A cabin crew member has shared her top tips for choosing the perfect bag for a flight, after learning the hard way in the past
A flight attendant has shared her top tips for choosing the perfect suitcase to ensure your belongings stay safe during flights.
Megan Homme, an American airline employee who shares travel hacks on TikTok under the username @meganhomme, has gained a following of 360,500 thanks to her viral advice.
And in one of her hugely popular clips, she has disclosed some important advice on how to select the right kind of bag for your travels, after making some mistakes herself in the past.
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One key factor is the material of your suitcase. While soft cases may be more flexible, they can lead to issues if another passenger’s bag leaks or bursts in the hold, reports the Express.
“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 warned.
Baggage handlers have previously disclosed that travellers often pack liquids in their carry-on bags, which can cause problems.
An anonymous baggage handler posted on a Reddit forum: “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.”
But it’s not just potential leaks you need to consider when choosing a suitcase – colour is also important. Megan suggests opting for a dark coloured case to reduce the chance of visible scuffs once it comes out of the hold.
“If your bag is going under the plane it is going to be scuffed up very quickly. I learned that the hard way,” she noted.
A third consideration is to ensure your suitcase has wheels. A fellow baggage handler shared on Reddit why having four wheels is crucial to prevent your bag from being tossed into the hold by staff. With at least two, but ideally four functioning wheels, handlers can roll your luggage into the hold, safeguarding your belongings.
However, if your bag lacks wheels, it will likely be thrown into the hold. The baggage handler confessed that their “absolute least favourite” bags to load were those with seized-up wheels.
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