Wrapped luggage

I was watching Airport 24/7 tonight and as they showed luggage on the carousel there were a number of bags that looked wrapped. Some of these were clear (looked like cellophane) but some of the others were colored. Anyone know what this might be?

At some airports, they offer a "wrapping" service to make you luggage tamper proof from the TSA clerks and baggage guys who can't keep their hands off your bags. You pay a fee and they wrap it. The color doesn't have a meaning - it's just from which ever wrapper you paid to do the deed.

Exactly what it looked like. Bags wrapped in stretch-wrap plastic. Available at many airports worldwide for a per-bag fee. Sometimes it is clear, sometimes colored.

I've seen this offered in airports in Rome and Venice. The interesting thing to me is that the wrapping stations are located right after you enter the airport. They wrap your luggage in front of you (for a fee) and then you go check your wrapped luggage in as usual. The airport security staff probably just X-rays the luggage although I'm sure they would remove the wrap if they needed to investigate something suspicious. It's not like getting the notes inside your luggage from the USA TSA inspectors.

I addition to keeping worker thieves out of your luggage, it would prevent your luggage from breaking open. They wrap it thoroughly in lots of layers. Then they cut holes so the luggage handles are usable.

At CAN (Guangzhou) it is sold as to make your luggage "tamper proof" and to keep your stuff inside in case you have a blow-out.

All done pre-security and pre-check-in :cool:

I was watching Airport 24/7 tonight and as they showed luggage on the carousel there were a number of bags that looked wrapped. Some of these were clear (looked like cellophane) but some of the others were colored. Anyone know what this might be?

As others have posted, it is shrink wrap, just like you see on commercial pallets of product.

And since this show is about Miami International, I will bet about 80% of the bags with shrink wrap came from South America. BIG business in South America and available at almost all airports, including some relatively small ones. In fact, I think the first time I ever saw shrink wrapped luggage was at the Lima airport well over 10 years ago.

If you want to believe the urban legend, it was the big cocaine distributors who first shrink wrapped luggage. The "mules" were instructed NOT to pick up the suitcases if the shrink wrap was NOT intact.

The TSA will cut into the shrink wrap on luggage and do not tape it back up.

It mainly helps to keep sticky fingers out of your luggage and to keep your luggage from sprining open along the way.

The TSA will cut into the shrink wrap on luggage and do not tape it back up.

 

It mainly helps to keep sticky fingers out of your luggage and to keep your luggage from sprining open along the way.

In my experience (not having done it, but having seen it), they'll only rip it open if they need to check what's inside, which is the minority of the time.

I'm always amazed at how popular this is, especially with the foreign crowd (be it at US airports or elsewhere, often Asia in my experience).

We had a suitcase shrink wrapped at the Rome airport.

The suitcase was badly damaged when it came off the ship and the cruise people told us just to have it wrapped at the airport.

Worked well for travelling and when we got home we just contacted the cruiseline for reimbursement.

The way luggage is thrown around, I wish it was available at more airports.

You can have it don at some airports for a fee..

Thanks for the answers. I guess I haven't traveled internationally enough in the last 13 years for all these wrapped bags were a complete surprise to me. Considering the thread that was going recently on how easy it is to pop the zipper on luggage (although I tried it and was unable to do it), I can understand why people want to have their luggage wrapped. Seems it would be good protection for the luggage itself (last trip mine got off the plane with a big grease spot).

some insurance companies in europe insist on it - they tend to be in spanish and italian airports but it's not cheap either - we worked out a family of 4 would pay almost $80 to $100 to wrap our cases

Thanks for the answers. I guess I haven't traveled internationally enough in the last 13 years for all these wrapped bags were a complete surprise to me. Considering the thread that was going recently on how easy it is to pop the zipper on luggage (although I tried it and was unable to do it), I can understand why people want to have their luggage wrapped. Seems it would be good protection for the luggage itself (last trip mine got off the plane with a big grease spot).

