Baggage handler reveals the best time to check in luggage if you want to avoid waiting - as he lifts the lid on what really goes on behind the scenes at the airport
- Adam Tazul recently took to Reddit's popular Ask Me Anything thread
- Many people quizzed him around the best time to check in their luggage
- Other also had questions about the best travel bags to invest in
Ever checked your bag in early with the hope of it being the first to come out the other side?
Well, there's no need to bother, according to one baggage handler.
In an 'ask me anything' thread on Reddit, Adam Tazul received several questions about the best time to check in luggage in a bid to get it quicker at the destination.
The UK-based airport worker responded stating that there is no ideal time, as generally, everything gets jumbled up.
One Reddit user quipped: 'Are there any tricks to having your bags come out first? For example, does the bag shape/size make a difference, or how early/late you check the bags?'
In an 'ask me anything' thread on Reddit , Adam Tazul received several questions about the best time to check in luggage in a bid to get it quicker at the destination (stock image)
Adam's response to this is that it is pretty much 'impossible' to tell, as 'bags get mixed around.'
Another contributor quizzed the aviator to see if their luggage theory had any truth.
They wrote: 'Not sure if you'll see this, but I have a theory that the earlier you check in, the lower in the stack your suitcase will be.
'Then it gets loaded onto the plane and is now on the top of the pile. Upon arriving at the destination, it gets unpacked again going to the bottom of the pile, which means your suitcase will come out to the carousel last.
'Any truth to this? Was curious as I just got back from a trip.'
Offering his verdict on the matter, Adam responded: 'There is some truth to this, but it isn't a hard and fast rule.
'A lot of the times when dollies (trailers we use to drive bags from the terminal to the plane, and vice versa) of bags are picked up by the ramp team, they get mixed up.'
Along with check in times, some Reddit users asked Adam about the best type of luggage to invest in.
The UK-based airport worker responded stating that there is no ideal time, as generally, everything gets jumbled up (stock image)
From his experience of dealing with hundreds of bags a day, he replied: 'Some of the worst bags to buy are the ones which have no wheels.
'In my airline, none of our holds are bin loaded, so we have to manually stack the bags inside each hold, and they can get fairly long.
'If your bag has at least two high quality wheels, then it allows us to roll them down the hold quickly, making it easier for us.
'Otherwise, we have to throw the bags in order to keep to the scheduled times.
'My absolute least favorite bags are the ones that have four wheels, but one of them is seized up, so we try to roll it down, but it just falls over after moving six inches.'
While some people put 'fragile' stickers on bags with the hope of them being handled more carefully, Adam says this is another measure which is pointless.
He explained: 'Some of us are tempted to treat [these bags] worse, but we never do. Having a fragile tag doesn't really make a difference.'
To protect precious goods, Adam suggests a case with 'four good wheels, with soft lining on the inside and a hard outer shell.'
One Reddit user was concerned about workers stealing luggage, but Adam put their mind at rest by stating that 'it's a big no-no.'
He added: 'I've known a couple of dudes getting fired for trying as much.'
He also offered advice around making luggage more visible on the baggage carousel, writing: 'We see a lot of bags that look exactly identical to one another going on the same flight.
'One good way I've seen is to put your own tag on the bag with your name and address, so that you can read this and make sure it's yours. Other ways include using unique straps that wrap around the bags.'
Moving away from the topic of luggage, one commenter quizzed Adam about the health impacts of his job and working for long stints inside aircraft holds.
He admitted that it is a physically demanding job and people considering this line of work should invest in knee pads.
The Brit revealed: 'I am 5ft 9in and I have to bend over in the hold.
'If you don't have knee pads your knees start to ache a LOT. You can also expect severe back pain after being at the job for a few years, because you always have a bent back.
'You get physically strong, but at the expense of pain basically everywhere else.'
