How many times have you found your luggage damaged as you awaited it at the arrival belt of the airport? It's even more disheartening when you had requested the airline to attach a 'fragile' tag to it, only to witness your bag being tossed around upon its arrival on the belt.
However, passengers at the Varanasi airport witnessed something unusual this time. In a video posted on X, an airport authority official was seen standing at the conveyor belt, exactly where luggage drops down onto the moving belt, cushioning the fall with a thick sponge sheet to ensure a safer landing for the bags.
Watch the video here:
Shortly after the video was shared on social media on March 28, it went viral, with over 108.6k views. The reaction from netizens was mixed, with some praising the initiative, while others deemed it a futile effort. Despite the divided opinions, the majority of the netizens were furious and criticized the move, questioning the effectiveness and sustainability of such a practice in the long term. Many argued that while the effort to protect luggage was commendable, it highlighted deeper issues within the baggage handling process that needed more robust and systemic solutions rather than temporary fixes.
Netizens react
One user, Harshal Bhosale, called the move pointless and wrote on X, "This is a pointless job and only for show lol. Baggage handlers on the other side have already done all the damage they can to these bags."
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"Wat a waste of personnel...the worst treatment baggage gets is on loading and unloading from the plane ...wat happens so bad at the belt," said Manish P Gawade.
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"Poor design and waste of human resources. Create a cushion fixed with rollers to drag it with belt. Just little extra attachment needed. Behind the curtain they will still throw the bag in the air, it's just to show that they care," said @CryptoPunjabi.
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Some asked why this job can’t be mechanised or automated.
"Can this not be mechanized/automated?," said Shortcast over Coffee.
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@doc_hormone asked, " why don't they fix the cushion there?"
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However, there were many who appreciated the effort by the man to keep the luggage protected.
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"So cool. Just like the Japanese! Was this airport staff or airline staff? Color me impressed if this airport staff," said Kshitij Malve.
