Pittsburgh tests whether a camera can forecast overhead-bin space
A computer-vision trial at Gate A7 tries to warn Southwest's gate agents before the lockers fill, so bags can be checked earlier and boarding keeps moving.
Pilot
This is a pilot, and a small one. PIT announced it on 29 September 2026 under xBridge, the airport's innovation programme. It runs at a single gate, with a single airline.
The airport's own announcement gives no end date. Technical.ly and TribLive both report a three-month test. No results have been published, so for now the record documents an experiment, not an outcome.
What the system does
The problem. When overhead bins fill partway through boarding, the remaining bags have to be checked at the aircraft door. Passengers queue in the jet bridge, and departure slips.
What it watches. Arrow Analytics uses off-the-shelf depth cameras. They measure distance as well as image, so software can see each carry-on as an object with a size, not just a shape in a picture. According to TribLive and Passenger Terminal Today, the system tracks bags as passengers board and estimates how much bin space is left.
What it produces. A live view of baggage volume and a prediction of when the bins will run out. That lands with the gate agent, who can start gate-checking bags while there is still time to do it calmly.
Who is involved. Arrow Analytics supplies the system, Southwest Airlines hosts it at A7, and PIT runs the trial.
What we don't know. How accurate the predictions are, whether boarding got faster, and whether Southwest or PIT plan to go beyond one gate. Arrow Analytics has not published accuracy figures.
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