How to Check a Bag at the Airport | (avoid lost luggage)

How to Check Luggage at the Airport to prevent your bag from being lost, damaged or delayed in 2024.

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In today's video we will cover 5 Things you must do when checking a bag at the airport to prevent the airline from losing your luggage. I'll also share checked baggage hacks to get your luggage fast when you arrive at your destination airport. These essential travel tips will prevent lost bags when flying in 2024.

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0:00 Airport guide to checking a bag
0:30 Never check a bag early
1:10 Cut-off time for checking a bag
2:25 Check this on your bag tag
2:38 Travel essential
3:10 How do checked bags work with layovers
3:40 Keep baggage receipts
4:10 Get your checked bag first
4:50 Exactly when to check a bag
5:30 Checked baggage hacks
5:45 Does a fragile sticker on luggage work?

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// ABOUT

Hey there, I'm Megan and I've spent 5+ years living and working from over 50 countries around the world. I'm on a mission to prove that anyone (even you!) can do it too.

Portable Professional is a youtube channel full of actionable tips and guides to travel, live and work from anywhere in the world. Serving seasoned digital nomads and first-time travelers alike, it's the ultimate resource to hack the travel lifestyle.

[Jay]

Speaking as someone who has worked as a baggage handler for many years, there really is no way to give yourself an advantage to have your bag come out first at your destination. All airports and airlines do things slightly differently (based on their size and type of aircraft, among other things), but it's very random regardless.

When you check your bag at the counter, it goes down and gets loaded into a cart for your specific flight. But a cart can only hold up to 50 or so bags, and most flights will have 100+ checked bags on them and multiple carts are used to transport the bags. When they get loaded on the plane, it's not done based on when they were checked in. They can also be loaded into separate ends of the aircraft, particularly at flights destined for airports where a lot of connections happen. Even if you're not making a connection (which adds significant variables to your bag's journey), simply having your bag being the last one loaded onto the plane doesn't guarantee it'll be the first one onto the claim belt...actually quite the opposite. When the bags are being unloaded from the plane, the last bags onto the plane are the first ones loaded into the carts used to transport them to the claim area. And the first bags into the cart are going to be the ones on the bottom that will be the last to be put onto the carousel. You actually have a better chance of getting your bag first if it's the first one loaded onto the plane, and therefore the last one unloaded and at the top of the stack in the cart. But again, there is really no way to influence that as a passenger, because where your bag is loaded on the plane is up to the ground crew. And with multiple carts of bags, it can also be quite random which one ends up being the first one unloaded at the claim area anyway. And then with widebody aircraft, it's a completely different scenario since the bags are put into containers loaded directly onto the plane...but just as many variables dictating where your bag will end up in the order.

There are even more complexities to the process beyond that...but all this to say, there is really no way to influence it as a passenger. My only tip is to NOT buy cheap luggage with crappy wheels and zippers that easily break. And don't overstuff your bag so that it is bulging out in every direction. Every bag I've ever seen pop open and people's stuff end up all over the ground has been a result of one of those two things.

[thoragraham]

Number 1 Tip: make sure to never let the check in agent put the luggage tag on your bag (long ways/stuck directly to the fabric or plastic wrapping) instead of on your handle. This happened to me and the tag came off. My bags were left in a connecting airport. Make sure the tag is only placed on the bags handle!

[TheWanderingWife]

Another important tip - make sure there are NO stickers or tags from past flights left on your luggage. If the wrong one is scanned, your luggage won’t end up where you do. I take them off when I unpack.

[abigailgerlach]

I check in 2 hours national and 3 hours international.
I also make sure that I have only the current luggage labels and identification on the outside of the checked bag.

[BigAliG]

I used to be a baggage handler and I can confirm that a 'fragile' sticker means absolutely nothing to the baggage handlers. They are treated the same way as any other bag

[susanmeredith]

I like to arrive at airport 2.5 - 3 hrs before flight. Mostly 3 hrs, because you should technically arrive 2 hrs before boarding and it takes awhile to check luggage, and then get thru security and customs if applicable.

[KVDC]

All of this advice works well on paper, but once you arrive at the airport, everything changes. Given post-pandemic travel, you definitely want to arrive at the airport as early as possible and check in at the first opportunity. Whether that means your luggage is put in a holding area is less of a concern than missing your flight because you cut it too close. Also, the "sweet spot" of dropping off your luggage is also the busiest time for the check-in counters, so you will be waiting a lot longer on line just so you can save some time on the luggage pick up time. It just evens out overall and there is really no NET time savings. Like many things in life, you get what you pay for. If getting your luggage first is so important to a passenger, then get the first class, business class or premium economy seats that also allows for priority check-in, priority boarding and priority bag handling. There is no such thing as free lunch. Though I appreciate Megan outlining all the academic process of getting an advantage on checked bags.

[nathanjw]

Take a picture of your luggage. In the unfortunate event you don't have your luggage a picture will help them to know what to look for

[auditocanarsie]

3:15 Great tip that you may have to pick up your checked bags while on a layover on an international trip. I have been traveling to South Asia for the last 45+ years and one layover I noticed that people were picking up their checked bags. I looked for my luggage and to my surpris4e it was their. I just followed the crowd & went through security again & re-checked it. This only happened once in 45+ years and no airline rep told me to I would have to do it. They should really print that on the luggage tag or boarding pass or something. Really a poor practice or behalf of the airlines not to do so.

