When checking your luggage at the airport, each time you involuntarily shudder at the thought of what happens to it further on the way from the check-in counter to the luggage compartment of the plane, in that unknown and mysterious part of the airport that is hidden from the eyes of ordinary passengers. Strange images come to mind, either from urban legends or from scientific and educational television programs watched a long time ago, which clearly indicate that our handbags cannot expect gentle treatment! For example, for some reason, the main element of luggage sorting seemed to me to be a strange mechanism, reminiscent of a huge iron fist, which would strike suitcases with a mighty swing, sending them from the general conveyor in the right direction. And every time, remembering this image, I wrapped the bottles of alcohol even more carefully...

But as it turned out, luggage is handled much more delicately than one could imagine! In any case, at Moscow Domodedovo airport.

All suitcases checked in are placed on a common conveyor belt via a mechanical elevator.

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Several levels of inspection await them here. First, the bags are sent through a machine called an “automatic introscope,” like the ones at the airport entrance.

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Here the contents of luggage are analyzed programmatically. The system itself determines the possibility of containing prohibited substances or items in luggage. In addition, the image is sent to the security officer’s workstation (level 2). It also analyzes the received information and determines whether to send this place baggage for additional inspection (3rd and 4th level). There, in an apparatus called a diffractometer, the composition and physical properties suspicious object, and the tomograph will show its exact location in the bag.

The employee working with the scanner only needs a couple of seconds to assess the contents of the luggage. They say that when you work constantly, it is more than enough. Even a quick glance is enough for a professional to accurately describe the entire contents of the bag being scanned.

Fragile luggage is actually sent to all checks manually, and not from a common belt.

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VIP luggage also travels separately.

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This is actually where the sorting process begins. There are a large number of scanners throughout the entire belt that read the barcode, which is affixed to luggage at the check-in counter.

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These stickers, by the way, are also placed in a certain way, on different planes of the suitcase. So there was simply no chance of getting through the scanner undetected. Correct reading of these barcodes is the key to ensuring that your luggage is loaded onto your plane!

In order not to tempt fate and not to confuse the system, you should carefully check before your flight that there are no stickers left on your luggage from previous flights. However, the girls at the reception desk do the same.

But what girls can’t control is how securely these stickers stick. A number of fabrics from which soft travel bags are made, unfortunately, do not hold pasted barcodes at all... And although in this case there is always insurance, in the form of a large tag that is tied to the handle, it is better to play it safe and wrap the luggage with film. Absolutely all stickers will definitely stick to it. Although this, alas, is not free...


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But no matter how ideal the system is, problems always happen... It is impossible to foresee everything, and sooner or later a suitcase appears on the belt, the barcode of which is not visible, is not recognized by the system, or different data is received from different scanners as the suitcase moves. Such baggage is sent to an additional circle.

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If even after this it was not possible to understand what flight the bag was on, then it goes to manual sorting, where a person will figure out what the problem is.

Most often, on manual processing Round bags that do not have clear edges and whose barcode is therefore difficult to read by automation are included.

If everything worked correctly, the adventures of the suitcase continue on the next, special tape, consisting of certain segments. The task seems almost impossible. Each piece of luggage rapidly flying along the belt needs to lie clearly on a certain segment! In this chaos? How? There are special technologies for this!

If you look closely, the part of the belt on which the luggage arrives is not continuous, but consists of separate pieces. These pieces can move at different speeds. Depending on the need, they either accelerate or slow down so that the speed of each specific suitcase is exactly what it needs to be in order to lie on exactly a certain segment!

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And from this segment, luggage is dumped into so-called slips - collections of all suitcases for immediate loading on the flight.

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Each skliz is programmed for its own flight. More precisely, several neighboring slips work for one flight, and if one is filled with suitcases, then they begin to be dumped in the next one.

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From here they are reloaded directly into cars, which will then be transported to the planes. Before loading, each suitcase is additionally scanned.

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If the design of the aircraft assumes that baggage is loaded into it in a specialized container, then it is more convenient to do this from a belt, similar to those used to claim baggage upon arrival. A container ship is installed along such a belt and the suitcases are loaded directly into the containers.

