Originally Posted by
SuperFlyBoy
Thanks - for further clarification, I'm taking *out* of the US, transiting *through* FRA, not clearing EU Customs at all, for an onward journey...one further question would be whether FRA stores luggage in a temperature-controlled warehouse/location and/or in the aircraft containers....going from a A343 to a 744, so they may have to swap the suitcases in/out of the (different?) container systems, or are they uniform??
Had a chance to inspect the cargo ops of El Al, where the *cargo* on board their 767's is stowed on flat, pallet-type steel/alu flats...quite different from the 744 container systems...
Most of the cargo containers are uniform, I am not quite sure about luggage containers...
But I know that the A343 is definetly a problem and the luggage compartment of the 744 is much bigger....
Your suitcases will not be stored in the same containers because they will unpack all the containers from the incoming flight, your suitcases will remain in FRA's luggage system and when they start to pack the containers for your outbound flight they will pack them in the new container...
Neither the warehouse nor the containers are temperature controlled at any point... They will prevent stuff in general from getting wet or dirty but that's it...
Originally Posted by SuperFlyBoy
Actually wouldn't mind having them keeping the suitcases outside in a container, but *not* near the DG goods and animals!
On widebody aircrafts, luggage is always seperated from dangerous goods and the rest of the cargo! For narrow body a/c like the 737s, cargo and suitcases are just seperated with a net. But don't be afraid. The really nasty dangerous goods are not allowed on PAX a/c, they are trucked within Europe, they will be always kept seperated from regular cargo and other stuff and on the longhoul segments they ship it on "cargo only" freighters...
I have to disappoint you about the animals. When people check animals with their bags, these poor guys fly with the baggage. These are mainly smaller animals like cats, dogs and birds who sit in their cages, being strapped so that their cage can't move and fearing the worst. Additionally they hope that the loading guys did a good job and none of the suitcases move around during flight. I saw once how animals get treated during loading at FRA airport and from that point on I knew that I would never never allow my dog to be checked in. As long as I can't afford a ship cruise for him or to fly with me in the cabin or what ever he has to stay home. But it is unacceptable to have an animal checked.
Bigger animals like horses, lions and other high value animals like that are threated really good. LH is superior in dealing with "living" cargo but they fly, because of their size, on cargo aircrafts as well.