'Need to Know Information': Baggage Handler Shares Hack For Ensuring Checked Luggage Doesn't Get Lost The airport employee is going viral for his little known tip about the stickers on your baggage.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
If you've ever been a victim of lost luggage at the airport, one baggage handler might have the not-so-obvious reason why.
In a clip that's been viewed over 459,600 times, a worker at the Ontario International Airport based in Southern California explained to viewers that travelers should always take the old stickers off their luggage once a trip is completed.
"Let's say you flew American and a month later you flew Southwest," the man explains before motioning to a conveyor belt to his right. "Well, there's a little sticker that goes on for American that tells the computer to go there."
@flyontairport Pro Tip: If you dont want your bags to get lost when traveling… remove old stickers from past trips off your luggage. #FlyONT #SoCalSoEasy ♬ Sunshine - WIRA
He then points to another sticker on the handle of the luggage.
"If your month-old American sticker is on there, there's a chance it scans it instead of this one. It might end up over there and not get on the plane."
Viewers were in shock in the comment section, seemingly connecting many dots from tales of lost luggage past.
"Oh my gracious," one wrote. That's such a high DUH factor."
"WHERE has this man with this information been our whole lives?!!!! This is NEED TO KNOW INFORMATION," another exclaimed.
Others, however, chalked the piece of knowledge up to simple "common sense" and were less than impressed.
"I mean I thought it was common sense to remove an old tag.. Like when you buy a shirt," one person said. "You don't leave the tag hangin off it do ya? Same concept here."
"How did people not know this," another offered bluntly. "I'm paranoid about them."
According to Luggage Hero, there were over 684,000 lost and mishandled bags in the first quarter of 2022 alone.
