Maybe this new trend will cut down on the
Unclaimed Baggage I wrote about last week. Today’s New
York Times features a piece on the steps
luggage manufacturers and others are taking to make bags easier to locate.
Bag identification at the baggage claim can be increasingly tricky, with the overwhelming number of standard
black bags used by travelers. Companies have developed products to lower the amount of accidental black bag
switches that can occur between travelers, as well as features that aim to make the location process easier for
whenever bags disappear. There are high tech global tracking devices, metal plates and tiles that can be attached
to bags to make them easier to find.
And now there appears to be a shift to an even more noticeable solution. Colored bags in hot pinks and bright
hues are hitting market or in production for upcoming release. The article highlights some of the companies
(Travelers Club,
Victorinox and
others) hard at work on a new identification system that takes baggage from the claim carousel to the
fashion runway.