Stealing from checked luggage?

[SteveC]

Exerpt from Booth Newspapers' story:[ QUOTE ]
Column: Don't travel with anything too dear - at least not in your luggage
Sunday, September 05, 2004
By Dennis Tanner
In the last few weeks I have received more than a dozen e-mails from airline passengers complaining about articles stolen from their checked bags and reporting government-approved locks removed from their luggage.

Invariably they ask:

1. How prevalent are thefts from checked bags?

2. Who is doing it?

3. Who should complaints be made to, the airline or the Transportation Security Administration?

4. If security folks can pull things out of checked bags, couldn't they also put items into them?

Briefly, the answers are:

1. You are hardly alone, according to airline analysts, travel agents and Internet postings. Most of the thefts targeted small, easily secreted items, although posters on two Internet travel bulletin boards said they had lost items as large as a man's suit and dress shirts. Neither the airlines nor the TSA will discuss theft reports, but both say they are working to eliminate them. Of course, they would not detail what is being done, citing security.

2. Based on arrests, both TSA and airline employees are responsible. In the last two months, almost two dozen TSA employees have been charged with thefts at a half-dozen of the nation's nearly 500 airports. Most arrests stemmed from undercover operations in the security areas.

3. Complaints should be sent to both the airlines and the TSA. Two readers said that they eventually received settlements from their carriers -- in one case Northwest and in the other American -- but they had to pursue their claims with letters and phone calls. Two other readers noted that their cases are pending with their airlines.

4. There is no doubt that the thefts have raised concern about the security in -- of all places -- airport security operations. Again, the airlines and the TSA say they are addressing the issue.

As far as the problems with locks, it's another program that looked great on paper and hasn't worked well in the field. Although the TSA says that its screeners are able to open and close the locks after inspecting checked bags, they acknowledge that many locks are being cut off and tossed away. Travelers don't discover the problem until they pick up their bags at their destinations.

The best advice at the moment: Leave your checked bags unlocked and don't pack anything that has monetary or sentimental value.

[/ QUOTE ]

Story here.

[Minnesota_Flyer]

[ QUOTE ]
In the last two months, almost two dozen TSA employees have been charged with thefts at a half-dozen of the nation's nearly 500 airports. Most arrests stemmed from undercover operations in the security areas.

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif[/img]

Can someone remind me how this is better than the rent-a-cops we had before??

MF

[MrLeisure757]

Interesting. This might explain why FOUR of my Brother's FAKE Rolex's from China were "missing" from his bag when we finally reached BOS from PEK via ORD....

[kellwolf]

Well, most of the time, if there was a lock on the luggage it usually became "lost" one the way down from TSA. What they're SUPPOSED to do is ask you to leave your luggage unlocked, then lock it back. If they have to break the lock, then they're supposed to zip tie it closed. Unfortunately, this takes away from the coversation they were having with their co-worked about that cute guy/girl over there screening. I've seen some items legitimately "lost" since some guy broke the zipper packing his bag, all his stuff fell out, and we have no clue which bag it went to. Most of that was like shaving cream, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, etc. In over two years at SWA as a ramper (a WHOLE lot of that was spent trapped in the dungeon sorting bags), I never saw nor heard of any theft on our part. Can't say the same about TSA, though.

[aloft]

There's a new type of lock available now from Master, Brinks and others that has a special logo:



to indicate to TSA agents that they can open it with a master key. Each lock is coded TSA 002, TSA 004, etc to indicate which master key opens. This lock system was developed just for this problem.

More info on this new lock system at http://www.travelsentry.org/

[MarineNav]

Hello Aloft,
[ QUOTE ]
There's a new type of lock available now from Master, Brinks and others that has a special logo to indicate to TSA agents that they can open it with a master key.

[/ QUOTE ] I wonder how long before those keys turn up on Ebay?

Happy Landings,

JR

[JEP]

[ QUOTE ]
Interesting. This might explain why FOUR of my Brother's FAKE Rolex's from China were "missing" from his bag

[/ QUOTE ]

These could legitimately missing from his bag, even if they were not stolen. If TSA/Customs finds "fake" merchandise which they know is fake, they can and will seize it.

[flyover]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting. This might explain why FOUR of my Brother's FAKE Rolex's from China were "missing" from his bag

[/ QUOTE ]

These could legitimately missing from his bag, even if they were not stolen. If TSA/Customs finds "fake" merchandise which they know is fake, they can and will seize it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, if Customs seized them the brother would have been standing tall before the man.

The problem of stealing from baggage has been around for as long as there's been baggage. All the new security means more handling of the bags and along with authority to open them means more stealing. It's a shame. But another lesson to carry on your valuables and/or have them shipped (insured) to your destination. And of course it 's a black eye to airline customer service.

[mtsu_av8er]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting. This might explain why FOUR of my Brother's FAKE Rolex's from China were "missing" from his bag

[/ QUOTE ]

These could legitimately missing from his bag, even if they were not stolen. If TSA/Customs finds "fake" merchandise which they know is fake, they can and will seize it.

[/ QUOTE ]

See, this has gone too far. Make me keep a live rattlesnake in my bag.... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[MrLeisure757]

[ QUOTE ]

See, this has gone too far. Make me keep a live rattlesnake in my bag.... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I agree.

[Kristie]

[ QUOTE ]
There's a new type of lock available now from Master, Brinks and others that has a special logo:



to indicate to TSA agents that they can open it with a master key. Each lock is coded TSA 002, TSA 004, etc to indicate which master key opens. This lock system was developed just for this problem.

More info on this new lock system at http://www.travelsentry.org/

[/ QUOTE ]yup...you can buy them at Magellans

[danielsexton]

A couple of months ago I flew ACA/UAL Express from TUL to ORD and they were passing out zip ties at the baggage counter. The friendly agent asked you to remove all locks and replace them with an orange zip tie; I thought that was an excellent idea.