[matthewbrown]

For domestic - I use a carry on bag only & if it's for work - I take my suit pack with spare ties, shirts & hotel resting clothes. I use a ziplock bag for toiletries & rely on my tablet & compendium as my PC. Best friend came back on a domestic flight to find someone collected his bag - the bags were different colours & brands too. I try not to check bags but if I do the handles all have a yellow tag on them.

[suwilkinson]

Because so many people ask for fragile tags for bags that aren’t fragile (because they were advised to on the internet) they have now “cried wolf” for fragile tags and spoiled it for everyone who actually have fragile items in their bags. Most international flights load their bags into containers that are all loaded at once - so checking your bag in early or late makes little difference. The best way to ensure your bag comes up first is to be eligible for priority baggage (have airline status) so support your favourite airline(s)!Everyone should ensure their bags are not overpacked and that they have their name and phone number (with country code) on the bag in case the airline tag comes off.

[mrslcom]

In my experience, whether you check in early or late has no bearing on when your luggage will arrive at the destination’s baggage carousel.

[guyh]

I was one of the first to check-in for a flight from Sydney to HCM City last month and my bag was one of the first out on the carousel in Vietnam.
With the security chaos in Sydney I am glad that I did check-in early. I am also reluctant to tempt fate at the moment by flying multiple legs, it is direct flights only for me until the post COVID chaos dies down.
Brightly coloured luggage - lime green or orange - is also easier to see on the carousel. Too many black bags otherwise.

[letterbox]

Gosh, I take luggage delivery for granted but your video raised the alarm to think more thoroughly- so check in not too early or too late, be sure to re-check in the bags at layover if necessary, and take pictures of luggage and keep all receipts. As an extra precaution, I will make sure to carry enough clothing for a few days on my carry-on and/or backpack that way I can still have fun for a few days in case of luggage delays. Thanks for your great advice.

[primrosetx]

Good tips. The only thing that I would skip is the fragile tag. Imagine everyone puts fragile tags on their luggage?

[tammypearson]

Taking two international trips in the next 60 days. I'm definitely taking carry-on for the short flight/stay (Mexico) but doing the mental debate with the longer flight/stay in the Netherlands. Schipol has been in the news lately discussing the airport doesn't want travelers arriving too early, yet their lines are horrific. I don't want to lose my bag, I want to arrive early since checking in for flights to America feels like it takes forever. Your information and tips are always spot on and much appreciated by me. Have a wonderful day/week 😊

[joits]

When I was leaving Singapore headed back to the US, I checked in 5 hours early because I wanted to fully explore the amazing airport that was Changi International Airport such as the free movie theater, butterfly garden, amazing food courts, etc. But then again, that's Changi and not some crappy US airport.

[cailwi]

Not sure that the advice to check in late, but not too late, so that your bag comes out first, is really solid or proven. In general, bags, after drop off, go through the carousel, security checks, more carousel, and then land in the destination specific slot, where they get taken and loaded onto a baggage cart. If I assume that while traveling on carousels all bags are kept in FIFO sequence, then your bag that has been checked quite late, arrives at the baggage cart late, so it should be on top of that cart. Assuming that the plane is small enough that there is only one cart going to your plane, then your bag that is on top of the cart, will go into the plane first, so it is in the back (LIFO). Now at the destination, the process is the reverse, and technically, your bag in the back, should be on top of the bagagge cart (again assuming only one cart - LIFO process), and that would indeed get it out to you relatively early, as it is on top (FIFO). So, I see why you say what you are saying. But the reality of actual airport baggage handling is that many more movements are happening and sequences are not as logical or predictable as you think. Depending on your check-in counter location, your travel time to the baggage slot may route you through different baggage routes, altering your place within the line, transfer baggage gets thrown in with new departure luggage, security checks that are manual may delay your bag, and the baggage handlers may at times pull your bag off the belt, but leave it next to the belt, because no baggage cart is available at that moment. In such a case, the whole process reverses or becomes quite random. On the other hand, your strategy of checking in late, is increasing the risk that your baggage does not make it at all, and that risk is not worth the off-chance that you might be waiting five minutes less at baggage claim. If there is only one baggage cart to be unloaded, five minutes is all the difference between a 'top' bag, and one that lands on the bottom of the cart. And if it is a big plane and there are tons of baggage carts going to the same plane, the whole loading and unloading process becomes very random very quickly, and you have no idea whether your bag will be in the back or the front of any specific luggage section within the plane.

[wendyon]

I'm flying out of Toronto Pearson to Tokyo via Atlanta in a few weeks. Delta Premium Economy which is supposed to provide priority for bags and security (which I hope is true). 6:15am flight. With the weaknesses Pearson is showing at the moment I'm not so confident that baggage check, security, and immigration will line up nicely.

I'll verify but my bags should be checked straight through to Tokyo. I didn't need to pick them up when coming to Canada. I'm not too concerned about when they are put on the plane in Toronto.

One piece of obvious advice from our trip. In Atlanta we had to go through immigration but my daughter needed to use the restroom. In the time she was there the passengers from at least one plane walked by putting us that far back at immigration. So if you are not solo you can get in line, then have one use the restroom.

[JederCooks]

Even how careful you checked your baggage when your flight was sooo delayed and you already missed your connecting flight the luggage will not come with you. It happened to me last week. Thank you for your tips ma’am appreciate it.