Questions for Im a baggage Handler !!

[baggage handler syd]

Here's a question:

In your opinion, what are the major reasons bags get lost and/or damaged?

Mechanical (baggage travellators/ramps within the "bowels" of the airport)?
Dropped manually out of aircraft?
Picked from a collection of bags then put on wrong a/c (ie. human error?)

Is there anything travellers can do to try and reduce the risk of lost/delayed/damaged luggage? (I'm guessing NOT overload the bag will be one.....)

Thanks if you can answer for us.

I can give you my personal opioion on this.

This really depands on what type of flight you are taking, Domestic/international.

Think of it this way, the person dealing with your bags once you have checked it in may have 10 flights they are loading and sometimes they will be loading 3 for the same location at different time, this is where human error can occur.

Check in with good time, your bags will have the best chance of coming out with fewer bags..

Bags do fall off the barrow in these cases bust zips and case damage can occur, i have seen them run over and ripped by the sorting machine, this is rare, most damage is cause by the cases hitting each other and being dropped.

The main cause for bags missing flights are during tran ship, if you come in on a flight from x and are leaving on flight z, there is not a lot that you can do except clearly label your bag. have your name and number on the bag, and also put the details inside the case. the amount of bags that the BMR have to try and id from dirty underwear.....

 

[Deleted member 18152]

Welcome! Are any particular airline hard on you on bag priority???

 

[baggage handler syd]

Welcome! Are any particular airline hard on you on bag priority???

Im not sure on ths one Johnny, although we do work around otehr airlines, i could not comment on that.

i know we do make every effort to get the baggage right.

Cheers

 

[JeniSkunk]

Great to see some airport staff here on AFF


Question to the Admins: could this thread be please moved to Your Questions, as it seems less and less like a standard intro thread and more like a real Q and A session.

Jenifur Charne

 

[ellen10]

Welcome and thanks for your informative insights into your job.

I am often amazed to see my bags arrive at a multi flight destination with minimal time between flights. As with all jobs there is always a human element and chance for error.

 

[anat0l]

the amount of bags that the BMR have to try and id from dirty underwear.....

Are you telling me there are still a lot of people who write their names and contact details on their underwear:?:

 

[anat0l]

Otherwise it can get lost due to the barcode being hidden from the scanners, then it has to be manually entered into the system and if there is no one there to do this it will miss the fligh..

I guess the barcode problem is one reason HKG (HKIA) went to RFID enabled tags.

No idea of the loss incidence rate at HKG, but if it wasn't fairly low then I'd be very surprised. (Not that RFID technology is completely faultless)

 

[JohnK]

Interesting to read your advice about check-in times at the airport.

I am one of those people who has luggage delayed and damaged too often. My current luggage is the 3rd replacement for the original luggage I purchased less than 2 years ago.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

How long does it take to get bags onto the carousels? Do you have performance indicators / targets in this regard?

+2.
Can hear the tractors (not too sure what they are called), behind the carousel. Do you do 2 runs from the plane, or work in teams? Sometimes seems like a long time in between the first lot of items and the second lot arriving on the carousel.

How are your breaks structured? Have also noticed on PER-SYD runs, a lot of "handlers" going on breaks/what not, while people are standing around, waiting for luggage. Are you guys understaffed?

Do you get discounts/perks if you wish to fly?
Are you sub-contractors, or work direct for airline, or a mixture?
Is there a difference in working, say, in T2 and T3 (Qantas vs Jetstar and different unions), with conditions, pay, leave etc etc...?

 

[drewbles]

Welcome Aboard. Great to see someone on the inside offering us a view to what happens behind the plastic/rubber flaps!

One thing i've noticed at MEL of late is how they constantly bring out luggage for 2-3 flights on the same carousel, usually 4 (the smallest one with only one 'prong' jutting out into the baggage area) hence providing a very large bottle neck for a large number of people.

I can't remember the carousels at SYD, but who determines which bags go on what carousel? It would seem to make more sense (in MEL) for the 763 and A330 flights to be offloaded to a carousel with the double 'prong' ones, allowing pax more room go huddle around waiting for their bag.

(I'd also like to know why MEL is so damn slow, but alas, you're SYD based. Any mates in MEL you can point these questions to for me? )

 

[baggage handler syd]

+2.
Can hear the tractors (not too sure what they are called), behind the carousel. Do you do 2 runs from the plane, or work in teams? Sometimes seems like a long time in between the first lot of items and the second lot arriving on the carousel.


How are your breaks structured? Have also noticed on PER-SYD runs, a lot of "handlers" going on breaks/what not, while people are standing around, waiting for luggage. Are you guys understaffed?

Do you get discounts/perks if you wish to fly?
Are you sub-contractors, or work direct for airline, or a mixture?
Is there a difference in working, say, in T2 and T3 (Qantas vs Jetstar and different unions), with conditions, pay, leave etc etc...?

This can depend on how many barrows they unload from the plane, if the first barrow can drive striaght to the drop off but the second barrow get stuck waiting for a plane to cross then there will be a delay.

We work in teams, so some teams will not be working on your flight, so you will see others that are doing different flights maybe standing around waiting.

We do get discounts on some of the flights but we are on stand by and passengers have the seat if the flight os full, we can also get some discounts with otehr businesses like hotels.

There are differences in working for Jet star and Qantas, some companies use out side contractors and some use there our staff, the pay will be different. i am not sure about the union.

 

[baggage handler syd]

Welcome Aboard. Great to see someone on the inside offering us a view to what happens behind the plastic/rubber flaps!

One thing i've noticed at MEL of late is how they constantly bring out luggage for 2-3 flights on the same carousel, usually 4 (the smallest one with only one 'prong' jutting out into the baggage area) hence providing a very large bottle neck for a large number of people.

I can't remember the carousels at SYD, but who determines which bags go on what carousel? It would seem to make more sense (in MEL) for the 763 and A330 flights to be offloaded to a carousel with the double 'prong' ones, allowing pax more room go huddle around waiting for their bag.

(I'd also like to know why MEL is so damn slow, but alas, you're SYD based. Any mates in MEL you can point these questions to for me? )

Hi

I am not to sure about Mel, but we have the same carousel for every most flights, i am not sure who would be in charge of this ??? You could also put a suggestion into the airport or airline ??

I m not sure on the set up in Mel so cant really say why they seem slow,

Thanks

 

[baggage handler syd]

Interesting to read your advice about check-in times at the airport.

I am one of those people who has luggage delayed and damaged too often. My current luggage is the 3rd replacement for the original luggage I purchased less than 2 years ago.

Hi John

I have seen a product once that would help with this, i am waiting to see one agaon so i can get its name, it helped prevent damage and provided the best security i have seen. as soon as i spot it again ill let you know, i imagine it would save you some money..

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Thanks for the reply "baggage handler syd"

 

[JohnK]

I have seen a product once that would help with this, i am waiting to see one agaon so i can get its name, it helped prevent damage and provided the best security i have seen. as soon as i spot it again ill let you know, i imagine it would save you some money..

Thanks. Would be interested in the details.

On the plus side Qantas has replaced my most recent luggage purchase for the 3rd time. As long as I do not lose anything personal then I don't mind damaged luggage if Qantas keeps giving me a newer version of my old luggage.