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Published On: Jan 19, 2009 02:43 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 19, 2009 02:43 PM
Why put an entry about luggage in a Fear of Flying site, you ask?
...because for any traveller it's a
serious source of anxiety, me included!
I write this entry in the Fear of Flying blog
having just returned from New York City where I spent time in mid-town during
the Republican National Convention, as well as the US Tennis Open. The hotel I
stayed at, the InterContinental on Lexington and 48th was a designated hotel for
both, and the President and his entourage stayed a block uptown at the Waldorf
Astoria, so the area was frequently ringed with police and security
vehicles.
Because I'm a Star Alliance Gold member, as was my travelling companion for this trip, both our suitcases (TravelPro fullsize Rollerboard pieces)
were tagged
in Melbourne with Priority labels,
meaning
they're meant to come off the plane early in Los Angeles (LAX). Because this was
our first stop in the US before boarding the continuation of our UA 840 flight
to New York (JFK), we had to remove our luggage from the carousel, take it past
Customs, and then load the pieces onto the transfer belt for our domestic
flight. Essentially, after doing that, we start out as if we are commencing our
journey that day, and we then need to go through security checks once more with
our hand luggage.
This is all meant to happen in United's Terminals 6 and 7 but there is still a fair amount of walking to do between arrival gates (77) and departure gates (76). So even though they are right next to each other, you leave the plane and head downstairs to passport control, haul it over to the baggage carousels, collect luggage, wheel your way past more customs, and then officially enter the US. Dump the checked luggage (it has been labelled with JFK as its final destination when originally checking in Melbourne), then walk out the building (less crowded than being inside near the busy checkin area) then up the escalator to security (yep, I got the "wand" once over yet again - no more wearing jackets for me), then haul it all the way back to gate 76.
Now, why am I writing all this?
Well, despite both our bags being tagged "Priority" with bright orange labels, they were obviously not packed in the same container since mine came off very early, and my companion's was nowhere to be seen.
While our connections weren't "tight" i.e., less than 90 minutes, we did want to get to the United Red Carpet lounge to wash up a little, change clothes, collect email and just relax. It's part of being Star Alliance Gold on international flights. Had we stayed in LA overnight and then continued on as domestic passengers, this service would not have been available to us without a lot of quick talking (and smiling).
So there we were tired after 16 hours, with me standing next to my Travel Pro and my companion waiting and waiting. There were some false alarms since it seemed 80% of the luggage looked alike: rollerboard style luggage in black. Occasionally, we saw bright yellow Samsonite suitcases
,
all metal cases and other outstanding and unique
examples.
How easy, I thought as we patiently waited, for someone to make a mistake and take the wrong luggage. When I first started flying into the US via LAX and JFK, one needed to show one's baggage tags (usually stapled to the airline ticket wallet) to Security who matched them up with the baggage tags on the suitcases. Now, that no longer happens with extra staff placed at the entry security points rather than exits. In other words, priorities have changed since 9/11, and when it comes to luggage, once you're at your destination, you're on your own.
Ironically, arriving home in Australia, the situation is reversed, and all luggage goes through the X-ray on arrival - no more quick getaways. Because Australia is an island nation, we have special protection for our special wildlife, and the quarantine service - AQIS - is extremely vigilant. Expect to be greated by happy little beagle dogs while you wait for your luggage, but don't have any food in your bags because they will sniff it out.
Anyway, I thought to myself that nowadays many more cases of mistaken identity must be happening at US airport carousels where hundreds of people are offloaded, tired and dazed after a many hours in the air.
Having a conventional black rollerboard-style suitcase is asking for trouble it seemed to me as we waited for the missing piece. Occasionally, I noticed others passengers had thought the situation through and marked their luggage. They had either painted the corners with bright yellow paint, tied bright ribbons on handles, put coloured tape in the form of crosses on the sides, or put special identifying tags on the bags.
In the US, you now rarely see suitcases without at least one set of wheels, while in Australia we seem to have been much slower to catch on. I have been using wheels for many years now, with hard and soft cases, and while it adds weight, it's worth it for the extra convenience. Most now come with piggy-back straps which allow you to securely add smaller pieces.
I also carry on with me a backpack
which is
especially designed to carry a laptop, its accessories and toiletries and
clothing. Rather than put it on my back on arrival, I also have a very small
extensible set of wheels to attach it to, and indeed some of these backpacks
have built in wheels for when your too tired to backpack it.
I have written elsewhere in the blog that many fearful flyers would be happy to have the conventional worry of lost luggage rather than the flying itself. But if it's ever happened to you, it's no fun, and can needlessly add anxiety to long trips.
