Airlines + Airports These Tricks Could Help You Get Your Luggage First at Baggage Claim (Video) By Talia Avakian Talia Avakian Website Talia Avakian is a lifestyle reporter with nearly a decade of experience writing digital and print content for noted national and international travel publications. She began her career in travel reporting at BBC Travel, where she covered news and features of global destinations, later working as a travel reporter at Business Insider and as a digital news reporter for Travel + Leisure. During her time at Travel + Leisure, she has covered airlines, hotels, new product launches for travelers, natural phenomena travelers can witness, new experience launches, and more. Her work has also appeared in The Independent, Time, Food & Wine, Fortune, Essence, and Departures, among others. Talia is currently a freelance lifestyle reporter in Los Angeles, where she covers content ranging from outdoor getaways, hotels, and transportation to food and experiential offerings at destinations across the globe. She has gone behind the scenes with airlines to learn about flight attendant training, scaled remote mountainsides at far-flung hotels, gone inside the inner workers of Air Force jets, shared the history of Frank Sinatra's favorite New York restaurant hideaway, documented what life is like inside the world's largest residential airpark, and more. She loves discovering unknown perks travelers can access and adventures they can take part in no matter where they go, sharing inside looks at offerings from around the world to help every traveler get the best out of each journey. * 9+ years of experience working as a travel reporter * Stories published and syndicated across over 50 national and international publications * Appeared as a travel expert on Cheddar to discuss emerging travel trends * Received a master's degree in multimedia reporting from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on November 14, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email Once you're off of a flight and in your new destination, it's easy to get excited about hitting the road right there and then. The only problem is, if you've checked in a bag, you'll have to wait for it to come around the carousel. But those looking to savor every minute of their vacation might want to try a few tricks to bump their luggage's arrival time at baggage claim. One of the ways to do this is by asking the representative at the check-in counter to attach a fragile sticker to your bag. Bags that are marked as fragile will typically be loaded later and come out before the other bags. Plus, they're also likely to get less wear and tear. The downside with this tactic though is that once in a while, these stickers may not be seen or noticed by staff. Related: The Best Luggage Brands for Every Budget Another tactic that ramp worker and gate agent Thomas Lo Sciuto suggests on Quora is waiting to be the last person to check in. "Bags will always be loaded front to back on the bag carts, so if you check in last, your bags will be in the last bag cart, which will make them the last on the aircraft, and the first off the aircraft at your destination," Sciuto wrote. "If they are the first off the aircraft, they will most likely be the first on the bag carts and then the first to be unloaded at baggage claim." Sciuto also said one of the best ways to do this is to ask — nicely — if you can gate check your bag, though this means that you won't be able to carry any liquids or items you wouldn't otherwise be able to take through security. Related: 16 Smart Luggage Options That Will Transform Your Travel Experience You'll want to note that loading and unloading systems can sometimes vary depending on the airline, aircraft, or baggage handling team, which is why in some cases, those who check in last may not get their bag first. Two surefire ways to guarantee your bags arrive before others is by either booking a first or business class flight, or by joining an airline's frequent flier club to receive a priority tag on your bag. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit