With summer time journey already in full swing, Fox Information Digital spoke to specialists to be taught a few of their tips and ideas for ensuring {that a} checked bag arrives safely to its vacation spot.
Airports are busier than they’ve been in years, that means there are much more individuals who will likely be checking baggage on their flights.
Here’s what journey specialists advocate doing — and avoiding — so {that a} trip doesn’t start by ready in a line at a misplaced baggage workplace on the airport.
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Take a look at these 4 ideas.
1. Fly direct if doable
“Direct flights are the best bet if you want your luggage to get to the right destination,” Richard Campbell, founding father of Calgary-based journey firm 10Adventures, advised Fox Information Digital through e mail.
If a direct flight will not be doable and a bag needs to be checked, Campbell really useful having at the very least 90 minutes between flights.
To keep away from shedding checked baggage, fly direct if doable, stated one journey skilled — or on the very least, don’t ebook a good connection. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg through Getty Photos)
“If I have two or more stopovers, I assume I won’t get my luggage when I get to my final destination,” he stated.
Nikita Kosholkin, co-founder and CMO of the instrument App within the Air, advised Fox Information Digital that he personally is OK with a 45-minute layover, but additionally famous, “It’s better if it’s over an hour.”
“There is a limited amount of time that a bag can actually travel due to logistics at the airport,” he stated.
“Even if you can make your next flight, your bag might not.”
2. Don’t overpack
Packing frivolously, even for a checked bag, can really assist be certain that a bag makes it to its vacation spot, Jeremy Murchland, president of Seven Corners Journey Insurance coverage, advised Fox Information Digital. The corporate is based mostly in Indiana.
An individual who overpacks might wind up scrambling on the check-in gate to verify a bag is below the load restrict — one thing Murchland stated is “just asking for problems.”
Chubby baggage could be taken to a special a part of the airport, an skilled advised Fox Information Digital — rising the prospect that it’ll get misplaced. (Mario Tama/Getty Photos)
“You’ll lose items in the shuffle or perhaps damage them if they aren’t repacked securely. Plus, you’re now stuck juggling loose belongings that you might not have even needed in the first place,” he stated.
Moreover, a bag that’s outsized or heavy will not be handled the identical means as standard-sized baggage, he stated. As an alternative, it will likely be picked up at a special location at baggage declare.
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“Any time your luggage has to be routed differently or go through a different process than normal, you run a higher risk of losing your bag, so stay within the recommended limits set by your airline,” he stated.
3. Make your bag look distinctive
Many suitcases look comparable — which implies that somebody who will not be cautious might go residence with another person’s issues.
Including a baggage strap or sticker to a “basic black suitcase” will help make it stand out, a number of specialists advised Fox Information Digital. (iStock)
“After a transatlantic flight, everybody is tired, and it’s so easy to grab the wrong suitcases at the luggage carousel,” stated Campbell.
To keep away from this, Campbell places stickers on each side of his “basic black suitcase,” in addition to a yellow pompom — which he places away as quickly as he collects his bag.
Dominic Brown, a Richmond-based meals and journey blogger, additionally makes use of identifiers on his baggage.
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“Whether I’m traveling domestically or abroad, I use luggage straps to ensure that my luggage does not get lost in the airport,” he advised Fox Information Digital in an e mail.
These straps, he stated, assist make his suitcase stand out from different “basic colored suitcase sets.”
Brown, who owns the web site TallTravelEats, has traveled throughout a number of continents — and advised Fox Information Digital that since he started utilizing baggage straps, he has not misplaced a bag throughout his travels.
AirTags, or comparable monitoring merchandise, will help a traveler discover their baggage after a protracted day of journey. (Apple)
However Brown warned that to keep away from any surprises on the airport, a traveler ought to be certain that the baggage straps are TSA-approved.
4. Use a GPS tracker
One other suggestion is that vacationers think about utilizing AirTags or different comparable monitoring merchandise to verify their baggage make it onto the aircraft.
AirTags, made by Apple, must be arrange with an iPhone or iPad, however the product could be tracked utilizing an app that’s out there within the Google Play retailer.
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Different monitoring units reminiscent of Tile will not be tied to a selected working system.
“Luggage will get lost, and often the airlines have no idea where it is,” stated Campbell.
“I want to help them out, so I use AirTags, so I can find a lost piece of luggage and show it to the airline.”
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Like all know-how, AirTags will not be solely excellent, stated Campbell.
“The first time I [used an AirTag in a checked bag], I almost had a heart attack as I flew out of London, but my bags were still showing up in another part of Heathrow,” he stated.
“Turns out, AirTags can’t update in parts of the airport where there is no signal.”