So, let's think of ways to best maximise your chances of your luggage finding you at your destination or if it goes missing, at least having the chance of eventually getting to you... even if it does take a few days.
1. Start with the luggage you buy. I have one plain and simple rule here. Buy the best luggage you can possibly afford - do not buy cheap unless you intend to use it just a few times. There is enormous variation in prices you can pay and you may be tempted to ask of the need to pay more just to shlep clothes and presents around.
Essentially, your suitcase is your "home" while you are on the road. It is not an area to skimp unless you don't value your "valuables".
2. What differentiates luggage, you might ask?
First and foremost, the quality of the material, and precision of its construction. This includes the denier of the cloth used (the thicker the heavier, but the more impenetrable); the strength of the hinges, the quality of the lining, the "rollability" of the wheels, the "pickability" of the locks included, and the warranty included.
There is enormous variation within these parameters, but as per usual, you get what you pay for. Light and strong is the way to go, and the bigger the wheels, generally speaking the better the roll and stability. Handle qualities on those that extend is also important, and never lift your bag by the handle as it's not designed for this purpose.
The site at Unclaimed Baggage gives some great hints regarding baggage and it's worth it to skip over there and check it out.
3. No matter what luggage you purchase, think carefully about what you pack in your checked luggage compared to your hand luggage. Some things should never be packed in checked luggage.
These include:
1. Passport, airline tickets, hotel and car rental confirmations unless these are copies of the originals. In which case leave these copies on the top so that if opened by security or if in error by another passenger, they will immediately be able to identify you as the owner.
2. Never pack a laptop you expect to use during your journey. If you're on your way home, and want to lighten your load, it's passable, but be prepared should your luggage and you become separated.
3. Never put medication and home/car keys in your luggage unless you have duplicates in your hand luggage. In the case of medication, enough to last you a few days if your luggage goes missing.
4. Medicine and optical prescriptions should be carried with you, but duplicates kept in your luggage. Same goes for credit card numbers, as well as bank contact details.
5. If you wear spectacles, as well as keeping a prescription copy, consider taking an extra pair or contact lenses and lubricant. I prefer to carry daily contacts I can throw away. Oh, and always carry with you a good set of sunglasses.
6. I like to upload all the necessary data for my trip (plans, reservations, contact numbers, etc) to a server or emailed to myself, in case I lose the originals. Better safe than sorry.
7. Oh, one more thing: I always carry in my suitcase one of those $2 striped laundry bags
folded up as
small as possible, in case I run out of room. Then I place my soiled clothing in
the laundry bag and check it. People seem to not want to open these up, and so
there's little need to lock them. Just make sure you mark it in some way to
identify it as your's.
Because I'm a Star Alliance Gold member, as was my travelling companion for this trip, both our suitcases (TravelPro fullsize Rollerboard pieces)
were tagged
in Melbourne with Priority labels,
meaning
they're meant to come off the plane early in Los Angeles (LAX). Because this was
our first stop in the US before boarding the continuation of our UA 840 flight
to New York (JFK), we had to remove our luggage from the carousel, take it past
Customs, and then load the pieces onto the transfer belt for our domestic
flight. Essentially, after doing that, we start out as if we are commencing our
journey that day, and we then need to go through security checks once more with
our hand luggage.This is all meant to happen in United's Terminals 6 and 7 but there is still a fair amount of walking to do between arrival gates (77) and departure gates (76). So even though they are right next to each other, you leave the plane and head downstairs to passport control, haul it over to the baggage carousels, collect luggage, wheel your way past more customs, and then officially enter the US. Dump the checked luggage (it has been labelled with JFK as its final destination when originally checking in Melbourne), then walk out the building (less crowded than being inside near the busy checkin area) then up the escalator to security (yep, I got the "wand" once over yet again - no more wearing jackets for me), then haul it all the way back to gate 76.
Now, why am I writing all this?
Well, despite both our bags being tagged "Priority" with bright orange labels, they were obviously not packed in the same container since mine came off very early, and my companion's was nowhere to be seen.
While our connections weren't "tight" i.e., less than 90 minutes, we did want to get to the United Red Carpet lounge to wash up a little, change clothes, collect email and just relax. It's part of being Star Alliance Gold on international flights. Had we stayed in LA overnight and then continued on as domestic passengers, this service would not have been available to us without a lot of quick talking (and smiling).
So there we were tired after 16 hours, with me standing next to my Travel Pro and my companion waiting and waiting. There were some false alarms since it seemed 80% of the luggage looked alike: rollerboard style luggage in black. Occasionally, we saw bright yellow Samsonite suitcases
,
all metal cases and other outstanding and unique
examples.How easy, I thought as we patiently waited, for someone to make a mistake and take the wrong luggage. When I first started flying into the US via LAX and JFK, one needed to show one's baggage tags (usually stapled to the airline ticket wallet) to Security who matched them up with the baggage tags on the suitcases. Now, that no longer happens with extra staff placed at the entry security points rather than exits. In other words, priorities have changed since 9/11, and when it comes to luggage, once you're at your destination, you're on your own.
