OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg): New rules for checking in bags of irregular shape and size!

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has introduced new rules for checking in bags of irregular shape and size at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg on 25 March 2019. The new rules are aimed at preventing blockages and breakdowns in the baggage handling system caused by bags that do not have any flat surfaces or that have long straps or grips as per the International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines. The new rules have been agreed to after extensive consultations with the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) and other bodies representing airlines. 

The new baggage rules are:

1. Only regular-shaped bags will be allowed at check-in counters.
2. This means that the bags must have at least one flat surface to be accepted on the check-in system.
3. Round or irregular-shaped bags will not be allowed at check-in counters.
4. Bags with longs straps will not be allowed at check-in counters.

Passengers trying to check in bags that do not conform to these rules will be offered the option of having their baggage wrapped with one flat side at airport approved baggage wrapping stations. 
Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in Dubai recently instituted the same kind of baggage rules that will now be applied at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg.

South Africa: OR Tambo International Airport cuts rate of "mishandled" baggage

According to a recent statement from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), the operator of South Africa's main airports has made significant improvements to support, coordinate and oversee baggage handling operations at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.

• In 2009, 18.65 bags per 1 000 departing passengers were mishandled at OR Tambo International Airport. This has dropped to 9.79 per 1 000 departing passengers in 2013 due to a multi-million rand investment in the latest technology to improve baggage handling and management.
• Cape Town International Airport in Cape Town and King Shaka International Airport in Durban have consistently performed at levels below four bags per 1 000 passengers.
• The higher number at OR Tambo International Airport is the result of about one fifth of the airport’s traffic being connecting traffic. This is seen as one of the major contributors to mishandled bags around the world.

ACSA's international general manager Tebogo Mekgoe said in the statement that compared to global averages provided by Sita Worldtracer, OR Tambo International Airport's baggage management statistics are "faring competitively". Sita Worldtracer reported global mishandling rates at 11.39 bags mishandled per 1 000 passengers in 2009, improving to 8.83 in 2012.

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Behind-The-Scenes: Your bag's journey after you've checked in (video)

To promote a free mobile app that allows you to track your luggage, Delta Air Lines made the following video that shows you where your bags go after they pass through those black rubber flaps at the airport.
Due to "security reasons", and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the probably most interesting part of the bag's journey from Atlanta to New York in the US could not be filmed, but it is still good to see that they handle your luggage with a certain care at the two aiports. Let's just imagine that this is how they do it everywhere in the world. Thx Delta!