A flight attendant has disclosed how to choose the ideal luggage for your forthcoming flight that will guarantee all your possessions remain secure inside the aircraft’s cargo hold. Megan Homme, who is employed by an American airline and shares content under her TikTok handle @meganhomme, has gathered 360,500 followers thanks to her popular travel tips.
In a recent clip, she outlined how she selects her own luggage after being compelled to “learn the hard way” from numerous errors she has committed previously. The initial consideration is the fabric from which your case is constructed. Whilst flexible suitcases might be simpler to handle, they can create difficulties if another passenger’s luggage spills or splits open in the cargo area.
“You never know what is going to be in someone else’s bag, or what is going to be underneath the plane, and what could leak on your bag,” Megan explained.
Baggage operatives have disclosed previously that travellers frequently pack liquids in their carry-ons and this can create complications.
Writing on a Reddit forum, the unnamed baggage operative said: “Please don’t pack food or drinks in your bag. They rot, break, leak, open. It smells. Especially alcohol. Then I smell all day after picking up a bag that leaked on me.”
It’s not merely liquid spillage that you need to be cautious of when choosing a case though – shade is another crucial factor.
Megan suggests purchasing a dark coloured suitcase to reduce the chance of it being noticeably damaged once it appears from the cargo hold. “If your bag is going under the plane it is going to be scuffed up very quickly. I learned that the hard way.”
The third consideration is ensuring your suitcase has wheels. Another baggage handler also took to Reddit explaining why having four wheels is crucial to prevent your bag being hurled into the hold by workers.
If your luggage has at least two, but ideally four functioning wheels, this means handlers can wheel it down into the hold which will keep your belongings secure. If you’re without wheels, then your bag will almost certainly need to be flung into the hold.
The baggage handler said their “absolute least favourite” bags to load were ones with wheels that had jammed up.