Passengers turning to industrial-strength wrapping in airports to secure luggage

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Out with the padlock and in with the cling film! More and more passengers turning to industrial-strength wrapping in airports to secure their luggage

The service is increasingly used by passengers travelling long-haul
The wrapping can protect as well as solve the 'broken zip' problem
Can also provide piece of mind that no-one is putting anything inside

By John Hutchinson for MailOnline

Published: 10:02 EST, 27 September 2015 | Updated: 10:43 EST, 27 September 2015

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Passengers in airports are turning to cling film in the quest to secure their luggage and keep it from being damaged.

It seems the trusty padlock is not enough of a deterrent to would-be thieves, with passengers wrapping their suitcases in industrial strength film before it sets out on its journey.

And one airport in the UK believes a cling-film wrap can provide a two-fold service.

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In the quest to deter would-be thieves, more and more passengers are now wrapping their luggage

'It certainly does provide some sort of security,' a spokesperson for Glasgow Airport, which has the Luggage Point airport service, told MailOnline Travel.

'I would certainly say there has been an increase, especially with people travelling long haul where they have to go through a number of transfers.

'Not only can it protect your luggage, but if someone comes to the airport with a broken zip or pocket, the wrap can be a solution to this.

'While we don't actively promote the service, all out customer services staff are aware it is offered and can direct passengers through to the point.'

Northumberland-based company Luggage Point have sites in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham International airports.

And in Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Manchester airports, Excess Baggage Company provides the service designed to give the passenger that extra piece of mind.

London Luton Airport runs its own bag wrapping service from £8 per item, at the check-in concourse.

Wrapping your luggage in industrial-strength cling film can provide piece of mind ahead of your journey

Luggage Point's Graeme Stewart told the Daily Record: 'Passengers are concerned not only about theft but about people inserting items into their luggage.

'This is more common with the rise of longer-haul flights which include stops at other airports en route.'

The tamper-proof film can cost as little as £7 for a suitcase, and is also useful to protect the more fragile items such as musical instruments, skis and sports equipment.

The service is particularly being used by those passengers travelling long-haul with multiple transfers

What REALLY happens to your luggage at the airport: Fascinating video shows suitcase's journey along conveyor belt 'motorway'

A mesmerising video recorded at one of the world’s busiest airports has lifted the veil on what happens to passengers’ luggage after it is left with airline staff at the check-in counter.

It’s fascinating look at a suitcase’s journey along a sophisticated conveyor belt system that separates and delivers luggage to the appropriate holding area at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

The automated system is like a network of motorways, with intersections and lane changes, and the addition of robotic arms that lift and lower suitcases and place them on belts.

At one point the suitcase is lifted and lowered onto a conveyor belt by a massive robotic arm

The three-minute video brings an end to the belief – at massive airports, at least – that passengers’ checked luggage is moved and sorted by hand.

Schiphol airport recorded the behind-the-scenes footage with a camera attached to the top of a suitcase.

It captures the bag’s journey from the moment it is placed on a conveyor belt to the moment it is grabbed by the robotic arm.

The mesmerising behind-the-scenes footage was recorded at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

The bag’s journey changes course several times until it reaches the robotic arm and is finally ready to be loaded onto a plane.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the fifth busiest airport in Europe, with more than 55 million passengers flying to more than 300 destinations last year.

Its south baggage hall operates the world’s most innovative baggage system, with six robots to load baggage containers.