FF tags on your briefcase...do you?
 

These are often the butt of jokes, looked upon as a flaunting elitism, or even of arrogance. But, do you attach a set of airline or hotel tags to your briefcase, backpack or whatever contains your essentials? (I don't mean checked luggage or even roller bags.)

I start the thread based on two TV series episodes that ran last night.

On THE SAPRANOS, Tony walks off with someone else's briefcase (and wallet) and only discovers it the next day...leading to an absurd "dream" episode of hillucinations trigged by his shooting in the season opener by his uncle, Junior. Now had either party had FF tags on the case...

Then on THE WEST WING, one of the presidential contenders, Matt Santos, leaves his briefcase in a hotel meeting room, where it is found by the chief strategist of his opponent, Alan Alda. Here too, no FF ID tags make the story line "plausible".

So, back to the question:

Do you attach a set of your elite tags to these "satchels" that hold some of the most valuable items in your life?

I do, always have, going back to the days of AC's and CP's invitation-only enRoute Club and Kanata Club (before the days of the FF programs) respectively. Then there was the discrete red dot that was used to identify members of InterContinental's Six Continents Club, to be stuck on one's other FF tag.

With so many programs in which I hold elite status (like most here, four or five), I tend to pare mine down to the main FF program in which I'm an elite, plus my main hotel program. I also add any particular programs I may be using on a given trip, though this happens infrequently. Or just the nicest looking one... Those reg Red Carpet Club tags back in the 80s were very nice. (Up here AC changes the design of their tags each year, some years better than others.)

Yup!

Delta One Million Mile (Old blue design)
Delta Two Million Mile (Gold Medallion design)
Delta Platinum Medallion (Current small black design)

Why?

Not an idea on earth other than either a bad habit or good luck...of which I know not :D

Best,

Joel

Nope, never have.

Sure do.
In this day and age of hurry up and wait it is possible to slip up and forget something. This is just another way to be carefull, plus I have bumped into a couple of FT'rs who saw my tags.
Kinda fun meeting someone with similar insanity traits :p


I recall an incident pre 9/11 at where I spotted a breifcase with several name tags which had been left behind. The GA paged the person and all was well in the end and nobody had to "look inside".

I am missing almost all of the FF tags that I received over the years. I have the usual covered business card tag on every piece of luggage I use and I have FT Priority tags on them as well.

No. I have a plain name tag on my bag.

I have my PL PM tag and DL Priority tag on my briefcase and backpack. On one bag I have my DL PM & GM tag because my daughter (who is now 5.5yrs old) liked it like that.

My 5 year old has all sorts of airline tags on her backpack, she has DL PM, GM, SM, an SWA "Wright Is Wrong" tag, a DL Priority tag, a UA heavy tag, a Star Alliance Priority tag, a VS Upper Class tag and she had me laminate her NW FF card and attach it on. She may have my old DL CRC tag on there as well.

Yep, if my little girl ever loses her backpack in an airport it should be easy to find the owner and return it.....esspecially because it has her Bear in it (spitting in four directions and throwing salt over my shoulder that she never loses that bear anywhere).

I do find the most useful tag on my briefcase is the blue one which reads "White House Press" with the seal of the White House on it. It has oddly enough been moreuseful at times with the TSA than my actual press credentials which are issued by various federal agencies, major police departments and the united nations. I get stopped often because of the contents of my backpack (lots of camera gear). You'd think a photo ID with a hologram would be more useful than a luggage tag, eh?

I put the FT tags on my bags, with a name/address sticker, as kind of a test. No one has noticed or commented as yet--but the bright yellow does make the checked bag a bit easier to locate.

never have and never will...

I put the tag of the airline / alliance I am flying that day. For a number of reasons.

Firstly, the hand baggage police - occassionally on BA having a Silver tag on there can ward off those who decide your bag would fit better in the hold ;) Secondly, on the off chance I might end up leaving my bag somewhere I'd hope some kind soul would return it to a BA rep or whoever I may be flying that day. I have too much faith in the human race ;)

I have an FT tag and my company tag on there.

I have been stopped by other FT'ers on many occasions as well as the occasional comment from an FA or pilot.

I put my FT tag on my hand luggage.
Until now , nobody has ever noticed or stopped by for a chat.

michael

for me it's the same on my briefcase, 22' travelpro and travelpro expandable duffle:

f/t "yellow tag"
travelpro luggaage tag w/my personal business card ("banker, hockey player, poet") inside
SEA_Tigger's f/t-ua luggage tag

made my day
 

I was walking into the lobby of my hotel in Singapore and an EXTREMELY gorgeous young lady goes by and says "hey FT'er, good to see you all the way over here" and promptly disappeared into the Orchard Road crowd. She was way gone before I realized she had seen my tags.

