Flying Anywhere This Summer?

If you’re one of those people who gets to the airport four hours early, so your checked bag is the first one off the plane when you land . . . it might be time to rethink your strategy. A baggage handler recently went on Reddit, to answer questions about the whole airport baggage process. Someone asked if there’s any truth to the idea that how early you check in at the airport, determines when your checked bag will come down the conveyor belt at your destination (some also think the REVERSE is true). The baggage handler said there’s SOME truth to it, but the carts of luggage don’t always get loaded in order, so there’s no guarantees. And if you have a connecting flight, that changes things too. He also shared some tips on the best and worst types of luggage:

• He said the WORST are bags with no wheels, or bags with wheels, but ONE wheel is broken and it won’t roll correctly.
• The BEST are the bags with a hard outer shell and soft lining inside.
• Another baggage handler warned people not to tie colorful ribbons to their bags to help identify them. He said those ribbons can interfere with the scanning process, delaying your bag, and in some cases, make it miss the flight entirely.
• And finally, one travel “expert” says don’t write your home address on your luggage tags. That way someone can’t find where you live, and rob you while you’re gone.