These day it is a sad fact but airlines have an increasingly critical part to play in ensuring that all passengers are safe and that all luggage is innocent, and conforms fully to current regulations. In order to not only assist airlines with their job, but also to ensure that you face as little inconvenience yourself as possible, there are a few tips to bear in mind to make everyone's life a little easier.

A common mistake made by a lot of travellers is to make use of the locks on suitcases. It's remarkable how often these suitcases come with locking mechanisms, either built into the case themselves, or using a padlock to lock together the zip fastener. However, an increasing number of airlines state on he paperwork that you must not lock your suitcases. The reason simply is that they may need to carry out a check of the contents of your case when you are not present. This could be for a number of reasons. There might well be an item inside to which their attention has been drawn, quite possibly an innocent item, but one which obviously needs checking out. In this case, if the bag is locked, and obviously the security personnel will have no key, they have only one choice, since they will not be able to merely ignore the potential risks that the case presents.

Should they face this situation, they will simply force open the bag. Not only will this almost certainly damage the locking mechanism, but it could also impair the way in which the case closes, and you do not wish to find yourself on holiday with a suitcase that doesn't close. There are two options in this situation. One is of course not to use the locking mechanism once the case is handed over to baggage. There is a second possibility, depending upon which airline you are using. There is a manufacturer that produces padlocks for cases, to which the airline security staff have a master key. In this situation, you can still ensure the security of you case as it is locked, but the security staff will also be able to have access your case and be able to both unlock it and relock it without any damage to the case itself.

It is also helpful as far as security is concerned to ensure your case is easily identifiable should you be unfortunate enough to have your case go missing. Being able to make it recognizable is a distinct advantage. This is easily achieved by having a label or sign or other sticker attached to each side of the case. This will allow the case to be visible on CCTV and even a cursory glance through lost baggage.

Finally, luggage labels play a very important part in helping to ensure not only that your bag arrives at the same destination and at the same time as yourself, but also should it take a different journey, it helps to allow its eventual return to you. However, labels can become detached, and to guard against this eventuality it is helpful to all concerned to have the same information as was on the luggage label on a label inside the case. Simply get a large sheet of paper and write out your name, address, contact number, destination and flight number, and lay this piece of paper on top of the luggage in you case before closing. This also allows your case to be returned to you should it either go missing or stolen.