Always Remove Baggage Stickers After Your Flight. Here's Why
Many of us can probably attest that unpacking after a trip often feels like a Herculean task. It's not uncommon for some to procrastinate on this chore for weeks or sometimes even months. In fact, you may occasionally find yourself guilty of tackling it only when your next trip rolls around. The good news? No one will fault you if you decide to leave your luggage unattended in the corner of your room for an extended period. Just make sure the next time you step foot in an airport with the same suitcase, the baggage stickers from your previous getaways have been thoroughly removed. That is unless you want to increase the chances of your luggage going astray.
In case you haven't gotten the chance to closely examine these stickers, they're more important than you think. While their primary function is to serve as a secondary tag in case your original tag falls off en route to the destination, they still hold essential details like your name and flight information, along with a barcode used in the airport's logistical system to ensure your bag reaches the correct place. If you have multiple stickers on your luggage, well, you can probably predict what's going to happen next. Your bag may end up traveling further than you do or even make a grand comeback to one of the destinations you've flown to in the past.
Your luggage might end up getting misrouted elsewhere
An airport employee at the Ontario International Airport further explained the complexities of handling luggage in a TikTok clip that has since gone viral by showing what goes on behind the scenes. He illustrated how easily luggage can be misdirected on the backend, and as it turns out, it's not entirely the airline's fault. "Let's say you flew American, and then a month later, you flew Southwest. Well, there's a little sticker that goes on for American that tells the computer that it should go there," he said, gesturing towards a different bag conveyor belt. "So, if your month-old American sticker is on there, there's a chance it scans it instead of this one ... It might end up over there and not get on the plane."
If you're wondering why the barcodes don't have expiration dates to prevent luggage misroutes from happening, the airport noted in the comments section that "expiration dates ain't free." Meanwhile, a user in the same industry corroborated the airport's claims. "I work at the baggage handling system and yes, this is true. Our scanners will scan old IATA tags from previous flight if you don't remove them," she wrote.
This means one thing: make removing baggage stickers a habit. And for those pesky stickers that cling on for dear life, a nifty workaround was suggested by a traveler in the comments, suggesting, "I just sharpie on old stickers because I can never get them off."
More ways to prevent losing your luggage
Aside from keeping your luggage free of tags from past trips, it's equally crucial to eliminate any dangling elements from the bags, like strings and oversized tags, and avoid overpacking. According to airline employees, doing so may only create handling issues. "Heavy bags get stuck on the belts and can cause the bag to be misdirected. Baggage movement is timed between sensors and a heavy bag can get stuck easier," they told Business Insider. "Don't check in boxes and if it's absolutely necessary, don't wrap them with rope."
It would also help to add a unique identifier to your luggage, like a colorful belt, reflective tape, or a printed cover. Oh, and be sure to keep a close eye on the bag, too. Southwest, American, Delta, and United are just some airlines with respective apps that track your bag's real-time location, so take advantage of this feature. For added peace of mind, consider popping in your own tracker as well, like perhaps an Apple AirTag. However, it's essential to comply with the guidelines outlined by the Federal Aviation Administration. "Luggage tracking devices powered by lithium metal cells that have 0.3 grams or less of lithium can be used on checked baggage," the organization shared with AFAR Media. "Apple AirTags meet this threshold; other luggage tracking devices may not." Or, you know, you can not check a bag altogether. Sometimes, lugging around a single carry-on is the way to go.