Best thing I have ever seen was in Seam Reap, Cambodia. After your luggage goes through the X ray machines (including carry ons), the airport puts cargo straps around your luggage-you know the ones that come on boxes from overseas. They were all stamped-SECURITY. I had five flights that trip-Cambodia to Bangkok, Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Kuwait City, Kuwait City to London and London to PHX. BELIEVE ME, those Middle Eastern airports CHECK and CHECK and RECHECK luggage, particularly luggage that is tagged with US identification.

NO ONE looked twice at my luggage. I had taken stuff I REALLY needed out of my roller in Siem Reap but my luggage just FLEW through the airports. And those security straps were all intact. Better than any lock, belt or other means to make sure your luggage stays together in one piece and is actually SECURE from terrorist threats because they make you stand there while your luggage goes through the scanners and THEN put the straps on. I really wonder why more airports don't do that-saved a LOT of time handling luggage.

PS-the pen thing only works with those CHEAP plastic zippers.

Best thing I have ever seen was in Seam Reap, Cambodia. After your luggage goes through the X ray machines (including carry ons), the airport puts cargo straps around your luggage-you know the ones that come on boxes from overseas. They were all stamped-SECURITY. I had five flights that trip-Cambodia to Bangkok, Bangkok to Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi to Kuwait City, Kuwait City to London and London to PHX. BELIEVE ME, those Middle Eastern airports CHECK and CHECK and RECHECK luggage, particularly luggage that is tagged with US identification.

 

NO ONE looked twice at my luggage. I had taken stuff I REALLY needed out of my roller in Siem Reap but my luggage just FLEW through the airports. And those security straps were all intact. Better than any lock, belt or other means to make sure your luggage stays together in one piece and is actually SECURE from terrorist threats because they make you stand there while your luggage goes through the scanners and THEN put the straps on. I really wonder why more airports don't do that-saved a LOT of time handling luggage.

 

PS-the pen thing only works with those CHEAP plastic zippers.

Those straps sound like a good idea.

I'm glad to know my suitcases are more secure and have good zippers.

Those straps sound like a good idea.

I'm glad to know my suitcases are more secure and have good zippers.

We bought personalized straps online and put those around our luggage. We don't have to worry about the zipper breaking, and our luggage is easy to spot.

The baggage wrap at MIA was $20 per bag with stations throughout the international terminals in March. We've seen it in other airports as well.

We bought personalized straps online and put those around our luggage. We don't have to worry about the zipper breaking, and our luggage is easy to spot.

I was thinking about doing this. Do you use one on each bag or more?

We bought personalized straps online and put those around our luggage. We don't have to worry about the zipper breaking, and our luggage is easy to spot.

Where did you find these straps? They sound very useful.

I was thinking about doing this. Do you use one on each bag or more?

We just use one per bag. They are wide enough that is all we need.

Where did you find these straps? They sound very useful.

If you google personalized luggage straps you will find several sites that have them. Current catalog site has them now for $9.99 each.

Where did you find these straps? They sound very useful.

We got a set of bright neon green luggage straps at Walmart..and they work great.

We got a set of bright neon green luggage straps at Walmart..and they work great.

I gave up using them. We had one on each suitcase with our name in big black letters and STILL someone took our suitcase home. Really people! The name on the strap wasn't a hint? The only good thing was that we were spending the night in Vancouver so once the people got home they figured out their name and brought our suitcase back to the pier. Really screwed up our day though since we had to hurry back to the port to get it.

I gave up using them. We had one on each suitcase with our name in big black letters and STILL someone took our suitcase home. Really people! The name on the strap wasn't a hint? The only good thing was that we were spending the night in Vancouver so once the people got home they figured out their name and brought our suitcase back to the pier. Really screwed up our day though since we had to hurry back to the port to get it.

At least they were just clueless not criminal.;)

I gave up using them. We had one on each suitcase with our name in big black letters and STILL someone took our suitcase home. Really people! The name on the strap wasn't a hint? The only good thing was that we were spending the night in Vancouver so once the people got home they figured out their name and brought our suitcase back to the pier. Really screwed up our day though since we had to hurry back to the port to get it.

The straps worked great.....didn't say people always do. ;)

True to both of you :D. I've had too many of them not make it to the cabin or back home though. I just leave them at home now.