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Two flights are usually loaded on one such tape. Each bag is carefully scanned before being loaded. All tags, identification marks, priorities and other designations must be taken into account.

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There is even a large stand nearby, where all the designations of all companies flying out of Domodedovo are presented. They say that employees must know all these symbols by heart!

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On arrival, everything is simpler... A long belt, to which trolleys with suitcases are brought and they are simply reloaded onto that belt, along which they are immediately sent to the baggage claim hall. Here they also catch transfer luggage, which is sent straight to the slip where luggage is collected for the next flight.

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In general, the sorting basement is a huge two-tier room... Suitcases rush along the upper level along a complex labyrinth of moving belts, employees, cars, carts scurry around below. Walking through the waiting rooms, you somehow don’t think about how technologically complex and actively working the ground floor of this building might be.

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And it was endlessly interesting for me to visit there. And I hope you were also interested in seeing how everything really works there! And no huge iron fists!

However, I will still carefully pack the bottles, just in case! Just who knows how it works at other airports... =)

It is worth immediately noting that territory of some large international airports divided into terminals, and your ticket should indicate which terminal you need to enter in order to go through all further security checks.

In many airports around the world, there is a metal detector in front of the entrance to the building itself, which both those seeing off and the passengers themselves pass through.

You must place your luggage and carry-on luggage on the magnetic stripe to be scanned.

This will be the first stage of your verification(preliminary), although not all airports in Russia and the world use such baggage control, as they consider it ineffective in the fight against crime and international terrorism.

However, this preliminary inspection is quite fast, since the passenger flow is huge and time is short.

You shouldn't have it in your suitcase. If you are completely confident in the safety of your cargo, then you will not have any problems.

Separately, you may be asked to place your mobile phone, keys, wallet or any small items on the table that the metal detector may react to, so it is best to put your personal items in a bag or backpack.

You come up to the counter, present your passport and ticket, and from that moment the check-in stage for the flight begins.

An employee will immediately weigh your luggage and will tell you whether it needs to be produced. you can find out on the official website of your airline.

You can also ask the employee at the counter what can be included in your luggage and what can you take as a hand luggage. You must be given a baggage receipt, indicating your acceptance on board and its further identification at the place of arrival.

Upon completion of registration, you will also be issued boarding pass . It is worth immediately noting that the carrier is fully responsible for the safety of your luggage.

You must arrive 2-2.5 hours before departure in order to quickly and without any problems go through all the verification procedures.

If you are on an international flight, then your next step will be to pass passport control (border control), where you, alone or with a minor child, go to a special window and present your passport.

The officer checks the authenticity of the document and identity, and also looks at the presence of a visa (if required), which is most often printed on a separate page of the passport.

Then go through the next stage - this is pre-flight control, where security and police officers conduct a thorough search of passengers and their luggage.

The procedure for carrying out the procedure at each airport is individual and depends on internal rules, established by the directorate or administration, but at the federal level, the rules of pre-flight inspection are regulated by Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia No. 104 “On the procedure for conducting pre-flight and post-flight inspection.”

Lastly, customs control is carried out, personal luggage is subject to customs inspection.

You pass either through the so-called “green corridor” (if there are no goods to declare) or through the “red corridor”, where you need to declare certain goods and currency (over 10 thousand euros). We talked about how much cash you can take with you in.

In some cases, you may be required to pay for goods, which exceed the amount of duty-free import or export. Often at this stage, and are confiscated.

Pre-flight inspection

According to the Order, the passengers themselves are checked for the presence of goods and substances prohibited for transportation, as well as hand luggage and personal belongings.

A security officer checks luggage using special technical means and contact inspection, which can be used to detect the carriage of prohibited items (ammunition, drugs, explosives, flammable substances, etc.).

Each airport has its own controls and mandatory rules.

Carry-on luggage (bags, packages, etc.) must be placed on a magnetic tape for scanning. If prohibited items are found, you will be asked to open the bag for visual inspection.

Musical instruments, sports equipment is also checked by security personnel.

Many airports will ask remove shoes, belts, outerwear, remove all contents from your pockets, any metal objects and put it on the table.

