Airport insider's simple advice that can stop lost luggage - and why to avoid a strap on your suitcase

An 'airport pro' has dished out a treasure trove of tips for travellers to ease their airport experience. During an extensive Q&A session, the professional baggage handler answered a myriad of questions, with one particular insight about early luggage check-in catching many by surprise.

Contrary to the habits of punctual passengers who arrive at the terminal well ahead of time, the industry expert highlighted that being too early might not be the wisest move. It's a common belief that checking in your bag first means it will be the first to emerge on the carousel at your destination, but according to the baggage handler, this isn't always the case.

In a Reddit thread titled "I am an airport baggage/ramp handler, Ask Me Anything," Adam responded to a traveller's theory about early check-in.

The curious traveller posed the question: "I have a theory that the earlier you check-in, the lower in the stack your suitcase will be. Then it gets loaded onto the plane and is now on the top of the pile. Upon arriving at the destination, it gets unpacked again going to the bottom of the pile, which means your suitcase will come out to the carousel last. Any truth to this?".

Shedding light on the process, the expert said: "There is some truth to this, but it isn't a hard and fast rule. A lot of the time when dollies of bags (the transportation system used for loose baggage) are picked up by the ramp team, they get mixed up."

He also shared some insider tips on the best luggage to purchase, reports the Mirror, saying: "Some of the worst bags to buy are the ones without wheels," he said, before revealing that on his airline, bags are manually stacked inside each hold. He explained: "If your bag has at least two high-quality wheels, then it allows us to roll them down the hold quickly, making it easier for us. Otherwise, we throw the bags to keep to the scheduled times."

He also disclosed that his least favourite bags were the ones with four wheels particularly if one doesn't work: "These fall when rolling down". For those looking to protect their precious items from getting damaged, he emphasised that a bag with four working wheels was best to stop your stuff from getting damaged. He said: "You want to have a bag that has four good wheels, with a soft lining on the inside and a hard outer shell.

"The wheels are important because we tend to throw those bags less when inside the hold of an aircraft, and the other features help keep your stuff cushioned," he advised. After reading his advice, a baggage claim professional also offered their advice; "Most suitcases have a removable name-tag built-in at the back. Don't forget to fill it," they said.

They added: "It is also good to have something that makes your bag different so that other passengers don't confuse your bag for theirs at the belt. I would not recommend straps because they get caught on things, but you can go with stickers or ribbons on the handle."

Another traveller shared a useful tip following a recent luggage mishap, suggesting: "Use an air tag in your suitcase. It's handy to see if your bag made it to the destination and is on its way to the carousel, got left behind, went to the wrong city, or in my case recently, has been left in the hold and got sent straight back to the city I came from."