The aviachaos that reigned in the airports of Europe once again updated the advice of baggage handlers on how to keep your belongings intact in these conditions – or at least not to stay in foreign countries without a swimsuit – and even without a change of underwear.
Let’s say right away that the most reliable advice in these conditions, which was first voiced by an anonymous baggage handler who has been in the industry for more than ten years, is to fly only with hand luggage. If only because, according to him, he had not seen such chaos in his entire time of work.
We will remind you that during the “perfect storm” that flooded European airports, a sea of unsorted and unclaimed baggage paralyzes the work of sorting departments and baggage claim conveyors, and some employees who work there lose their feet trying to restore order. “Flights are canceled, many at the last minute, and tourists stand in huge queues for passport control. Meanwhile, a sea of unclaimed luggage has gathered – suitcases are scattered on the floor and block the conveyor belt for further bags from new flights,” tourists say. Many tourists start to worry that they may not see their belongings for several weeks. Read the details at the link.
A professional baggage handler nevertheless gave tourists a few tips on how to minimize the losses associated with the chaos during baggage handling:
Hand luggage: As already mentioned, his first tip is to try to limit yourself to hand luggage. This is not only the only possibility at the moment to eliminate the possibility of losing your luggage. In addition, in this way, tourists will get rid of at least one queue and queue formation – the one that currently occurs when receiving luggage.
Packing things – if handing over a suitcase in luggage cannot be avoided, and this is often the case during a family vacation, the expert advises tourists who fly as a family or company to partially change their clothes. That is, put a set of things for each tourist in each of the suitcases. This will give at least some guarantee that tourists will have changeable things – even if one of the suitcases is lost.
Photograph of the suitcase – the expert advises tourists to take a photo of both the suitcase itself and its contents. In this way, the airport staff will be able to help find the suitcase – and in the case of any accidents with the contents, it will be easier to prove an insurance case.
Baggage identification – some say that the practice of luggage tags with names and contact information is dangerous, but under these conditions, the baggage clerk recommends not only putting these tags on the suitcase but also writing the name and contact information on the suitcase with a marker – in case the tags get lost
Four wheels – the baggage handler also advises when buying suitcases, to make life easier for him and his colleagues, to choose a bag with four wheels. This format ensures the convenience of loading onto the plane, he emphasizes.