Does Wrapping Your Luggage in Plastic Actually Make It More Secure? We Asked TSA

There are many airport jobs. “Birds” birds are on the bay, the levy staff evacuated the loose, and eventually, there are people who are paid to wrap the goods in plastic. The first two jobs make sense – keep the runway clean and keep the aircraft clean, but most passengers do not believe about the third. He said, since the early 90s, the stations wrapped at large US international airports have been an important place. They are even more common abroad. More than 500 employees are wrapped in airports from 17 different countries, a Miami -based company, secure wrap.

Why do travelers wrap their goods?

Travelers wrap their goods for reasons. Some passengers are wrapped their luggage to protect the outer part of the goods from scratches and traces, while other luggage wraps it to protect the material inside. Some travelers may think that if a suit case is wrapped in plastic, it is less likely to inspect through TSA or interfere with abusive characters who may be inclined to steal or perhaps worse, within which something plants plant.

And some passengers, especially in the Maldives, Australia, and other countries that sprinkle pesticides and pesticides when they arrive in flights, wrap their goods in plastic to protect their goods from chemicals. A passenger on the Reddate wrote, “Many people did so because of my flight to China, how much they spray your bag and ‘germ’ their bags.” Finally, there are always passengers who have to wrap their luggage because their suit is being separated or they are cursed with a bully zip. To wrap broken bags is much cheaper than buying a new suit case at the airport to pay safe wrap charges at the MI 15 – Miami International Airport.

What does TSA do with wrapped goods?

TSA spokesman Laurie Dinkers said Travel + leisure The equipment wrapped in plastic is treated like similar goods that do not wrap in plastic. All checked bags are subject to screening before they transport them to airline equipment handlers that load them in the plane. In the United States, it is about 1.3 million checked bags daily. The TSA and its counterparts use X -ray machines abroad that use 3D scanners to find explosives or other hazardous materials. Some also rely on the K-9S airports that can detect everything from bullets to bombs. Wraping up its luggage in plastic does not affect how X -ray machines scan the bag, nor does it stop dogs.

Most bags, about 95 %, move this screening and do not need to be physically inspected by the TSA officer. The bags that are flagged, are opened-this means that the plastic wrap will be cut, and if they are not approved by TSA, the locks will be broken. At least in the United States, TSA tests the equipment in a monitoring environment through CCTV. This ensures that no one is tempted to tamper (unnecessarily) with the passenger’s property. While the TSA agent who inspects the bag will be reproduced and it will include a paper slip that indicates that the bag has been inspected, so the passenger knows why someone has rifled through his luggage, he will not wrap the bag again in plastic.

However, some of the luggage wrap companies, including secure wrap, offer honorary wrapping if plastic is cut by TSA. These include a guarantee that is similar to the compensation of airlines for lost goods or damage. Note: This type of guarantee is subject to many terms and conditions.

What else can you do to keep the goods safe?

Although some equipment wrap companies claim that they only use 100 % recycled plastic, many airports are starting to consider banning plastic equipment wrapping due to environmental concerns. Fortunately, if you want to keep your luggage safe, you have more options. Launched Laing, You can use TSA -approved locks or luggage straps. If you are aesthetics, you can also invest in the usable goods cover.