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

There are lots of odd airport jobs. The “hen guys” preserve birds at bay, toilet crews empty the loos, and at last, there are individuals who receives a commission to wrap baggage in plastic. The primary two jobs make sense—it’s essential to maintain the runways clear and the planes clear— however most vacationers aren’t positive in regards to the third. That stated, luggage-wrapping stations have been a mainstay at main U.S. worldwide airports because the early 90s. They’re much more widespread overseas; one Miami-based firm, Safe Wrap, has greater than 500 staff 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 baggage from scratches and marks, whereas others get it wrapped to guard the contents inside the baggage. Some vacationers might imagine that if a suitcase is wrapped in plastic, it’s much less prone 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 substances. “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 stated they regretted not wrapping their bag upfront as a result of their garments bought 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 expenses at Miami Worldwide Airport—to wrap a damaged bag is lots 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 baggage 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 baggage 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 Okay-9s that may detect the whole lot 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 canine. 

Most baggage, roughly 95 %, go this screening and don’t must be bodily inspected by a TSA officer. Baggage which can be flagged, get opened—this implies plastic wrapping can be minimize, and locks can be damaged in the event that they’re not TSA-approved. Within the U.S. at the least, the TSA examines baggage in a managed setting monitored by CCTV. This ensures that nobody is tempted to tamper (in an pointless method) 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. 

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

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 take into account banning plastic baggage wrapping as a result of environmental issues. Happily, if you wish to preserve your baggage safe, you’ve different choices. For starters, you should use TSA-approved locks or baggage straps. You can too spend money on a reusable baggage cowl in case you’re involved with aesthetics.