How do you deal with luggage?

I've heard that you are no longer allowed to lock your check in luggage. Really? Do you worry that people working at the airport will steal stuff? Do you lock your luggage before you hand it over at the port?

Thanks, Kathy

I've heard that you are no longer allowed to lock your check in luggage. Really? Do you worry that people working at the airport will steal stuff? Do you lock your luggage before you hand it over at the port?

 

Thanks, Kathy

I believe its true. I never put anything of value in my checked luggage. All valuables go into my carry-on. I've never had anything taken from my checked bags.

Teanne

If they are interested in my dirty underwear, let them have it!

If they are interested in my dirty underwear, let them have it!

Surely you don't pack dirty underwear for you trip TO the cruise port :p

Surely you don't pack dirty underwear for you trip TO the cruise port :p

Well, let me think......OK....LOL

This is not new. There are TSA approved locks...ones that the TSA has keys for, that you can use.

That being said, we have not locked our bags in many years. Yes, we have found the TSA search cards in our bags, particularly my golf clubs. Nothing has ever been stolen.

The very common advice is to NEVER put valuables in your check in luggage. If someone is desperate enough to steal toiletries or underwear...so be it. But you don't usually hear about those items being stolen. It is valuables that shouldn't be there in the first place.

We use TSA locks and zip ties. I put a nail clipper in an unsecured outer pocket of our checked bags to cut off the zip ties. Anything essential or of value goes with us.

We use TSA locks and zip ties. I put a nail clipper in an unsecured outer pocket of our checked bags to cut off the zip ties. Anything essential or of value goes with us.

Exactly what we do.

We also use TSA approved locks....if TSA wants to unlock my bags...go for it...I doubt they really want or need anything inside. And when I leave my luggage outside my cabin, night before disembarkation I feel better that their locked..at least hopefully it's a deterrent to some and it may be in other situations too...So do I lock my bags...yes...always.

I haven't heard that luggage cannot be locked. We use TSA approved locks also.

Khewston,

Check the TSA website for their rules but if you wish to use the TSA approved locks they are very inexpensive and available everywhere you would find travel necessities and that could even include grocery stores, drug stores and your local Target or Walmart.

I can tell you this. There are several ways a thief can get into your locked luggage. Don't rely on the locks to keep you valuables safe. Keep all valuables in your hand luggage.

Modern airport bag delivery systems are all automatic these days so handlers would only have a couple of minutes to go through bags & they would be fired if caught. I've also read that they all have TSA keys anyway.

The advise is 1 never have anything of value in bag, 2 use a colourful wool or string and knot it around your zipper tags, it can easily be cut off by TSA Agents & they leave a message in or on bag, this is to make it take too long for handler to try and get in to bag and not get caught, if wool/string is missing you can search bag at airport & report anything missing straight away.

I haven't heard that luggage cannot be locked.

If you lock your bags but you do not use a TSA lock, the TSA may cut off your lock so that you will have to buy a new one. No big deal, although I try to remember to put cable ties on instead if my bag is going to encounter the TSA.

Much more important to remember to never ever ever ever put valuables into checked luggage.

Much more important to remember to never ever ever ever put valuables into checked luggage.

As recently demonstrated by a young lady who has more experience running than flying.

LINK HERE.

We lock our luggage.

We use TSA approved.

Can someone get into it to take something out?

Sure.

But more than likely someone will go after a piece of luggage without a lock.

The same applies to someone with a home alarm.

Can a thief get in? Yes. Often as simply as popping out the glass?

Are they more likely to go after a home without a sign noting an alarm service?

Yep.

Keith

If you lock your bags but you do not use a TSA lock, the TSA may cut off your lock

Well even if you use a TSA Lock with the TSA symbol your lock still may be cut off. Been there done that. I guess they didn't have the right key.

Still locks are inexpensive so no big deal for me.

I had the same TSA lock for about 5 years....on my last flight back from BCN I got home and no lock :eek: But I did have a nice note from TSA saying they inspected my bag. :rolleyes: Now if they had only bothered to put the lock back on it would have been nice. (it was on there when I grabbed the bag in CLT but disappeared somewhere between CLT and CHS :mad:)

I had the same TSA lock for about 5 years....on my last flight back from BCN I got home and no lock :eek: But I did have a nice note from TSA saying they inspected my bag. :rolleyes: Now if they had only bothered to put the lock back on it would have been nice. (it was on there when I grabbed the bag in CLT but disappeared somewhere between CLT and CHS :mad:)

I had the same issue with a nice note from TSA like you and missing lock and now I use this lock. This lock has a small slit in the bottom so I use a small zip tie to secure it to zipper pulls on an outer pocket. The TSA hasn't searched my luggage to test my theory since changing locks.

I also like this lock because it has a large loop so i can secure it through my main luggage zipper and handle so someone would have to remove the lock to cover their tracks if the zipper was breached.

Shak

If you fly within China, you will need locks on your luggage. We did a tour there and had four internal flights. Our Program Manager provided us with the small locks (not the ones that TSA can open). Apparently, in China, if you don't lock your luggage, someone will go through your stuff.

Look on You Tube. All one needs is a ball point pen and you can get into the zipper. Locks are useless.

Realize that there is no perfect answer to protecting your luggage. Consider these hazards:

theft of property from inside the bag

insertion of illegal contraband into the bag

physical damage to the bag

water damage to bag and contents

All anyone can do is use common sense and take reasonable precautions. After that, it's out of your control.

If TSA is suspicious about the X-ray of your bag, they will access the interior, even if it means breaking your lock with bolt cutters.

DH prefers TSA locks for his checked bags, I prefer cable ties. Traveling from Asia and Africa we have used the

I don't know where OP "heard" that checked bags cannot be locked. Of course you can lock a check bag at every airport in the world. Just be aware of the measures TSA (or the equivalent) will take to inspect the bag. And yes, definitely lock your bags before turning them over to porters at the pier.

We got home from a trip a couple years ago & a box cutter was in our luggage...Not a great feeling