In airports why do travellers wrap their case in clingfilm?

[S0CKS]

I have recently travelled home from my trip and every time I go abroad I always see people wrapping their cases in clingfilm? To the point they have a company doing it? And this has been in various parts of the world.

Its interested me as to why people do this? (Dh and I sadly have had many a airport conversation about it)

Im wondering if certain countries require it for safety or something? Or why it happens?

I've always assumed it's because it would make it very difficult for anyone to quickly steal anything out of it, certainly without being noticed. I always wonder what happens if that bag has to be searched though.

I think it’s to discourage people who handle it/customs from opening it.

Because they’ve seen “The Bangkok Hilton”

To hinder the sniffer dogs.

Well, the last time we went on holiday with a friend and her family, her suitcase had been damaged in transit and the zip broken . Her rather Lacey knickers were hanging out of it as it went round and round the carousel. Can’t say it wasn’t hilarious mind (she thought so too), so I imagine it’s to protect against that sort of thing.

I don't know but it is very poor in a environmental context.

Yeah it’s to discourage stuff being
nicked. We had a bag torn open at LAX a few years ago (it was unlocked, I wish they’d have just unzipped it!)
It was very clear that they were after robbing stuff, as nothing was taken but a watch box and it’s packaging were ripped open. The watch was on my DH wrist (I’d taken it away with us in all the packaging as it was a birthday present)
We got compensated by the airline, as the bag was totally ruined, and they had at least wrapped it all up in cling film after the robbing for us, so nothing fell out

Some countries / airports have a very poor track record of having cases opened and rifled through and stuff stolen (after you have checked them in). This serves as another deterrent. Not generally necessary when flying within Europe.

I don't know but it is very poor in a environmental context.

Flying isn't exactly great for the environment either.

Misskitty.... Agreed!!

Security, rain damage avoidance, because case is full to bursting...

Is it that difficult to guess? (I don tmean that to sound as pissy as it looks written down!)

Well no its not too difficult to guess with the obvious i wondered however if it was some rule that we don't have in the UK or something.

When we flew back from India we had to send it to the machine to be wrapped or they just saw a good scam opportunity

Oh I've always wondered this too! I saw it a lot in South America..

If someone wants to nick stuff from your bag, cling film isn't going to be much trouble for a knife.

To hinder the sniffer dogs.

MN at it's Batshit crazy best !

If someone wants to nick stuff from your bag, cling film isn't going to be much trouble for a knife.
More difficult to do it quickly without being spotted. You'd probably go for the easiest option, if you were so inclined.

If someone wants to nick stuff from your bag, cling film isn't going to be much trouble for a knife.

Of course not, but I imagine people's logic is that it makes your bag a slightly more time-consuming and hence less attractive target, like having a high fence lined with prickly shrubs to deter opportunistic burglars.

(I saw a woman in an Italian airport last week handwrapping her case herself with a roll of cling film she'd clearly brought from home.)

I’ve done it when I’ve had to fly with a backpack designed for hiking/walking when hiking abroad - to protect the straps etc.

it is to make sure nothing is put IN your luggage, they wrap it and weigh it and you make sure the correct weight is logged on your ticket, you can see if anything is put in your suitcase when you pick it up and the weight will have changed... you have proof of the correct weight when it was wrapped, so anything placed in was after you handed it over to the airline

to stop drugs being secreted into their baggage.

When I was travelling around Australia and NZ this was a very real concern as there was a case going through in somewhere like Indonesia at the time, an Australian or NZ teen had been accused of drug smuggling.

There was a service at at least one airport to do this before boarding. It's then very clear if someone has been tampering with your luggage.

I think places like South America and Thailand it’s also to stop having things put in your bag. (Which you carry through customs innocently then gets stolen back when you land or just after).

It's to protect baggage and deter theives.

www.bagwrap.com/en

We first started to notice it a few years again in Cyprus on the flights from Russia - every item on the carousels were wrapped. Since then it's started to look more common as we've seen it in lots of other places too.

I always wrap my suitcase in cling film before jetting off!