LifestyleHow not to mark your luggage: Expert tips to avoid travel woes

How not to mark your luggage: Expert tips to avoid travel woes

Marking suitcases can cause trouble.
Marking suitcases can cause trouble.
Images source: © Getty Images | Copyright Dazeley
Monika Sikorska

4 June 2024 09:43

Many travellers worry about their luggage during flights. That's why some decide to mark their suitcases to make them easier to find at the airport later. However, a baggage handler explains that attaching tags to luggage is not a good idea.

A popular way to mark a suitcase is to attach a colourful ribbon. While this idea seems reasonable, according to the airport worker, it could cause problems and prevent the luggage from reaching its intended destination.

Marking luggage can have the opposite effect

The ribbons people attach to their suitcases to help identify them can cause problems with scanning in the baggage hall. If the luggage cannot be checked automatically, it may be sent for manual handling. This, in turn, could mean that your suitcase does not make it onto the plane in time. Additionally, it's worth removing old stickers from the bag, as they can confuse the scanning process, said an airport baggage handler in an interview with the RSVP Live portal.

He also added that travellers should never pack marzipan in their suitcases, as it can have the same density as explosives. As a result, both the bag and its owner could be pulled off the plane.

It's also not worth locking suitcases with padlocks

It's also worth noting that trying to protect the contents of your luggage from theft can have the opposite effect. Travellers often lock their suitcases with padlocks, incentivizing potential thieves to rob them.

The principle is simple. If someone adds extra security to their luggage, they carry something valuable. For a thief, this is information that the suitcase is worth looking into.

Source: The Mirror