For years, when people would buy new luggage, many would get it in black. Sometimes it was the only choice, but for others, I dunno, I guess they didn’t want dirt to show on it? There was even a popular luggage tag about it, back in the day:
The Rise of Luggage Colors
As years passed though, luggage companies got wise that not everyone wants a black bag. So more and more colors became available. Red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ochre and peach and ruby and olive and violet and fawn and lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve and cream and crimson and silver and rose and azure and lemon and russet and grey and purple and white and pink and orange and blue (brownie points if you know the reference). Some companies even have multi-colored designs on their bags. Or if you want to be really fancy, you can get one of these.
That being said, some people still put something on their luggage to ensure it’s “different” or, at least, immediately recognizable. Many tie a ribbon to their bag; it’s easy to connect, relatively big, and colorful. However an airport baggage handler across the pond recently suggested that passengers NOT use a ribbon.
The Baggage Handler’s Advice
Speaking to RSVP Live, an Ireland-based show about celebrities, news, TV, fashion, health and lifestyle, the baggage handler, whose first name is John, said you shouldn’t put a ribbon on the handle of your bag.
“Ribbons that people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall,” he said.
The problem happens when the ribbon gets in the way of the sticker airlines put on bags so the scanners know which plane to send the bags to. If the ribbon is blocking the sticker, it can’t be read by the scanners.
“If the bag can’t be scanned automatically it can end up in manual processing, which could mean your bag doesn’t make it to the flight,” John warned.
A Surprising Travel Tip
I have to be honest – that was a new one on me. I mean, I knew to remove old stickers (here’s why). I even know to not check certain styles of bags because they could get stuck. But I never really thought that a ribbon could block the sticker. Makes perfect sense, though.
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