Travellers issued warning against tying ribbons onto luggage

I've been partial to tying a ribbon or some fabric around my suitcase in a bid to identify it more easily at the airport baggage claim - but it turns out none of us should be doing it.

There's nothing more mortifying than grabbing a case off the baggage belt only to realise it doesn't belong to you.

Cue awkward looks and standing there in a huff as you wait for yours to finally arrive.

So, it's long been considered a nifty trick of the trade to wrap a bit of ribbon or fabric around it in order to be 100% sure its your bag making its way to you after a long flight.

Absolutely nobody enjoys baggage claim. (Getty Stock Image)

Well, I'm here to burst your bubble.

John, a baggage handler at Dublin Airport, told RSVP Live why you should not be tying ribbon around your bags at any point.

He said: "Ribbons that people tie onto their suitcases to help identify them can cause issues with the bag being scanned in the baggage hall. If the bag can't be scanned automatically, it can end up in manual processing, which could mean your bag doesn't make it to the flight."

His top tips didn't stop there, though.

Putting a ribbon around your suitcase may lead to your luggage not making it onto your flight. (Getty Stock Image)

He also advised:

• Take old stickers off your bag as it can cause confusion with the scanning process
• Place your suitcase wheels up for less damage
• Don’t ever pack Marzipan in your luggage - it has the same density as some explosives so your bag will be removed and you’ll be called from the plane for a bag search.

All have been duly noted.

While we're on a roll with travel advice, it's worth sharing some stellar knowledge about staying calm during turbulence.

Pilot Jimmy Nicholson, from Sydney shared his advice on how to keep calm.

He took to TikTok to share a recording of him during some particularly bad turbulence (in this case, he was a passenger, rather than the pilot).

He held a water bottle to the camera, and the water within it stayed quite still despite the plane shaking.

He used his bottle to show that the plane wasn't rocking as much as it seemed.

He then added: "Nothing to worry about.

"Planes are built to withstand way worse. [It's] not fun, evidently, but [it's] completely fine."

One person praised: "This helps so much! We need more pilots to post about the stuff the rest of us think will be the last minutes of our lives."

Good to know - I feel much more prepared for my next airport trip now.