Virgin Atlantic check in staff assist thousands of customers each day, as they jet off on trips around the world, so it’s fair to say they’ve seen a number of questionable items attempted to be checked in. A study of the airline’s global airport teams, from Shanghai to St Lucia, has now revealed the strangest of check-in requests from around the world.
The findings featured a strong variety of animals, ranging from fish and a budgie on a customer’s shoulder along with several car parts including an engine. There also seems to be regional patterns, with brooms arriving at check in regularly in India and loose tyres common place in Lagos.
The wildest items included: the head board of a bed, flying from Delhi to London; a car bumper, trying to fly from London Heathrow; a bag filled with water, with four live goldfish, trying to travel from Barbados; loose car tyres, traveling from Shanghai to London; a large fridge freezer trying to fly from Las Vegas and a bath tub, trying to get to London from Johannesburg.
“We’ve always flown to an eclectic mix of destinations, so it’s only right to expect an eclectic selection of baggage! Our local team in Delhi and our global teams around the world speak to so many customers on a daily basis and it certainly brightens their day when they notice something out of the ordinary. However, to ensure our customers have the smoothest journey possible, it’s always best to visit our website to check what is allowed on-board- which certainly doesn’t include bathtubs,” Nick Park, Head of Middle East, Africa & India at Virgin Atlantic, said.