Anyway, at my age, it made my day!

mike

is this the truth? :)

I bought a bunch of FT tags off the site 6 weeks ago. They never turned up. Michelle is sending me new ones.

I keep FF tags on my bags, briefcase etc. Sometimes they help.

/E

I have my DL FC tag and a FT tag on my laptop and briefcase. During screening several months ago, I heard a TSA'er say, " Hey look at that tag. One of those people." I am glad I was recognized and didn't get secondary! :eek:

Flying Colonel?

I thought I had some on my laptop bag but I just checked and I no longer do - just a business card.

I know my garment bag has a few attached - mostly priority handling tags (for all the good that those do). I did have USAir track me down many years ago when someone turned in something that had just by DM tag/number attached, so it can come in handy.

I have a FT tag and an AA EXP 1MM on my carry-on and laptop bags. In the two years I've had the FT tags on, I've only received 3 comments. One was from someone who often lurks on the site, another from an existing FT member, and another from someone who was curious as to what the tag was for. I fly quite a bit, and am kind of surprised that I've only had a few comments. But it's neat to see if anyone will recognize the tags.

I was on a flight from MSP to DTW on Sunday. There was a bag with at least 10 NWA elite tags, another 5 from various airlines and a few other things hanging off it. The tags keep getting in the way when the FA tried to shut the bin. You could tell she was impressed by them.

I have my FT tag and one elite tag.

Yes, much better chance of having your stuff returned if you forget it. I don't think there is any downside if a FA notices that you are an elite member.

Yes, I have SQ Solitaire tag, Red Carpet tag, Intercontinental Royal Ambassador tag and I would attach a Global Services tag if UA would make one. The earlier recognition is made the better. I also have FT'er tag but have only been approached one time by another FT'er.
I feel confident that if either SQ or Interconti finds my bag, it will be returned to me in good condition.
bb

No.

For myself I think they're tacky.

I think the people who put them on are trying to compensate for something.

Alas, I knew someday this would be made public.

It's true that those of us who use the free luggage tags are an insecure bunch who are (hopelessly) seeking society's approval. We hide our inadequacies behind those tags... or at least we did until today. Thanks a lot for exposing our desperate little ploy. How ever will we compensate now that you are on to us? :rolleyes:

I put my AA EXP tag on my backpack and roll-aboard. The main reason is that I tend to travel very causally. Throw in a beard, it's easy for some self-important Golds and Platinums (not putting G/P down as a group, been there, they're a minority but they do exist) to treat me as self-loading cargo as they shove past for pre-boarding, the F check-in station, etc., etc. Seeing the tag tends to slow them down a bit.

Some of them are pretty. The Emirates Skywards Blue tags look nice, and they're obviously not snooty :)

I wonder what the correlation is between those who put elite tags on their bags and those who list it on their Flyertalk profile ;)

So far
FT Profile (Y) - Bags (Y) - 62.5%
FT Profile (Y) - Bags (N) - 16.7%
FT Profile (N) - Bags (Y) - 0%
FT Profile (N) - Bags (N) - 20.8%

I guess I'll add to the percentages above -- I do put the current year NW elite tag on my carry-bag. I don't have a regular name tag on it, so I suppose that's why I do it.

Never thought about the elite in my profile -- I think when I signed up that just seemed to be 'the way to do it' and I've not changed it since.

I have a FT tag on my computer bag and rollaboard. Nobody has noticed. :(

FT Tag on my bags and backpack.
I put my elite tag on the bag, I guess it will work better on the backpack so that FA will see it. Thank you for this.

I've expressed my opinion.

Thank you for expressing y:rolleyes:urs.

FT "priority tag" on most bags; helps me differentiate between mine and other Costco "Kirkland Signature" roller boards. Built-in covered name/address tag on all bags. No elite tags.

Checked bags (rare): elite card; probably easier to come back to me if the airline looses it.

Carry-on (backpack usually): FT tag/elite card; check-in people in crowded airports spot the elite card on the backpack.

Key Chain: elite cards; quicker than fumbling in my wallet when needed.

Yes, naturally! :)

Mark

I have FT Yellow tags on all of my bags. Easy to spot. I also have some 3M luggage tags that have my business cards on them in case they ever get lost.

Yellow FT tag and my NW Elite tag (current year only) on my main carry-on. Lone NW Elite tag (current year only) on my 1 "personal item" which is usally a school backpack.

What Elite Tag? I Fly CO...where apparently meals at mealtimes, pillows and magazines aren't extravagant...but giving anything other than a cheap sticker that goes inside a bag for identification would make that pizza just a little too tasty.

Yes I tag. Which tag is on at any time is harder to answer.

I tag because I never know when I'm going to be forced to check my bag :mad:

FT tags on all bags and carryons.