Does Wrapping Your Luggage in Plastic Actually Make It More Secure? We Asked TSA

There are a whole lot of odd airport jobs. The “chicken guys” maintain birds at bay, toilet crews empty the loos, and eventually, 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 certain in regards to the third. That mentioned, luggage-wrapping stations have been a mainstay at main U.S. worldwide airports for the reason that early 90s. They’re much more frequent overseas; one Miami-based firm, Secure Wrap, has greater than 500 workers wrapping baggage at airports throughout 17 totally 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 mentioned they regretted not wrapping their bag prematurely as a result of their garments obtained saturated. Lastly, there are all the time vacationers who need to 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 costs 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 isn’t wrapped in plastic. All checked luggage are topic to screening earlier than they’re handed on to airline baggage handlers who load them onto the aircraft. Within the U.S., that’s roughly 1.3 million checked luggage 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 Ok-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 canines. 

Most luggage, roughly 95 %, go this screening and don’t have to be bodily inspected by a TSA officer. Baggage which might be flagged, get opened—this implies plastic wrapping can be lower, and locks can be damaged in the event that they’re not TSA-approved. Within the U.S. no less than, the TSA examines baggage in a managed setting monitored by CCTV. This ensures that nobody is tempted to tamper (in an pointless manner) 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 their baggage, they won’t rewrap the bag in plastic. 

Nonetheless, some luggage-wrapping corporations, together with Safe Wrap, provide complimentary rewrapping if the plastic wrapping is lower by TSA. In addition they embrace a assure that matches the airways’ compensation for misplaced baggage or harm. Observe: 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 corporations declare they solely use one hundred pc recyclable plastic, many airports are beginning to take into account banning plastic baggage wrapping because of environmental issues. Thankfully, if you wish to keep your luggage secure, you might have different choices. For starters, you need to use TSA-approved locks or luggage straps. You may as well spend money on a reusable luggage cover should you’re involved with aesthetics.