You’ve made it off the plane, the warm air hits your face as you walk down the aircraft steps, and you have officially arrived at your holiday destination.
The only thing standing between you and a poolside cocktail is the passport check at border control.
Oh, and the simple task of collecting your suitcase from the carousel which should be quick and easy before heading off for your hotel transfer.
It’s straightforward, until you have to battle your way through the hordes of people standing in front of the belt despite their bags not even arriving yet.
They are ‘luggage loungers’, a term thought up by the Daily Mail to describe travellers who lounge around and wait for their luggage right by the carousel, sometimes even leaning against it, causing annoyance to others who are trying to retrieve their cases.
Picking up a hefty suitcase off the belt and having to awkwardly shuffle through the clusters of people, whose luggage isn’t even in sight yet, is a common occurrence in airports.
Passengers seem attracted to the belt like flies at times, despite there often being benches nearby for travellers to sit and patiently wait, leaving little space for those who can see their bags to grab them and smoothly depart from the airport.
The trend has made its way to social media too, where several holidaymakers have shared videos of ‘luggage loungers’ in airports and expressed their annoyance.
‘Luggage loungers’, is a term thought up by the Daily Mail to describe travellers who lounge around and wait for their luggage right by the carousel, sometimes even leaning against it, causing annoyance to others who are trying to retrieve their cases
Passengers seem attracted to the belt like flies at times, despite there often being benches nearby for travellers to sit and patiently wait
‘Luggage loungers’ often leave little space for those who can see their bags to grab them and smoothly depart from the airport
‘The actual rage I feel when people stand this close to the luggage belt’ @wintersxo7 posted on TikTok, alongside footage of her fellow passengers even pressing their legs against the belt.
Meanwhile, @emilylowe000 described the habit as her ‘biggest pet peeve at the airport’.
She added: ‘Why stand this close to the belt and now no one can get to their luggage?? Just take a step back and then go forward when your case comes??’
For Lee Thompson, co-founder of group solo travel company Flash Pack, the frustrating occurrence is also one of his ‘biggest airport hates’.
He tells the Daily Mail: ‘There’s absolutely no benefit to it whatsoever. It doesn’t get your bag off any faster, it just blocks everyone else from seeing theirs.’
What should be simple turns ‘into chaos’, Lee says, when people can’t access their luggage properly.
Lee takes a different approach to pesky ‘luggage loungers’ and instead of eagerly waiting right by the belt, takes time to rest in a spot nearby where he can still keen an eye on his case.
‘I actually find baggage reclaim one of the most relaxing moments of the journey,’ the travel expert explains.
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It has been noticed by social media users too, including @wintersxo7 who posted on TikTok, ‘The actual rage I feel when people stand this close to the luggage belt’
Meanwhile, @emilylowe000 described the habit as her ‘biggest pet peeve at the airport’
For Lee Thompson (pictured), co-founder of group solo travel company Flash Pack, the frustrating occurrence is also one of his ‘biggest airport hates’
‘I sit nearby where I can see the belt clearly, catch up on emails, scroll my phone and start planning my day.’
He advises the best approach is to just ‘stand back’ and watch the belt from afar, only approaching when you can see your luggage.
Another holidaymaker, @bethevillage, called the ‘luggage loungers’ ‘self-centred’ and shared a video on TikTok of hordes of people standing beside the conveyor belt.
While @awrawlings described it as the ‘most stressful thing that people do’ alongside footage of ‘luggage loungers’ in action.
‘Why do people stand this close? Your suitcase won’t come any quicker!’ @elliebendall raged in a video.
Christian Petzold, Marketing Director at CityTrip Travel, explains the possible reasons behind the annoying behaviour.
He tells the Daily Mail how many travellers might be ‘under pressure’ to catch connecting flights or in a hurry to head for their transfers.
This results in crowds of people thinking ‘of themselves as needing to be the “first ones”‘.
Lee advises the best approach is to just ‘stand back’ and watch the belt from afar, only approaching when you can see your luggage
The risk of fellow passengers picking up the wrong bag might also be on peoples’ minds, or their luggage being lost completely.
UK airports saw more than 62,000 items reported lost between August 2023 and August 2024, according to data previously shared by Confused.com.
Christian adds, ‘Some other people near the baggage claim are also worried that their bags might be taken by someone else accidentally, particularly if it is of common brand or colour, so they stand very close to the carousel.
‘People have the wrong idea that if they stand closer, the luggage will come out sooner, though the conveyor system is running on a fixed timing, so the process does not actually become quicker.’
Like Lee, the expert recommends standing away from the carousel, ‘until their bags are visible or obviously coming’.
In some airports, there might even be the option to pay for porters to help with the luggage, which Lee say could be worth it to avoid the carousel hassle.
‘For five dollars, someone will lift your suitcase off the carousel and carry it straight to your car. It turns a stressful arrival into a calm one – and you’re putting money directly into someone’s pocket,’ he says.
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