(Nettavisen): – It’s incredible what passengers manage to pack in their luggage. Once, we found ten liters of paint in checked baggage. People also pack chainsaws with fuel in their luggage. These are things that should not be included.
This is stated by Per Viggo Andersen, head of the baggage facility at Oslo Airport, to Nettavisen.
Bottles of red wine, cans of paint, chainsaws with fuel, and outboard motors are among the unwanted items discovered in passengers’ luggage.
This kind of packing error is not only a security issue but can also cause significant damage to both the passengers’ own suitcases and others’, Andersen explains.
– Items that should not be on the plane can cause various problems. Paint, red wine, or wine in general can break and spill, ruining your own suitcase and others’. Then you are the one who is responsible. As a passenger, you should not check such items in your luggage, and you must take responsibility for it, he says.
– Destroyed 60 suitcases
Airports across the country are now experiencing an increase in the number of lithium batteries packed in checked baggage.
– This is a safety issue for the airlines, Andersen tells us.
Lithium batteries, known for their fire hazard, should not be in checked baggage according to safety regulations, but must be carried in hand luggage, he explains.
– There are also size restrictions. We recommend everyone to check with the airline before traveling. But there is an increase, there’s no doubt about it, Andersen says.
In addition to lithium batteries, a number of other unwanted items are reported in luggage.
– What has caused the most destruction?
– A paint can destroyed 60 suitcases with paint that spilled out. Bottles of red wine that break and spill red wine also ruin suitcases, but not to the same extent as the paint can. It happens from time to time, but the paint can is what has caused the most damage, he adds.
Increase in liquid damage
Therese Hofstad-Nielsen, damage prevention specialist at Fremtind, confirms to Nettavisen a rise in reports of liquid damage to checked baggage.
The damage is often caused by the customers’ own items, such as beer, wine, and toiletries like shampoo, shower gel, sunscreen, and perfume.
– It is a known issue for us that customers report damage to checked baggage due to liquids leaking out. Most of the time, it is items that the customer has packed in their luggage, says Hofstad-Nielsen.
When liquid from the customer’s own baggage causes damage, the compensation is reduced due to violations of safety regulations, which require that items are adequately packed.
– If liquid from another traveler’s baggage damages our customer’s baggage, we will compensate for this damage to our customer, she says.
This applies to cleaning or restoration of clothes, or compensation for items that cannot be saved, according to Hofstad-Nielsen.
List of items that should never be packed in checked baggage:
- Money
- Jewelry
- Watches
- Electronic devices
- Bottles (Including bottles with liquids such as wine, spirits, or other beverages)
- Fragile items: (Items that can easily break, such as glass, porcelain, or other delicate materials)
- Perishable goods: (Goods that can spoil over time, such as food that can rot or mold)
- Prescription medication
- Musical instruments
Source: Fremtind
In addition to liquid damage, Fremtind is seeing a general increase in reports of external damage to checked baggage. This is due to increased expectations regarding travel insurance, she explains.