Ironically, arriving home in Australia, the situation is reversed, and all luggage goes through the X-ray on arrival - no more quick getaways. Because Australia is an island nation, we have special protection for our special wildlife, and the quarantine service - AQIS - is extremely vigilant. Expect to be greated by happy little beagle dogs while you wait for your luggage, but don't have any food in your bags because they will sniff it out.
Anyway, I thought to myself that nowadays many more cases of mistaken identity must be happening at US airport carousels where hundreds of people are offloaded, tired and dazed after a many hours in the air.
Having a conventional black rollerboard-style suitcase is asking for trouble it seemed to me as we waited for the missing piece. Occasionally, I noticed others passengers had thought the situation through and marked their luggage. They had either painted the corners with bright yellow paint, tied bright ribbons on handles, put coloured tape in the form of crosses on the sides, or put special identifying tags on the bags.
In the US, you now rarely see suitcases without at least one set of wheels, while in Australia we seem to have been much slower to catch on. I have been using wheels for many years now, with hard and soft cases, and while it adds weight, it's worth it for the extra convenience. Most now come with piggy-back straps which allow you to securely add smaller pieces.
I also carry on with me a backpack
which is
especially designed to carry a laptop, its accessories and toiletries and
clothing. Rather than put it on my back on arrival, I also have a very small
extensible set of wheels to attach it to, and indeed some of these backpacks
have built in wheels for when your too tired to backpack it.
I have written elsewhere in the blog that many fearful flyers would be happy to have the conventional worry of lost luggage rather than the flying itself. But if it's ever happened to you, it's no fun, and can needlessly add anxiety to long trips.
So, let's think of ways to best maximise your chances of your luggage finding you at your destination or if it goes missing, at least having the chance of eventually getting to you... even if it does take a few days.
1. Start with the luggage you buy. I have one plain and simple rule here. Buy the best luggage you can possibly afford - do not buy cheap unless you intend to use it just a few times. There is enormous variation in prices you can pay and you may be tempted to ask of the need to pay more just to shlep clothes and presents around.
Essentially, your suitcase is your "home" while you are on the road. It is not an area to skimp unless you don't value your "valuables".
2. What differentiates luggage, you might ask?
First and foremost, the quality of the material, and precision of its construction. This includes the denier of the cloth used (the thicker the heavier, but the more impenetrable); the strength of the hinges, the quality of the lining, the "rollability" of the wheels, the "pickability" of the locks included, and the warranty included.
There is enormous variation within these parameters, but as per usual, you get what you pay for. Light and strong is the way to go, and the bigger the wheels, generally speaking the better the roll and stability. Handle qualities on those that extend is also important, and never lift your bag by the handle as it's not designed for this purpose.
The site at Unclaimed Baggage gives some great hints regarding baggage and it's worth it to skip over there and check it out.
3. No matter what luggage you purchase, think carefully about what you pack in your checked luggage compared to your hand luggage. Some things should never be packed in checked luggage.
These include:
1. Passport, airline tickets, hotel and car rental confirmations unless these are copies of the originals. In which case leave these copies on the top so that if opened by security or if in error by another passenger, they will immediately be able to identify you as the owner.
2. Never pack a laptop you expect to use during your journey. If you're on your way home, and want to lighten your load, it's passable, but be prepared should your luggage and you become separated.
3. Never put medication and home/car keys in your luggage unless you have duplicates in your hand luggage. In the case of medication, enough to last you a few days if your luggage goes missing.
4. Medicine and optical prescriptions should be carried with you, but duplicates kept in your luggage. Same goes for credit card numbers, as well as bank contact details.
5. If you wear spectacles, as well as keeping a prescription copy, consider taking an extra pair or contact lenses and lubricant. I prefer to carry daily contacts I can throw away. Oh, and always carry with you a good set of sunglasses.
6. I like to upload all the necessary data for my trip (plans, reservations, contact numbers, etc) to a server or emailed to myself, in case I lose the originals. Better safe than sorry.
7. Oh, one more thing: I always carry in my suitcase one of those $2 striped laundry bags
folded up as
small as possible, in case I run out of room. Then I place my soiled clothing in
the laundry bag and check it. People seem to not want to open these up, and so
there's little need to lock them. Just make sure you mark it in some way to
identify it as your's.Posted: Monday - September 13, 2004 at 09:15 AM |