From ribbons and old stickers to marzipan – reasons why you might be facing baggage delays at airports

Avid travelers often opt out of checking bags to avoid the common hassles associated with it, such as delayed baggage arrival, the difficulty of picking out their items from a sea of similar-looking suitcases, or the fear that their bag might not reach the destination at all. For those who have no choice but to check their bags, a popular strategy is to add a personal marker to their suitcase, such as a colorful ribbon, a distinctive tag, or a unique sticker, with the aim of making their baggage pickup smoother and quicker. However, despite the good intentions behind this age-old luggage hack, it has been found that these personal markers can actually cause delays in the baggage handling process.

Here’s what happens:

As per reports, personal markers like ribbons and other accessories tied to suitcases can cause issues during the scanning process. These attachments might obstruct the automatic scanners, resulting in the bags being redirected for manual processing, which significantly delays their arrival on the baggage carousel.

Stickers left on suitcases from previous travels can cause confusion with the scanning systems at airports. John advises removing all old stickers from your luggage, as these can lead to errors during the scanning process and subsequently delay the handling and delivery of your baggage.

Certain items, such as marzipan or almond sweet dough, can trigger security alerts due to their density being similar to that of some explosives. If such items are detected, the bag will be removed from the system for a thorough check, leading to delays and potentially even requiring the passenger to be called off the plane for a bag search.

When bags cannot be scanned automatically due to attachments or irregularities, they are diverted to manual processing. This step is time-consuming and can prevent the luggage from being loaded onto the correct flight, causing further delays in its arrival at the destination.

Properly preparing your luggage can also impact its timely arrival. For example, turning suitcase wheels upward before luggage drop-off to prevent damage. Improperly handled luggage can lead to delays as damaged bags might require additional handling or repairs, which slows down the entire baggage handling process.