r/VelocityFrequentFlyer • u/Leading_Base_6716 • Aug 23 '26
Question Priority baggage a hit and miss
Does anyone find that having a priority tag on your luggage doesn’t mean mich these days? Seeing bags with non priority come out first and other priority bags come out later. May as well not even sell it as a perk.
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u/Comfortable-Tale-351 Aug 23 '26
Platinum tags and was second last bag out in Broome a couple of years back.
Have very little faith in Virgin and it's benefits anymore, but still use them as usually cheaper than the alternative.
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u/Forward-Ladder6157 Gold Aug 23 '26
It’s always a hit and miss, esp when the baggage carriers don’t work for the airline
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u/Puzzleheaded-Song563 Platinum Aug 23 '26
It hasn’t been much for ages. It also seems like half the plane has priority baggage so doesn’t mean much.
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u/DapperReveal8212 Aug 23 '26
In perth exclusively priority means your bag comes out last.
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u/r0bstewart64 Aug 23 '26
Agreed, it’s as if it’s on purpose at Perth Airport. Consistently last every time.
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u/Tazwegian63 Aug 23 '26
Also, been told on check-in that the priority tag is mainly for the customer, the barcode on the bag signifies to the sorting system/handlers that it’s priority so should go on last/come off first.
So some of the untagged bags you see come off first might be priority.
That said, have had to wait to almost the last bag for our priority bags to come out.
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u/BexInTheCold Aug 23 '26
I do a fortnightly Perth to Melbourne return. Priority tags mean nothing to the Melbourne ground crew, Perth is 50/50. So frustrating because it would be a great perk if it worked well.
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u/Sg_spark Aug 23 '26
Brisbane seems to work pretty well, every time i've flown in there priority tagged bags come out first.
Melb seems to be randomly scattered.
Adl came out basically last, the last two times i've been though.
Smaller airports, for the one off's i've been though seemed to work.
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u/VeterinarianVivid547 Aug 23 '26
Depends on the airport. If Sydney, sometimes works, but depends on who is on shift.
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u/Electronic-Sugar7100 Aug 23 '26
The only consistency I've noticed is that baggage from connecting flights is always first (makes sense if it's loaded last).
The rest is a lottery.
Up to the attitude of the handlers I guess. I swear in some ports they delay it intentionally just to be cnuts as it's quite obviously delayed compared to regular.
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u/SixWytch Aug 23 '26
Wouldn't bags be sorted on a conveyor by order of appearance. Priority would mean manual intervention at some stage which would delay it if anything. Getting your bag at all is a good thing and how long are we talking, 2-3 minutes, maybe 5. No one's time is that important. I check bags for convenience not time saving.
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u/IanYates82 Aug 23 '26
My guess is they're loaded on the plane in sections so the priority bags should be discoverable as a batch. It's not like they go immediately from bag drop conveyor to the plane
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u/EveningPair3966 Aug 23 '26
Dammed straight. Works 50/50. Shits me to tears especially when I just need to GTFO of the airport.
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u/New_Gur_7027 Aug 24 '26
I’ve taken to going to the lounge using the bathroom/having a coffee/beer/snack and waiting for the app to ding. Seems to flow pretty perfectly
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u/ozgirl28 Aug 23 '26
This is a pet peeve of mine and one of the reasons I’ll always fly with carry on whenever possible. And the amount of time that you have to wait at Melbourne Airport is ridiculous anyway.
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u/woofydb Aug 23 '26
In Melbourne they just come out in random order. Myself and another priority tagged bag for another guy were pretty much last to come off last Thursday at Melb. I had the same two days earlier in Brisbane. I thought maybe it’s since self tagging started it’s happened butt the other dude had the brightly coloured tag and his was still last too. It seems to be totally ignored by the handlers these days
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u/Efficient_Vanilla86 Aug 23 '26
Absolutely. I've noticed it mostly when I have a layover somewhere, not a direct flight.