One of my biggest fears about flying, especially with a checked bag, is that the airport is going to lose my luggage. It's a hassle that travelers face all the time. Now, a baggage handler is weighing in on the issue, why it happens, and how you might potentially avoid it in your future.
In a Reddit post, the baggage handler wrote, "I am just a guy who knows what it feels like to travel somewhere and either your bags never made it, or made it and was damaged." He suggested to buy hard case luggage rather than a fabric one.
He explained, "I have seen both get pinched between diverters. And while the hard case will pinch, they usually pop back into place. Sometimes the fabric bags get their frames broken or rip open."
However, the biggest tip actually involved the color of your luggage. According to the baggage handler, the color or pattern on your bag could make it more susceptible to getting lost.
He explained, "Mirrored colors and paint schemes with a metallic flake act like reflectors. And send the beam back to the sensor." So your bag essentially becomes camouflaged.
Keep Your Luggage Safe
He said, "Once that happens, it can't be diverted to its assigned location to be loaded on the plane it belongs on. We only see it when it passes through the tag scanners again. But with the sheer volume of bags, it gets hard to catch them."
However, if there's one bag that goes missing more than any other then it is the duffle bag. It's all because they end up getting trapped on a conveyor and then lost.
"I'd say 50% of the issues I get are calls for duffle bag style bags with handles that are not strapped together. And have gotten hung up on a conveyor or trapped under a diverter arm," he explained. "This in turn has caused other bags to pile up from different flights. And we have to try our best as safely and fast as possible to get everything unstuck. And moving again."
So to keep you bag safe, make sure you don't have any loose straps.
He says, "Make sure to secure all straps together. Roll up and tape down adjustable straps like on hiking packs or military sea bags or packs. For small bags with telescoping handles, make sure you can secure them down. If they are supposed to latch but the latch feature is busted or it pulls out easily, chances are it will be open when put onto a conveyor."
