Plan members begin receiving their electronic bag tag this week. Charu Jain, senior vice-president of merchandising and innovation for the airline, passengers  “can complete almost all of their check-in tasks – from the comfort of their home, at work or on the way to catching their flight.”

The facility, the software for which is from Dutch company BAGTAG, will be made available to all AA passengers next year.