We all get the same recommendation from the airlines when we purchase a ticket. They want us to arrive at the airport early and sometimes, they may even want us to pad that time by an hour or more.

For the most part, we tend to listen to what the airlines say because we don’t want to miss our flight or be held up at the ticket counter. As it turns out, however, we may not have been given the best advice by the airlines.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

There is a benefit to getting to the airport a little later. It is not seen at first but it is seen on the other end of the flight, when you are standing at the baggage claim and waiting for your luggage, rolling onto the belt.

This interesting hack was shared by Thomas Lo Sciuto on the Quora forum. He says that he is a ramp worker and gate agent in the United States at a regional airport. The big takeaway from his comments is that having your baggage loaded late means that it will come off first.

Photo: flickr/Bradley Gordon

When you really stop to think about it, this makes perfect sense. The bags are taken from the area where they are checked in and carts and loaded onto the aircraft.

Lo Sciuto explains it this way: “So if you check in last, your bags will be in that bag cart, which will make them the last on the aircraft and the first off the aircraft at your destination.”

Photo: flickr/TheeErin

Although this may be an interesting way to save some time on the backend of your flight, it isn’t always without risk. If you land at the airport too late and check your bag truly at the last minute, you may not be able to get through security and down to your flight to get to your destination in the first place.

This can be a real problem because your bag may make it on the plane but you might not. In other words, your bag might be waiting at the airport for you but you’re going to be late getting to your destination.