Can Luggage Be Locked on Flights Within Europe?
 

At this point I've stopped locking luggage for flights within the U.S. and have not invested in TSA locks, etc.

I am planning to take several flights within Europe next year and am wondering if there are any "restrictions" on locking luggage (with regular luggage locks)?

Thanks very much for useful responses.

I've never come across one. In fact quite a few airports in Europe offer a service of encasing your bag in plastic for added security.

Since nobody seems to talk about this subject I have always assumed that the "security restrictions" for flights within Europe may be somewhat different than they are in the U.S. so I appreciate your kind reply.

You're welcome. In fact I don't tend to lock my bags because I can never find the padlocks/keys/whatever, but I assume that everyone else does :-)

Until I started reading this forum I didn't know that you *can't* lock your bags in the US.

I used to use combination locks exclusively so I didn't have to worry about the inevitable lost keys and I used locks that I could set the combination on and used the same set of numbers on all the locks.

Since nobody else has responded I'll assume that means your answer is definitive.

intrepid, I used to use combination locks in the old days, until one "went out" on me. Arrived in Hong Kong at 9pm, business colleague waiting to take us to dinner, and my lock would NOT open. Same combination I had been using forever. I even used to check them before I put them on the suitcase. It took over an hour to get someone with some tools up to the room to hack off the lock.

But now, why not just use those plastic zip tie thingies? They can be cut off if necessary, but they're a deterrent to casual thieves.

yes.. twist ties and tape are good enough. i never lock bags anymore either.

When friends visited me from Italy last year they flew to a few US destinations before arriving at SFO. They were really worried about not being able to lock their luggage while flying in the US as they were allowed to in Europe. But that was summer of 2003 and things can change day by day.

I would check with the airlines a week or so before your actual flights to confirm what the situation is.

I've never *stopped* locking my bags when traveling between the US and Europe (and within Europe) and I've never had my bags opened. Of course now that I've jinxed myself... :-@ I have a combination lock on my bags...

michelle, security will cut it off if they want to check your bag. A word to the wise...

For my September 2004 trip to Europe I used a plain key ring (you know, the kind that essentially is a very tight spiral and that looks like a simple circle) to secure the two handles of the zipper where they met in the middle of my suitcase.

I didn't actually know how the international regulations about locking suitcases compared with the domestic regulations, and I couldn't be bothered to find out.

My main objectives in securing the zipper were: (1) to prevent the zipper from opening inadvertently, and (2) to prevent a casual thief or pickpocket from easily being able to reach into the suitcase.

Yet I wanted security personnel to be able to get into my suitcase if they wanted / needed to. I didn't want them to cut my suitcase open out of frustration. Twisting the keyring off would have allowed them to gain access to my case.

The twist ties and plastic zip ties that other posters have mentioned would achieve the same objective.

Judy, that's a great idea! If they don't remove the keyring, you can reuse it. If they do and don't replace it, it's cheap enough.

I don't think they cut into your suitcase. They just cut off the lock.

Aha, you do the same thing as I do, I thread a key ring through the zipper loops. Lately I have put a metal tag on the key chain so I can recognize it easily.

Oh boy, simple ideas I go for!! And Judy the key ring idea is fantastic. Thank you for sharing this.

I think the key ring is a great idea..thanks for sharing that.

We used TSA locks on our suitcases from Rome to London. Airline personnel said they were fine.

The question is, KSWL, would ANY lock have been acceptable?