Ryanair issues warning to anyone flying with a black suitcase on any airline
Budget airline Ryanair has issued stern advice when it comes to travelling abroad with a black suitcase - and that's regardless of whether you're flying with them or an industry rival.
Most of us who have travelled overseas have been there, stood around the luggage carousel at our destination of choice waiting for our bags to successfully appear.
And no matter how many times you've flown, the relief when you catch a glimpse of the bag is an immediate anxiety busting experience.
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But it's not always guaranteed. And trust me, I know, having been caught up in Manchester Airport's chaos last month, landing in Spain without our family's six suitcases. Not ideal.
Every year, millions of cases are lost across the UK. BBC data from 2022 shows that a massive 26 million pieces were either delayed, lost, or damaged after flights.
One big reason for cases going missing is mistaken identity.
It's become that much of an issue that airlines themselves are now offering travellers advice on what cases they should be buying to avoid the headache of missing belongings and a ruined holiday.
Dublin-based Ryanair, which is Europe's largest operator, has highlighted cases you should be avoiding altogether.
But if you can't avoid that, there's also a few hacks you should undertake to make sure you know what your bag looks like and others avoid taking it.
"Make it easier to spot your checked-in luggage on the carousel, especially if your luggage is black, navy or grey," it said.
"Add a colourful luggage tag or ribbon to the handle so that there's no confusion on arrival."
And Frankfurt Airport over in Germany has also warned traveller of the chaos that can ensue with black luggage.
"Many people travel with black suitcases on wheels which makes identifying them very time-intensive," an airport spokesperson said.
Airport boss Stefan Schulte said it was 'hard to distinguish them from each other' when it came to dark suitcases.
In June, Manchester Airport was forced to cancel all flights from two terminals for the remainder of its day after suffering a huge loss of power.
Those travelling via Terminal One and Terminal Two saw their flights cancelled. Many of those who did manage to jet off on the very early flights of the day were sent without their baggage, due to the power loss leading to issues with the check system and physically getting the cases to their respective planes.
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When it comes to buying a suitcase, one airport worker previously gave good advice on suitcases which are most likely to get damaged in transit.
"If your bag is over 55lbs, it's gonna have a bad time. How annoyed do you get lifting your own bag into the back of the car," they said.
"Imagine have to do that 200 times - it gets frustrating and tiresome and sometimes we just throw with very little care because they are too heavy to do carefully."
Where to buy non-black suitcases
If you're after a suitcase that's easier to spot on the luggage carousel, Antler is currently hosting a massive sale with up to 40% off some of its bestselling suitcases.
There's the berry red Stamford with £81 off, the pine-green 'Logo' hard shell with £57 off, and loads more.
Tom Earnshaw