Does Wrapping Your Baggage in Plastic Really Make It Extra Safe? We Requested TSA

There are a variety of odd airport jobs. The “chook guys” hold birds at bay, bathroom crews empty the loos, and eventually, there are individuals who receives a commission to wrap baggage in plastic. The primary two jobs make sense—it’s necessary to maintain the runways clear and the planes clear— however most vacationers aren’t certain concerning the third. That mentioned, luggage-wrapping stations have been a mainstay at main U.S. worldwide airports because the early 90s. They’re much more frequent overseas; one Miami-based firm, Safe Wrap, has greater than 500 staff wrapping baggage at airports throughout 17 completely different nations. 

Why do passengers wrap their baggage? 

Passengers wrap their baggage for an array of causes. Some vacationers get their baggage wrapped to guard the outside of the bags from scratches and marks, whereas others get it wrapped to guard the contents inside the bags. Some vacationers might imagine that if a suitcase is wrapped in plastic, it’s much less more likely to be inspected by TSA or interfered with by nefarious characters who could also be inclined to steal or maybe worse, plant one thing incriminating inside.

And a few vacationers, particularly these going to the Maldives, Australia, and different nations that spray insecticide and disinfectant on arriving flights, wrap their baggage in plastic to guard their contents from the chemical compounds. “Lots of people did this on my flight arriving in China due to how a lot they spray and ‘disinfect’ your bag upon arrival,” wrote one traveler on Reddit who mentioned they regretted not wrapping their bag prematurely as a result of their garments obtained saturated. Lastly, there are at all times vacationers who must get their baggage wrapped as a result of their suitcase is falling aside or they’ve been cursed with a rogue zipper. Paying $15—what Safe Wrap prices at Miami Worldwide Airport—to wrap a damaged bag is loads cheaper than shopping for a brand new suitcase on the airport. 

What does the TSA do with wrapped baggage? 

TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers tells Journey + Leisure that baggage wrapped in plastic is handled the identical as baggage that’s not wrapped in plastic. All checked luggage are topic to screening earlier than they’re handed on to airline baggage handlers who load them onto the airplane. Within the U.S., that’s roughly 1.3 million checked luggage per day. TSA and its counterparts overseas use X-ray machines that use a 3D scanner to search for objects that resemble explosives or different hazardous supplies. Some airports additionally depend on Ok-9s that may detect all the things from bullets to bombs. Wrapping your baggage in plastic doesn’t have an effect on how the X-Ray machines scan the bag, nor does it deter the canines. 

Most luggage, roughly 95 p.c, cross this screening and don’t have to be bodily inspected by a TSA officer. Luggage which are flagged, get opened—this implies plastic wrapping might be minimize, and locks might be damaged in the event that they’re not TSA-approved. Within the U.S. a minimum of, the TSA examines baggage in a managed setting monitored by CCTV. This ensures that nobody is tempted to tamper (in an pointless manner) with a passenger’s property. Whereas the TSA agent who examines the bag will repack it and embrace a paper slip indicating that the bag was inspected so the passenger is aware of why somebody rifled by way of their baggage, they won’t rewrap the bag in plastic. 

Nonetheless, some luggage-wrapping firms, together with Safe Wrap, supply complimentary rewrapping if the plastic wrapping is minimize by TSA. Additionally they embrace a assure that matches the airways’ compensation for misplaced baggage or injury. Word: Some of these ensures are topic to many phrases and circumstances. 

What else are you able to do to maintain baggage safe? 

Whereas some luggage-wrapping firms declare they solely use 100% recyclable plastic, many airports are beginning to think about banning plastic baggage wrapping as a consequence of environmental considerations. Thankfully, if you wish to hold your baggage safe, you might have different choices. For starters, you should use TSA-approved locks or baggage straps. It’s also possible to put money into a reusable baggage cowl in the event you’re involved with aesthetics.