The CMM Level 5 Baggage Collection Process

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

After a rather uneventful flight from Toronto to Mumbai, I got down at Mumbai airport and proceeded to the baggage collection area. As I waited near the conveyor belt, I saw a South Indian family of four – a couple with 2 kids – engaged in a serious conference. The father – a middle aged guy wearing designer goggles – was explaining some procedure to his wife and kids. The mother, a demure looking saree clad lady wearing flowers on her head, was listening to her husband silently while the inquisitive kids were bombarding the father with questions.

I was wondering what the conference was all about when things started getting clearer. The family proceeded to the conveyor belt and positioned themselves at strategic locations around it.

After watching their antics for 2 minutes, I realized what they had done. They had actually divided themselves into 4 business units for efficient baggage collection. 

Pre-Identification Unit (Smallest Kid)

Function: Identify all bags colored red, black and orange and signal the next unit.


Final Identification Unit (Elder Kid)

Function: Check the baggage tag and match it with ticket. On a successful match, yell out to the next unit.

Collection Unit (The Father)

Function: Collect the bag. In case of failure, signal the next unit.

Backup Collection Unit (The Mother)

Function: Collect bags if previous unit failed to collect them.

The next 10 minutes were straight out of a comedy movie. There was commotion all around the place.

Kid 1: Anna Red baggaaa

Kid 2: Appaaaa kadu kadu... ticket mismatchaaa

Father: Seri Seriii

Kid 1: Anna Black baggaaa

Kid 2: Appaaaa... matchaaa... thondarga thondarga

Father: Ekkadaa??? Seri seri... Aamaa Vijayalakshmi... thyaru avu

Mother: Serii serii

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Thanks to their ingenious process, they had collected all their bags in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, other mortals around them were left with their jaws wide open. Like a true fan, I wanted to click their photo and get their autograph, but they vanished before I could get hold of my camera. Since that day, I always make it a point to visit the baggage collection area of airports hoping that I might see them, but I always end up disappointed.

Maybe someday..........