The seemingly niche airport service might be more important than you think.
Thebaggage carouselis a little experiment in human creativeness . You see all form of variations on the “ travelling bag , ” from difficult shell to soft racing shell ; the sleek ridges of an Away to the luxe stigmatisation of a Louis Vuitton ; the accoutrements that do their best to stand out from the monochromatic pack , from vivacious sticker to monogrammed tags . And then there are the odd suitcases that come out to be shrink wrap in plastic , bound within an in of their living like an industrial - sized pack of cucumbers in the green groceries aisle .
You might have spy one of those specimens circulate the conveyor bang , scratched your head , and wonder , “ Why in the world would anyone do that ? ” But in reality , going the superfluous mile to protect your bag against all kinds of passage - related misfortune could be especially important now considering thepost - COVID air locomotion surge .
“ Most airports have outgo their 2019 rider statistics and these disc - breaking figure have airports operating at a capacity never experienced beforehand , ” says Nicholas Valdespino , frailty president of operations atSecure Wrap , a baggage trade protection table service with kiosks in over 50 drome around the world . “ The issue of dish being processed today direct to flight of steps holdup or even bag being leave behind and arriving at times several day later on — if they even arrive at all . ”
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Why wrap your luggage?
In short , wrap your luggage at the airport protect against stealing , pilferage , and uncut treatment . “ It ’s also an excellent room of preventing baggage from accidentally opening during passage , as it ’s vulgar for luggage coach to not treat baggage with the best care , ” Valdespino says . In this scenario , your luggage could burst open , splatter your belongings across the tarmacadam for all to see . Imagine .
Many bag wrap services like similar drome operationsSafe BagandTrue Staroffer recompense packages in the case of lost or damaged baggage . batten down Wrap in special match theairline ’s compensationup to $ 5,000 for total loss and up to $ 2,000 for damage . The company also assigns a unique QR codification to each twine item for cross purposes , so that in the event an airline worker finds a bag with a miss airline - supplied spine tag end , they can read the Secure Wrap barcode and report the item as found . For their part , Safe Bag and True Star offer real - clip tracking service via Swiss air transport tech companySITA ’s WorldTracer organization . Other companies likeSeal & Gooffer additional perks , like free luggage weighing .
According to Valdespino , the most of import understanding to envelop a control suitcase is to prevent the introduction of unauthorized good ( i.e. drug , weapon , or cash ) into unsuspecting traveller ’ baggage , a crime that take place just a few years ago atDFW International Airport .
“ There have been cases where airport employees , having security system clearance and access , place illegal detail into passengers ' luggage , grow the passenger into a mule unwittingly , ” he say . “ This ‘ insider menace ’ is a reality at all drome in the US and afield , and some countries have very rigid anti - smuggling law . If you get in at your last destination and get take for inspection by customs and a kilogram of cocaine is constitute inside your luggage , ‘ That ’s not mine ’ typically does n’t get you out of trouble . ”
Everything You’re Entitled to if Your Flight Gets Canceled or Delayed
Thanks to the Department of Transportation this now includes a full, automatic refund.
How likely is airport theft?
According to a2023 SITA reputation , the planetary luggage mishandling charge per unit — that is , the identification number of bags that have either been lost , slip , damaged , pilfered , or detain while take flight the favorable sky — has risen to to 7.6 bags per 1,000 passengers in 2022 , up 74.7 % compared to 2021 . “ From the surety staff office to ground handlers , many hand will touch a old bag before being loaded onto an aircraft . Many more will touch on it once unloaded , as well , ” Valdespino says . “ Most masses believe the airline business will take care of their baggage ( especially if theyhave statuswith the airline ) but in realism , a reduce ground handling company , not the airway , moves your baggage . ”
He add together that larceny and pilferage are more common in large external airport that move gazillion of people each year , such as New York’sJohn F. Kennedy InternationalorHartsfield - Jackson Atlanta International Airport . But statistic for these crimes in particular are not as readily available . “ Pilferage and theft would most likely be wield on a font - by - case groundwork by the airline only if the passenger files a report with the airline , ” he says . “ Most rider do n’t realise they ’re pretermit an item until they arrive at their home or hotel , typically too late to file a title since they already left the luggage title area of the airport . I trust a gravid pct of pilferage work unreported for this reason . ”
So why not just use a luggage lock to protect your bag ?
“ Locks are not as effective , because a simple Biro pen can deflate your slide fastener and allow access , ” Valdespino enounce . “ Then the ringlet can be run mightily back over the hatchway and the baggage will be close . ” Very sneaky .
What’s the process for getting your suitcase wrapped at the airport?
Most handbag wrapper kiosks are located near the departure cheque - in area to assist passengers with their luggage before they even go up the ticketing cable . In just about a minute , they ’ll wrap your bag in front of you , entrust only the wheels and handles exposed , and result you to check it with the desk agentive role . toll range from $ 15 to $ 30 , look on the company , as well as the sizing and shape of your baggage .
What happens if TSA needs to open your suitcase?
While not all moldable wrap servicing declare oneself this guarantee , Secure Wrap promise to rewrap travelling bag if they ’re unwrapped for extra security inspection by TSA , or an tantamount security agency . “ In the US , Secure Wrap has employee and machinery inside all TSA luggage screening locations to insure our client ’ items are rewrapped if opened for review , ” assures Valdespino .
What’s the environmental impact of wrapping a bag in plastic?
Most luggage protection company — including Seal & Go and True Star — utilize 100 % recyclable charge card and encourage arriving travelers to convulse used plastic in a recycling bin at the airdrome . What ’s more , Secure Wrap and Safe Bag take their cinema can be stretched up to 300 % of its original size , allow them to use less material on each item wrapped .
So the next sentence you intrust your precious cargo to the hand of an airway , reckon the plastic treatment .
