Baggage handler reveals the best time to check bags if you want to avoid waiting – while lifting the veil on what really goes on behind the scenes at the airport

Have you ever checked your bag in early, hoping it would come out the other end first?

Well, you don’t have to worry about that, according to a baggage handler.

In a ‘ask me anything’ In a Reddit thread, Adam Tazul was asked several questions about the best time to check bags so that they arrive at their destination faster.

The British-based airport worker responded that there is no ideal time because everything generally gets mixed up.

One Reddit user joked: ‘Any tricks to checking your bags first? For example, does it matter what the shape/size of the bag is, or how early/late you check in the bags?’

In an ‘ask me anything’ thread on Reddit, Adam Tazul was asked several questions about the best time to check bags so that they arrive at their destination faster (stock image)

Adam’s response to this is that it is virtually “impossible” to tell because “the bags are mixed up.”

Another employee questioned the pilot to see if there was any truth to their baggage theory.

They wrote: ‘I’m not sure if you’ll see this, but I have a theory that the earlier you check in, the lower your bag will be.

“Then it’s loaded onto the plane and it’s now at the top of the pile. When you arrive at your destination, it is unpacked again and ends up at the bottom of the pile, which means that your suitcase ends up last on the carousel.

“Is there any truth to this? I was curious, because I just got back from a trip.”

Adam gave his opinion on the matter and replied: ‘There is some truth in it, but it is not a hard and fast rule.

‘When dollies (trailers we use to transport bags from the terminal to the aircraft and vice versa) with bags are picked up by the disaster team, they often get mixed up.’

In addition to check-in times, some Reddit users also asked Adam about the type of luggage he should invest in.

The UK-based airport worker responded that there is no ideal time as everything generally gets mixed up (stock image)

Based on his experience handling hundreds of bags a day, he responded, “Some of the worst bags to buy are the ones without wheels.

‘At my airline, we don’t have a luggage compartment that can be loaded into the bins, so we have to manually stack the bags in the luggage compartments. And the luggage can be quite long.

‘If your bag has at least two good wheels, we can quickly roll it through the hold and that makes it a lot easier for us.

‘Otherwise we have to throw away the bags to be able to meet the planned times.

‘My least favorite bags are the ones with four wheels. One of them is stuck and we try to roll it down, but if we push it six inches to the side, it falls over.’

While some people put ‘fragile’ stickers on bags in the hope that they will be handled more carefully, Adam says this is also a pointless measure.

He explained: ‘Some of us are tempted to treat [these bags] worse, but we never do that. Making a fragile label doesn’t really make a difference.’

To protect valuable goods, Adam suggests a suitcase with “four good wheels, with soft lining on the inside and a hard outside.”

One Reddit user was concerned about employees stealing luggage, but Adam reassured them by saying that “that’s absolutely not allowed.”

He added: “I’ve known a few guys who got fired for trying so hard.”

He also offered advice on making luggage more visible on the baggage carousel: ‘We see a lot of bags that look exactly the same on the same flight.

‘A good way I’ve seen is to put your own label on the bag with your name and address so you can read it and make sure it’s yours. Other ways include using unique straps that wrap around the bags.”

Moving away from the baggage topic for a moment, a commentator asked Adam about the health effects of his job and working in the hold of airplanes for long periods of time.

He admitted that it is a physically demanding job and that people considering this type of work should invest in knee pads.

The Briton revealed: ‘I’m 6ft 1in tall and I have to bend over in the hold.

‘If you don’t have knee pads, your knees will start to hurt A LOT. Also after a few years of work you can expect severe back pain, because you always have a bent back.

‘You become physically strong, but that comes at the cost of pain almost everywhere.’