All these seemingly insignificant things are thoroughly studied using an X-ray television introscope.

Shoes are placed in special containers for study, and you may be given shoe covers for free or you can buy them for a fee.

However, in accordance with the amendments made to Order No. 104 dated April 16, 2012 shoes or belt need not be removed, provided that you have a low heel (up to 2.5 cm), and its thickness is less than 1 cm; a belt less than 4 cm wide and less than 0.5 cm thick.

However, be prepared for the fact that, by the inspector's decision, you will still be asked to remove your belt and shoes for the inspection.

Weapons and drugs are handed over to internal affairs officers, and criminal proceedings are initiated against the perpetrators. Such cargo is not allowed to fly.

Damaged containers are subject to additional examination, since cargo in this condition cannot be allowed on board.

On-board food is also inspected for the presence of prohibited substances under the control of the forwarder.

After passing all checks, the cargo is marked, and in special documents (invoices) a note is made about the completion of the procedure.

Thus, before air travel, complex and latest security control methods are carried out.

The procedure in question is a necessity for a reliable and safe flight, since any simplification of the pre-flight control procedure in accordance with the Order and international documents is not allowed.

Waiting for your suitcase to appear at the baggage carousel at the airport is nerve-wracking for many. You stand there and look closely - you arrived, you didn’t arrive, and what if you lost it? This is especially true for charter or popular flights, when there are another 300-400 people there with you. Well, these little tricks will most likely help you reduce your wait time and get into a taxi faster!

1. Beware of glass

When checking your luggage, ask to put a “fragile” sticker on it. Such bags are usually placed on top of others or even sent along with oversized luggage (there is a chance of getting into it if you have a backpack or a very small bag with something that cannot be carried in the cabin). In both cases, unless the employees of the receiving airport do not care about their duties, you will be among the first to receive the suitcase. Most likely, it will be taken out separately and placed next to the belt, or unloaded onto it before others.

2. Last one comes and wins

If you're at the back of the line at baggage drop, this is another chance to meet your bags faster than others. Bags leave for loading in order of change, and yours may well end up in the last “car”, which will be unloaded at the luggage compartment door. And upon arrival, they will be among the first to pick you up. But you shouldn’t make the check-in line a cult, because you might even miss your flight if there are too many people in front of you.

3. Earn priority

At this point, quick baggage claim is just one of the pleasant options. Buy business or first class tickets, earn points on your flights, and earn advanced frequent flyer status. Then your suitcases will have a “priority” tag, and in some cases they will even be unloaded separately.

4. Carry everything you own with you

Many people are completely wrong to think that their things will not fit in their hand luggage. Of course, if we talk about individual low-cost airlines that allow you to take little more than glasses and a laptop into the cabin, this option will not work. But most airlines have quite decent standards for hand luggage (and few meticulously measure it). For example, 55*40*20 is a solid-sized suitcase on wheels or a backpack with a capacity of 40-50 liters (tourist ones are usually taller and do not fit on the luggage rack, but a regular one with the necessary parameters is not difficult to find). With some skill, you can fit things for a two-week vacation there, and if you fly alone with a man, it’s even easier: they usually have less luggage with them. And then, after boarding, you won’t have to wait for your bags or worry that valuables might have been taken out of them, broken or lost.

Have you received damaged luggage at the airport? A lopsided open suitcase on a belt or something worse? What to do in such a situation, who to complain to, and what to do if a breakdown is noticed already at home? We asked all these questions to travelers on our social networks VKontakte, Facebook and Instagram and collected fifty stories. Let's take it in order.

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What to do if your luggage is damaged

Where to go, who to write and call?

If you notice any damage on the belt, immediately contact the service agent on duty in the baggage claim area or airline representatives at the airport. They should help you file your claim.

If you notice damage outside the airport, don’t worry, you can still submit a claim. Call the airport or airline call center and find out where you can send your application and copies of all necessary documents.

What documents must be on hand to submit an application?

  1. Air ticket or a copy thereof.
  2. Boarding pass.
  3. Baggage tag.
  4. Identity document.
  5. Photos if you are submitting your application remotely.
  6. Receipt for the suitcase (very rarely asked, but be prepared that they may ask).

