75 000 suitcases could be stolen from football fans, unless airports curb theft

In less than a month the first of 450 000 tourists will land at South African airports after long journeys and as many as 75 000 could find their bags have been snatched before making it to the baggage carousel.

That is according to figures recently given to parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises by SA Airways and Transnet-owned regional airline SA Express. Siza Mzimela, who headed SA Express before taking over from Chris Smyth at SAA this month (April) told the committee that airlines were battling to bring luggage pilfering under control. Smyth told MPs the airline has had to contend with two out of every 1 000 bags handled being pilfered. He conceded this was "quite a lot higher than international averages". The figures were brought down to below 1.5 bags per 1 000 last year, but he said had risen this year. Smyth said some 25% of luggage handling staff were dishonest, 25% honest and the rest corruptible. Mzimela said SA Express was changing luggage handlers every six months because they turned to crime after a short period on the job. "When you come to four, five months, they are already part of the problem."

Liza van Wyk, CEO of major training organization BizTech said that although these figures were shocking at least parliament and the Competition Commission (which has scheduled hearings on high internal air fares during the Soccer World Cup) were acting to improve matters.

“Globally travelling can be a nightmare. Research just released by global mobile phone travel organizer, World Mate has shown that airports usually carry the worst experiences for most travelers. Globally a third of travelers have experienced flight delays or cancellations. The winner of their Worst Business Travel Experience, someone called Rob S took 38 hours to travel from India to Los Angeles because of flight delays.”

WorldMate also found that “13% of our users complained of lost, delayed or damaged luggage. These incidents seem most likely to happen if there is a connecting flight—which for business travelers is most of the time. Taking the basics on the plane with you in your carry-on seems like good policy: a toothbrush, deodorant, and a change of clothes are just some of the things that you’ll immediately need if you can’t get your luggage right away. Unfortunately the United State’s Homeland Security has made it more difficult for people to bring toiletries on the plane: items like toothpaste and moisturising cream might be more of a hassle to pack than they’re worth. And if your necklace is a precious heirloom, please don’t check it in. Anything you value very highly should never see the check-in conveyor belt—at least not if you can help it.”

Eleven percent of travellers had hotel horror stories. “One discovered when he arrived at his Indian hotel that his bathtub was a bucket, the room was filthy and worst of all—he had an unwanted (human) roommate.” WorldMate recommends: “No matter how impressive the hotel website, nothing is more valuable than the honest feedback of previous guests.”

Van Wyk said, “We have a range of courses that help personal assistants to book increasingly complex business trips and because most of them have not travelled at all, or as widely as their bosses, it is really important they know how to compare travelling costs and find other assessments of a hotel instead of booking blind. Websites like www.tripadvisor.com are helpful because they contain feedback from guests who have actually stayed at the hotel or resort.”

Airport security is also a major headache for honest travelers with 11% of WorldMate travelers complaining of “unpleasant run-ins with airport security through no fault of their own. Business traveler Seth M. was held in custody for 48 hours, because his name matched a name on the US no-fly list. He was forbidden from making phone calls and his belongings were confiscated until he was finally cleared to fly to his business meeting in Hong Kong. But the upheaval to his plans resulted in the meltdown of a multi-million dollar deal—and all because of his name. Our advice? Change your last name to “Smith” immediately.”

Van Wyk commented, “WorldMate gave flip advice to real problems many travelers experience. We all want good security, but it is making travel increasingly difficult. Before flying to the US check their regulations carefully, just before Easter they introduced a range of tighter clauses. Before you travel anywhere remember not to take as carry-on luggage any liquid in bottles more than 100ml and that includes medication.

“Wear shoes that are easy to slip out of and avoid wearing belts or jewellery that could set off alarms. Carry letters from those who invited you to visit, whether companies or friends with their phone numbers and correct street address. Have printed copies of booking confirmations from hotels with their full street address and telephone numbers. Ensure you have met all visa requirements including vaccinations and carry a vaccination card and international license if you intend driving. And don’t argue with security or customs officials, you won’t win.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Liza van Wyk, CEO, BIZTECH
011 582 3200 or 082 466 8975 or liza@astrotech.co.za

Issued by Charlene Smith Communications (Pty) Limited 011 6467637 mediaonline@global.co.za www.charlenesmith.net