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

There are plenty of odd airport jobs. The “fowl guys” preserve 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 positive in regards to the third. That mentioned, luggage-wrapping stations have been a mainstay at main U.S. worldwide airports for the reason that early 90s. They’re much more widespread overseas; one Miami-based firm, Safe Wrap, has greater than 500 workers wrapping baggage at airports throughout 17 completely different international locations. 

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 international locations 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 upfront as a result of their garments acquired saturated. Lastly, there are all the time vacationers who need to 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 fees at Miami Worldwide Airport—to wrap a damaged bag is rather a lot 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 aircraft. 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 pieces 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 should be bodily inspected by a TSA officer. Luggage which are flagged, get opened—this implies plastic wrapping shall be lower, and locks shall be damaged in the event that they’re not TSA-approved. Within the U.S. at the very least, the TSA examines baggage in a managed setting monitored by CCTV. This ensures that nobody is tempted to tamper (in an pointless means) with a passenger’s property. Whereas the TSA agent who examines the bag will repack it and embody a paper slip indicating that the bag was inspected so the passenger is aware of why somebody rifled via their baggage, they won’t rewrap the bag in plastic. 

Nevertheless, some luggage-wrapping firms, together with Safe Wrap, provide complimentary rewrapping if the plastic wrapping is lower by TSA. Additionally they embody a assure that matches the airways’ compensation for misplaced baggage or injury. Observe: Most 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 one hundred pc recyclable plastic, many airports are beginning to think about banning plastic baggage wrapping on account of environmental issues. Happily, if you wish to preserve your baggage safe, you’ve got different choices. For starters, you should use TSA-approved locks or baggage straps. You may as well put money into a reusable baggage cowl if you happen to’re involved with aesthetics.