Air travelers warned of a global Carousel Crisis

Staff disinfect luggage at Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport. [YONHAP]

Travel is back, but with glitches at the baggage carousel.

On Thursday, Korean Air posted a notice on its website warning travelers that baggage handling in overseas airports is in a parlous state, especially in the United States and Europe.

It warned travelers to carry valuables and any emergency items in their hand luggage, and not to check them in.

Asiana Airlines is warning its passengers about luggage handling problems in European airports, especially Paris and London. It also warned travelers not to check in important things like medicine.

Heathrow Airport has been having major problems in the last few weeks.

On May 30 alone, 18,000 bags were not handled properly because of a failure in the airport loading system.

On July 1, some 20,000 pieces of luggage went astray at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport due to a malfunctioning of the baggage sorting system.

Frankfurt Airport reports that some 10,000 bags have failed to be loaded onto planes so far this year.

Layoffs of employees during the pandemic are considered the main cause of the Carousel Crisis.

Many airports have been overwhelmed by the sudden increase in international travelers.

The aviation industry expects the situation to continue through the end of this year.

Even if the airports speed up hiring and upgrade antiquated baggage systems, Korean travelers spending summer vacations in Europe or the U.S. may face problems.

“We are having cases after case in which baggage arrives late on our European routes,” said an airline spokesperson. “We are trying to help passengers with baggage delays, but there are limits to what we can do as an individual airline.”

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]