Airports can be stressful, but losing your bags is even worse. Whether you run to your gate or wait for your luggage, no one wants to leave without their bags.
Yet, studies have found that the colour of your suitcase might be the reason your bag is more likely to go missing or be stolen.
Choosing what to bring on a trip means leaving something behind. Pick one of these bags if you want your travels to go smoothly, as experts now say airport mix-ups are more likely with them.
A new report says that picking the wrong suitcase colour might mean the difference between a pleasant trip and a very stressful one.
Black, gray or navy suitcases can cause problems for passengers when using Ryanair, the airline has said.
Ryanair warned in a statement:
“Make it easier to spot your checked-in luggage on the carousel, especially if your luggage is black, navy or gray. Add a colourful luggage tag or ribbon to the handle so that there’s no confusion on arrival.”
The reason? The dark colours make it almost impossible to tell them apart on a crowded conveyor belt, with thousands of people coming through at once.
At Frankfurt Airport, the problem has become so widespread that even the airport’s CEO, Stefan Schulte, talked about it.
“Many people travel with black suitcases on wheels which makes identifying them very time-intensive,” he said.
There’s more to the problem than just delays and inconvenience. When your bag is mistaken or lost, you might face a lot of expenses, starting with replacing what you had in it and ending with the difficulties of insurance claims.
That’s when the worst part of the warning arrives.
The Economic Times found that black bags are the ones that get misplaced the most in airports. Wild Packs‘ travel expert Jamie Fraxier said:
“Hard-sided black suitcases are the most common luggage type globally, making them both the hardest to identify and the most likely to go missing.”
She added:
“This style of suitcase, which also includes wheels, is the default choice for travelers. But if your bag is misplaced, you don’t want it to be hard to distinguish from other luggage.”
Black looks nice, but it’s also the colour most at risk of disappearing, being stolen or picked up by someone else.
Now, experts prefer advising us to adopt bold, eye-catching colours or printed bags. If you already have a black suitcase, you’re all set. There’s no need to worry — just attach something to your bag to make it recognizable.
If you think you’re too smart to lose your luggage, remember that millions of bags go astray each year, and a plain black bag looks just like all the others.
Ask yourself this before traveling — is it smart to use a black suitcase?