How long does it take to submit an application?

On internal on flights, a claim against the carrier can be made within six months, according to Art. 126 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation.

The specified period is calculated as follows:

  1. On compensation for damage in case of shortage or damage (spoilage) of cargo or mail, as well as in case of delay in their delivery - from the day following the day of delivery of the cargo, and in relation to mail - from the date of drawing up the commercial act.
  2. About compensation for damage in case of loss of cargo - ten days after the expiration of the delivery period.
  3. For damages in all other cases - from the date of the event that served as the basis for filing a claim.

On international on flights, a claim can be filed in accordance with Art. 127 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation:

  1. In case of damage to luggage (cargo) - within 7 calendar days from the date of receipt of the baggage and no later than 14 calendar days from the date of receipt of the cargo.
  2. In case of delay in delivery of baggage or cargo - within 21 calendar days from the date of delivery of baggage or cargo to the passenger.
  3. In case of loss of baggage or cargo - within 18 months from the date of arrival of the aircraft at its destination or from the day on which it should have arrived.

Traveler stories of damaged luggage

It was in Vnukovo. I wrote a statement to lost&found that the luggage was damaged. The administrator drew up a protocol and said to be sure to write to the airline with the protocol number - they will sort it out. The admin also apologized. There was a bag a la shuttle, which could not stand the cruel treatment and tore. But she was wrapped in plastic. Nothing was missing, so I didn’t write to the a/k.

Sergei Tikhonov

Tolmachevo, Novosibirsk. The bag came out onto the belt in an open state - the top part was torn, all personal belongings were out. There were no valuables, nothing was missing. We wrote an application for compensation for a damaged rather expensive bag. The answer is: show me the receipt for it, and then document the degree of wear...

Svetlana Zakharenko

We received luggage with a torn wheel at Utair. We took the certificate at the airport, then wrote to UTair, attaching a photo, weight and cost of the suitcase. Compensation was based on the weight of the suitcase. Of course, the amount was not enough to buy a new one of the same kind.

Dmitry Zybinsky

I was flying with a connection in Amsterdam (KLM), and during security the lock on my suitcase was cut off. I arrived, wrote a claim, they promised to return the cost of the suitcase by check. I'm waiting for money. So advice - never throw away receipts for the purchase of suitcases!

Nikolay Ustinov

I once flew from Bangkok to Moscow by Qatar. I arrived in Domodedovo and discovered that my suitcase’s retractable handle and wheel were broken. At the same time, I sent it through oversized with the “Fragile” sticker. I approached the airport employees in the baggage claim area, they processed everything, called a representative of the airline, and after 2 weeks they paid me the equivalent of $100. The Samsonite suitcase actually cost $30 and was purchased in Vietnam. The same suitcase in Moscow cost 120-150 dollars. Then there was a case with Transaero and also in Domodedovo, but they paid only 50 dollars for a similar suitcase, however, only the handle was cracked, and I rode with this suitcase a couple more times until I bought a new one. There was also a case when I flew from Moscow to Bangkok with Transaero, and the wheel of the suitcase was broken, but there was no time, and I just left. I bought a new suitcase in Pattaya for $50.

Slava Vlasov

In Malta I received my little American tourister and discovered that the zipper that fits into the built-in lock on the suitcase had been torn off. I approached the baggage claim, they drew up a damage report. Then there was a long correspondence with AirMalta about compensation for this damage, at first they were silent. Then I just started leaving comments on their posts on Facebook, they started to stir and as a result they paid 80€ in compensation. But at first they demanded that the original damage report be sent to them in Malta... I asked them a reasonable question: what if the post office loses my letter or your colleagues in the office accidentally lose it, what then?! We agreed on a scan of this document, a scan of my passport page with data and bank details. It took about three weeks for the money to arrive...
And even when they had already agreed on compensation, the airline again began to play the fool, saying that my details were incorrect. I had to shout loudly and they immediately sorted out the details and sent the money to my account.
But I don’t even know what to do for tourists who don’t speak foreign languages... As a result, everything took almost 3.5 months of waiting and communication.

