Standing at the luggage carousel can be a little nerve-racking at the best of times, wondering whether or not your suitcase is going to make it.
And if you have luggage that is black, navy or grey, chances are you need to be extra vigilant to make sure you grab the right bag.
Now a major European airline has gone so far as to warn passengers against choosing luggage in any of those colours to “avoid confusion” when travelling.
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Ryanair has issued an urgent warning to passengers who travel with the low-cost carrier to change their suitcases.
In June, 19.3 million people travelled on one of the airline’s 106,000 flights.
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“Make it easier to spot your checked-in luggage on the carousel, especially if your luggage is black, navy or grey (like 99.9 percent of the population),” Ryanair said in a statement.
“Add a colourful luggage tag or ribbon to the handle so that there’s no confusion on arrival.”
Or course, having a suitcase that is more recognisable makes complete sense.
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However, the advice to use a ribbon as a point of differentiation is a contentious one, as other airline staff have previously warned against the practice.
A baggage handler from Dublin Airport warned anything extra on your suitcase could interfere with the automatic scanners at airports – especially ribbons.
“Ribbons that people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall,” he told RSVP Live.
He also recommended people take care to remove any old stickers on the bags otherwise it can “cause confusion with the scanning process”.
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