Purchase a ticket. Gather photo identification. Pack your luggage and prepare a carry-on bag. Arrive two hours before a domestic flight or three hours before an international flight. Check in at the airline desk. Go through security. Find your gate. Board plane. Enjoy the ride.
But wait, where does your luggage go?
Luggage is rarely a worry when preparing to take flight. Individuals often make sure to check the day's weather, purchase reading material for the flight and do the final head count to avoid a "Home Alone" moment before boarding.
A recent video from the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam (see above) shows the process your luggage goes through while you're waiting comfortably for your flight. Using a camera attached to a suitcase, the video displays the behind-the-scenes steps after baggage check-in.
Most airline complaints usually include mishandled or lost luggage. Many products have even been created to aid in the luggage transport process including luggage tags, curbside check-in or simply relying on a carry-on bag. The video emphasizes the large number of moving parts required to get every — or, almost every — piece of luggage to your destination's conveyor belt.
While Schiphol is one of Europe's busiest air hubs, it begs the question: How efficient are U.S. airport security practices when handling passengers' luggage?
One of the primary methods used by U.S. airports to aid in the safe arrival of luggage is to provide guidelines on packing.
Meanwhile, bar-coded tags in the U.S. have aided the issues of lost luggage and theft accusations. Still, federal data shows that nearly 352 people question the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) monthly regarding their luggage.
Yelp recently announced an improved plan where airline passengers can voice their grievances and rate their experiences with airport security. And the TSA can now respond and potentially rectify said issues.
But critics remind the absence of terrorist attacks doesn't mean the TSA is doing its job, just that a terrorist attack hasn't been successful. Recent evidence has begun to question the TSA's impact in comparison to the amount of money funded into the federal unit.
The TSA has an annual budget of $7 billion and 62,000 employees with the purpose of leading nearly 450 commercial airports in maintaining passenger screening.
Recently, the TSA has faced scrutiny in the effectiveness of the airport security check-in process. The organization spent $160 million on airport body scanners that failed to detect threats, ultimately angering customers. An information leak also exposed TSA data stating fake explosives, weapons and other banned items went unseen in 67 of 70 tests.
$120 million of the initial amount was used to purchase more proven security machines, while $40 million went toward "naked" X-ray machines, which were removed by the TSA in 2013 after passengers began to question possible health risks and alleged privacy violations.
This is why use of these machines are typically followed by metal detectors in the airport check-in process. Ron Johnson, Senate Homeland Security Chairman, recently explained that metal detectors can accurately detect anything unusual on individuals, compared to these machines that "weren't even catching metal."
If there was a way to avoid the hoopla of baggage check, would you take it? One company has begun to offer a solution.
British start-up, AirPortr, is a providing a service where customers can schedule their luggage to be picked up from an office, hotel or home and dropped off at the airport. Once at the airport, you pick it up and check it in or vice versa, have your baggage collected after flight and sent to your location.
The company is slowly expanding to more airports and is perfect for frequent flyers. AirPortr hopes to one day eliminate the check-in process of baggage for travelers.
The future of tourism looks pretty bright.