Alexey Kozlov

In Hanover I received a dented suitcase without a handle. He immediately filed a complaint against the Lufthansa counter and received compensation.

Mikhail Sharov

Air Berlin upon arrival in Domodedovo. One wheel of the suitcase was broken off. I wrote a statement to the employees at the information desk in the baggage claim area (10 minutes), and within a couple of weeks I received money from the airline, in general, at a fairly fair rate.

Andrey Kolesnikov

We received a suitcase without a wheel at the Rostov airport, drew up a report at the airport, then I repaired the suitcase, wrote a letter to the S7 office, where I indicated the requirement to compensate for the repairs and the bank account number, attached a receipt for the repair, and a report. A couple of weeks later the money arrived.

@Timurker

Several times I received broken suitcases without wheels, torn with broken insides (souvenirs, perfumes, etc.) at KLM airline. They wrote a claim, once they reimbursed the cost of the suitcases with a voucher for 100 euros, another time they refused to refund due to non-compliance with the procedure, namely: the broken suitcase was presented at the airport (in Spain), then they immediately bought a new one (it was impossible to move with it) ), they said that this would be enough, upon arrival home (in Russia) they refused, no suitcase - no refund. Although documents for the purchase were provided. Allegedly, the Spaniards registered the fact incorrectly.

@Olilely

I flew from New York to St. Petersburg via Paris (Charles de Gaulle) with Lufthansa, and stupidly put a gift iPhone in my luggage. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, it turned out that the luggage did not arrive from Paris. The airline assured that they would return it within 3-5 days, but they returned it a week later and without the iPhone. I immediately wrote a statement to the police in Pulkovo. Lufthansa refunded the full cost of the phone by check within a week.

@Olyazhurik

On a layover in Guangzhou (flight Moscow-Manila, layover over 24 hours with baggage claim), they gave me a suitcase with a broken wheel. We flew on China Southern Airlines. But they didn’t turn to the company, but to the “Help, complaints” window at the delivery office nearby, asked to write a statement about damage indicating passport details, made a copy of the boarding pass and immediately issued a new suitcase. Slightly smaller displacement, but good quality. Excellent airport and airline service.

@Bulgakovanina

Don't let your luggage get lost or broken. But, if anything, now you know how to apply and receive compensation.

What do you do almost every time you fly on an airplane? Checking in your luggage.

This is a very simple procedure - drop off your suitcase from the girl at the check-in counter and then, immediately upon arrival, take it from the baggage claim area. It would seem as simple as shelling pears. Let's see how it really works.

So, you arrived at the airport with the goal of finally leaving rainy St. Petersburg for Fiji for three months. This is very important to do in Fiji, because as I write this note, it’s raining outside and I really fucking want to go to Fiji.
You approach the girl, put your suitcase on the scales, give her your passport and smile. The girl, of course, smiles back and at the same time checks in her luggage. At this moment, all the data about your suitcase is entered into the computer - its weight, linking it to a specific passenger, and the entire route is formed, taking into account transfers. This takes a second, after which a telegram is generated with all this data, which is sent to a central server in London in the form of a luggage tag.

Why London? But because there is a single system, one for everyone. Your suitcase could fly through ten airports in different countries, and each of them must clearly understand what it is and where it is flying. This is globalization.

And the sweet girl takes stickers with a unique barcode from the printer and sticks them on the suitcase in different places.

After which the suitcase leaves for the unknown, followed by Fiji. This is what this unknown looks like:

In Pulkovo, on the first and second floors, right behind the wall where suitcases go, a very complex system of conveyors, belts and other mechanisms has been built. Suitcases fall there.

They drive along the tape and periodically pass scanners that read the barcode that the cute girl pasted a couple of paragraphs earlier.

The suitcase travels at a very high speed, about three times faster than a person walking. The suitcase may fall on its side, may be tilted - but it is important for the system to understand what is in front of it. Therefore, there is not just one scanner hanging, there are usually three of them. In Pulkovo they conducted an experiment - they put only one barcode on a suitcase, and a small one at that - the scanner still reads it with a high probability.

Since the scanner is configured very sensitively, you cannot approach it.

