Frequent flyer spots cable tie on her luggage at Bali airport

A young Australian traveller has asked fellow holidaymakers what an orange cable tie attached to her bag is, after noting airport staff had placed it on her luggage at an airport in Bali.

The woman, who shared a photo of the suspicious tag on Facebook, said it suddenly appeared on her bag after she landed and went to collect it from the baggage carousel.

‘Does anyone know what this cable tie on our bags means? Arrived last night and one bag took a bit longer and came out with this tag. I’m guessing it was inspected?’ the woman captioned the post.

It appears she isn’t the only person to notice a cable tie on her bag after landing at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, with others on Facebook offering up their own experiences. 

‘Oh nooooooo gives me nightmares these cable ties! I got pulled up back in 2019. Mine was green and they pulled me up and searched and charged me $300,’ one woman said.

‘I was carrying Bluetooth speakers as gifts for my friends. They gave me the option to leave them at the airport and pick them up on the way home,’ the woman continued, explaining that she chose to pay the fee in this case.

‘I had a tag on mine and it got searched. I was carrying lactose free long life milk,’ another traveller explained.

‘We had our bags inspected by customs as we brought a lot of food over for friends who live in Bali. Once checked we were given the all good to go,’ said another who had two cable ties on their bag.

The woman asking the original question admitted she wasn’t stopped by customs and perhaps the check had been done before she landed.

Some argued that chalk was used on their bags instead of the cable tie to indicate that it needed to be checked. 

The woman asking the original question admitted she wasn’t stopped by customs and perhaps the check had been done before she landed (pictured: a villa in Bali)

‘That happened to me many years ago. It was a brand new suitcase and they put a big white cross on the side of it. I was less than impressed,’ one user commented. 

He added: ‘The baggage ties just mean you have something in your luggage they think you shouldn’t have. Mainly extra alcohol.’ 

According to an expert, these guesses are quite close to what they’re actually meant for.  

Managing Director of Airline Tactical Solutions Martin Engeler told Yahoo Australia that it was more of a ‘Bali thing’ – rather than broader airline practice – to tag a bag.

‘What they used to do was mark it with a yellow crayon and put a cross on it,’ Mr Engeler said.

‘Baggage is screened before they come out of the airport… It tells customs to check that bag,’ he explained. ‘It’s for people who try to bring in stuff like electronics.’

Mr Engeler further explained that those cable ties were something used to secure luggage that may have been opened, or that they suspect has been tampered with.