How to make sure your luggage gets off the plane first
Hate waiting at the baggage carousel for your luggage to arrive? These tips could be the answer.
Pay for it
As with most things in the world, money will get you to the front of the line. If you are flying first or business class, or sometimes even in premium economy, your bag will be tagged as a priority and be offloaded first. It’s not going to be cheap, but remember that it’s just one of lots of inflight perks that come with seats up the pointy end.
Be a frequent flyer
Some airlines, like Qantas and Delta, will offer their elite frequent flyers priority bag tags, like those you would find in first or business class, wherever they are seated. You’ll need to amass some serious points to reach these levels, so sign up to the program and stick with the one airline (or its partners) whenever you fly. Online forums suggest that these priority tags don’t always work, but hopefully your baggage handlers will respect them.
Check in last (maybe)
The theory goes, that airlines will unload the luggage in a ‘last in, first out’ format. If this is true, then the best way to get your bags to the front of the line is to be one of the last people to check in. However, many airports now use baggage carts to take the luggage to the plane all at once rather than loading them as they are checked in. That means there’s no real way to ensure that yours stays near the front. But it’s still worth a try!
Pack really light
Unfortunately, there’s only one surefire way to ensure that you never have to wait for your luggage – don’t check any bags! If you can master the art of flying with only carry on, you’ll never be stuck at the carousel again.