This one actually isn’t clickbait — many baggage handlers and airport workers have explained this, and the reason is surprisingly practical. 🧳🎀
Why you should NOT attach a ribbon to your luggage
✈️ 1. It can mess up automated scanners
Modern airports rely heavily on automated baggage-handling systems:
- Conveyors
- Optical scanners
- Barcode readers
Loose items like ribbons, straps, or bows can:
- Cover or twist the baggage tag
- Get caught in conveyor belts
- Prevent scanners from reading your bag correctly
👉 When that happens, your bag may be pulled for manual handling — which increases the chance of delays or misrouting.
⏱️ 2. Manual handling = higher risk of delay
If your bag can’t be scanned automatically:
- It’s diverted off the main system
- Hand-sorted by staff
- Sometimes arrives on a later flight
This is one of the most common reasons bags don’t show up on the carousel.
🧵 3. It can get torn off anyway
Ribbons often:
- Rip off during transit
- Get tangled in other luggage
- End up loose inside the system (which causes problems for everyone’s bags)
So even as an identifier, they’re unreliable.
What baggage handlers recommend instead ✅
✔️ Use distinctive luggage
- Bright-colored suitcase
- Unique pattern or texture
✔️ Add an ID tag inside the bag
- Name
- Phone number
(Outside tags can be torn off.)
✔️ Remove old airline stickers
- Old barcodes can confuse scanners
✔️ Take a photo of your luggage before flying
- Helps immensely if it’s lost
Common myth
🚫 “Ribbons help staff identify your bag faster”
➡️ False. Staff rely on barcodes, not visual cues.
Bottom line
🎀 Ribbons seem helpful, but they can increase the chance your bag gets delayed
🧳 Clean, scannable luggage = faster, safer travel
📦 Inside ID + distinctive suitcase is the best combo
If you want, I can also tell you:
- Why black suitcases are the worst choice
- What airline workers secretly wish passengers would stop doing
- How to make your bag stand out without risking delays
Just say the word ✈️