All tapes and other media intersect, rest against each other, and make forks. The system, having identified a piece of luggage and read the code, asks the server in London where this suitcase is going. And he receives a flight number in response. The cart is already equipped for this flight; it is located somewhere at the end of the conveyors. The system’s task is to bring the suitcase exactly to the desired cart.

The suitcase ends up on a special platform called the “courier”. At the same time, the system knows exactly which courier carries the luggage.

At the moment when, according to the system, it would be nice for the suitcase to change direction, the courier dumps the luggage onto another belt.

During the movement, the suitcase is examined very carefully. They scan him again, sniff him, maybe even feel him (we were not allowed into this area), and they give the suitcase an MRI. During all these medical procedures, the risks that interfere with loading it on board an airplane are consistently removed from the suitcase.

This ensures that nothing explosive, poisonous or otherwise dangerous will fly with you.

At the moment when the suitcase has already been thoroughly examined and found safe, the system transports it towards loading into the cart. This is already a sterile zone, that is, everything is safe here. At the most necessary moment, the suitcase falls into such a funnel and coolly slides down to the first floor.

On the first floor the suitcase ends up on the so-called “lateral”. This is also a conveyor, but it’s not very fast. His task is to bring the suitcase to the person who will perform further manipulations.

Passing by one lateral, I suddenly discovered a penguin on it, who probably wants to go to Fiji.

At the end of the lateral there is a living person. It would seem that you take the suitcase and throw it in the cart, but no. At the airport, as the fathers bequeathed, accounting and control are needed everywhere.

Worker for certain time Before departure, it begins assembling. The first thing is to open a virtual cart on the computer, the number of which corresponds to the number of the cart physically located at the lateral.

Each piece of luggage is then scanned and placed into an open cart. When the cart is full, it closes on the computer and the next one opens. And based on the assembled cart, a luggage manifest is created, that is, a document describing what lies here. As a result, the system still knows where exactly in the airport, down to the cart, each individual suitcase is located.

When all the luggage has been accepted and the last cart is complete, the lateral closes. For example, Copenhagen is already being loaded onto the plane, and Gelendzhik is just falling from the second floor.

A special machine comes to pick up the carts. It's called ROFAN ZH4. When all the carts are ready, this Rofan cheerfully takes them to the plane, where loading takes place.

Non-standard items are transported separately to the aircraft - strollers, wheelchairs.

In case some suitcase is completely late, there is a special heel at Pulkovo that can make it to the plane at the last second.

Unfortunately, any complex system can fail. A perfectly functioning system may be subject to human error. I think that such a warning appeared on every lateral for a reason. It’s not entirely clear, however, why it should be duplicated into Turkish.

I was especially pleased with the instructions on how to properly handle luggage laid out on the racks. Judging by the bottom of the poster, sometimes very clever, creative guys work at Pulkovo.

Many frequent flyers face a problem lost luggage. The suitcase may not keep up with the owner, or it may even humiliate him - by flying, for example, to America and back, while the unfortunate vacationer is languishing in Gelendzhik. Why is this happening?

The first problem is the straps on sports bags. Everything is simple here - the ideal system for the system is a rectangular suitcase, without protruding parts, with a clearly visible barcode. And when a backpack with ten straps hanging down falls onto the belt, it has an excellent chance of getting caught on something. For example, for a nearby suitcase, and with a newfound friend he will go to a place completely different from where the system plans to drop him.

The second problem is packing your suitcase. You must understand that if a suitcase needs to be inspected, it will still be inspected. If the suitcase needs to be opened, it will be opened. But many people still try to pack their luggage in plastic wrap before departure so that it looks like a bun. Then, instead of lying calmly and peacefully on the conductor, he begins to roll down, stick to other suitcases and again goes the wrong way.

A very big problem is old barcodes. When the system reads a barcode from a previous flight, it may not have time to read and recognize the new, current one. As a result, the suitcase will fall into the zone of unidentified things and will be analyzed manually by one of these fine guys.

So that none of these fine guys have to pull hapless photographers out of conveyor belts, an intuitive path is drawn on the floor.

Look - what wonderful footprints!

Coming out of the luggage department, I was not at all surprised by the thesis that living here is good!