How to protect empty suitcases when checking them in at the airport?
I have already gone through this question about empty suitcases. However, it does not address protecting the suitcases from possible damage. My friend (who is a foreign student studying in Germany) would like to take 2 empty large suitcases to India so that he can bring them back filled up when he returns. However, he feels the suitcases might get damaged when he checks them in empty while travelling from Germany. I know airlines usually have no problem taking empty suitcases, but I would like to know methods for protecting the suitcases when they are empty. The suitcases cannot be placed one inside the other. Is it a good idea to wrap them at the airport or something along those lines?
How can I protect empty (close to empty) suitcases from damage?
Best Answer
I thought there might be some dedicated packing material for doing this and there is this on Amazon as an example, but it doesn't look very practical. However, there are some super cheap airbeds around which your friend might be able to find from somewhere like Aldi. Just partially inflate enough to fill the suitcase. The added bonus is he could use it at the seaside in India...
There's always bubble wrap from a self-storage company, or waste cardboard boxes, or just buying a load of balloons and blowing them up. Perhaps some cheap plastic footballs that he could perhaps give away on arrival.
Pictures about "How to protect empty suitcases when checking them in at the airport?"
Quick Answer about "How to protect empty suitcases when checking them in at the airport?"
Can you check in an empty suitcase?
If you want to check two empty bags that pose them no problems and are allowed by the terms of your airline ticket or baggage fee, that's really your choice and your business. You might have one or two specific airlines in mind for your trip.How do you fill empty space in luggage?
How to avoid lost or stolen luggage, according to expertsHow do you prevent luggage theft?
Packing Basics: Never Put These 14 Things in Your Checked BagWhat Happens to Your Checked Luggage at the Airport
More answers regarding how to protect empty suitcases when checking them in at the airport?
Answer 2
Correct, the fact that they are empty is not an issue unless someone in the security line find this suspicious.
The most common was to accomplish what you fried is trying is to get soft duffel bags which would go in the main suite case.
But, since he already has the suitcases, one way to prevent damage is to fill them with something cheap and disposable. Cheap towels or pillows will do the job.
Answer 3
I am facing this exact problem right now, and thus arrived to this question. A very good solution I found and suggest is to ask family and friends for clothes and other belongings they are willing to let go of (either for donation, or no longer usable). You can fill your suitcase with them and give them away upon arrival.
Answer 4
I did nothing.
I flew back from New Zealand with four massive but empty suitcases and they arrived in Heathrow without an issue, no damage or problems.
Answer 5
If they are quality cases, they won't be permanently crushed, but plenty of outside scratches/gouges/etc. is possible. (One airline puts in writing that missing straps or handles is "ordinary wear and tear.")
The air-filled trash bag in another answer sounds like a good idea, but if you want to go one step further, put a trash bag in the case, and empty a can of expanding foam into it. Close the bag and case, and the foam will expand to fill it.
When ready to put something else in, pull out the half-kilo brick of hardened foam and discard.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Sarah Chai, Anna Shvets, Anna Shvets, Karolina Grabowska