While my OP referred to theft by airport employees, it's obvious theft by fellow passengers is also possible. But regarding screening of employees, there must be some measure of protection as these people directly handle bags which are put aboard departing planes. Lockerbie Scotland comes to mind-- And if there is some screening as an employee enters the work site, then logically there could be screening in reverse.

Dukey: The handle that weighs the most? Very scientific!

We save the Vuitton for the occasions upon which we sail the QEII.

I had this scary experience in Buenos Aires: I had a big suite case and one carry on, the carry on is red. When arriving to Buenos Aires I put the two items through the screen machine, I did something unwise, I put first the red hand luggage and then the big black suitcase.
I was traveling alone so it took me a few seconds, the custom guy was on the other side of the screen machine. When I got there, thanks God I gave a look at my suitcases, only to find out that the red was not there.
The custom guy was great, he run real fast and stopped the passangers he had checked before me, sure enough they had my red hand bag. .....they were about to come out of the customs hall and get into the crowd.
sorry , sorry they said, but how on earth can you take a RED baggage when all their stuff was black suitcases..?
I had of course in my hand bag, my digit camera, two expensive silk scars and few other valuable things....I guess they are opportunists.
BTW I guess that although not in Europe , this episode could have happened anyplace.

It was not a hand bag, but a fairly large hand luggage piece.

29FEB: I think they should simply have cameras taping / monitoring the areas where baggage is being handled - although this won't be a popular solution.

After one trip in which about 5 out of 8 bags had been rifled through, (nothing missing) my family and I discussed whether or not there was a way to install a hidden camera in one's bag and tape the person looking through it. Maybe someone could give us directions on how to accomplish this - preferable with the ability to monitor on one's own computer while in the airport!

From the title of this thread, I thought somebody was looking for tips on how to steal luggage.

There was a case in Atlanta where a widow was waiting for her two pieces of checked luggage to come up on the luggage carosel. Only her larger bag ever came up. The smaller bag had been picked up by someone. Lucky for everyone involved there was insurance. The insurance payment for the small bag was $1.7 million. It seems that her late husband had owned a successful chain of jewelry stores.

Presumably she had insured the bag separately? Typical liability is nowhere near $1.7 million for a checked bag. Why would anyone send something so valuable via checked luggage?

Just for the record: the cargo carriers offer a "high-value" insured service where a signature chain of custody is maintained from one secured storage area to the next.

I don't know whether this service is available on a passenger flight, but it probably is if the demand is there.

The only place I've seen that checks claim tickets is LAX. I haven't flown there for a while so don't know if they still do.

This will increase everyones comfort level.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/sto...screening.html

I remember one time, some years ago when arriving at SFO on American Airlines if I remember correctly I was shocked, shocked I tell you, as there were actual human beings at baggage checking that each person had their baggage claim ticket for the luggage they picked up.

No doubt, per the thread on the Airline Forum grumbling about passengers crowding around and being rude when the luggage comes out of the luggage chute, if the airlines had employees checking each passenger against their baggage claim ticket perhaps it would not be such a free for all when the luggage arrives.

But from everything I have read it is not passengers that are stealing each others luggage, it is employees stealing items out of passengers luggage. The reason I don't not put anything in my checkin luggage that would cause me a big financial loss or heartbreak if I never see it again. And yes, I have had a few items "missing" when flying. Irritating, for sure. But not heartbreaking.

Robespierre-as usual, making the dopey comment that grandmothers and children shouldn't be secondarily screened, for ANY reason, because of COURSE, it's NEVER been the case that these two categories of "innocents" have EVER been found to be bringing prohibited items through the checkpoint, never had plastic explosives packed into wheelchairs, never had pistols sown up in teddy bears. No, no, that NEVER happens, when you have thousands upon thousands of passengers passing through screening checkpoints on the hour, much less during a day.

And 29-WHY could you not understand it? What's not to understand about theft problems in a particularly large population of workers?

Do you understand that doctors dispense illegal medicine and that a number of them are hooked on illegal drugs?

Do you understand that lawyers commingle funds from client accounts they shouldn't?

Yes, absolutely right. I think that a naive question.

As usual, Girlspytravel leaps to the unwarranted conclusion that I recommend against screening grandmothers. I think <i>everyone</i> with access to aircraft (including crews, by the way) should be sniffed for explosives.

In point of fact, if you're worried about teddy bears (the word is &quot;sewn,&quot; by the way) or wheelchairs, then <u>screen all of them</u> or don't bother to screen any at all. Random selection of 10% of travelers is like putting a steel safety door over 1/10 of your front entrance.

If you want to play the probabilities, you screen Middle-Eastern males between 18 and 45. Yes, there have been a few Anglo-Saxons caught who appeared up to mischief, but so far all of the bombers in New York, London, Bali, and Madrid have been the former.

San Diego used to match luggage with receipts, but that excellent system was abandoned a while back. Too bad--surely there is some way to do it? At the end of just about every flight I've been on in the last 2 years someone from the airline has been going through the carousel area asking people to check their carry-on luggage, as someone's bag had been taken &quot;in error.&quot;

Hello Underhill, sometimes when I am returning from a trip with nothing but dirty clothes in my luggage I have wished someone would take it, lol.

Are there really no precautions we can take to protect our luggage from theft? Is it just a wish and a prayer that all of our possessions return to us? And are locks just a waste of time?
Surely there must be some safety measures we can take to lower the odds? I guess my questions reveal that I must also be very naive.

Overkill? Pre-ship baggage. Expensive, yes but mind relieving. Returning, use postal services. Regular European travelers may consider leaving a wardrobe in Europe. Imagine the pleasure of travel without the hassel of hauling luggage.

GSteed:

By golly, I think you're on to something.

Rent-a-wardrobe: available at all major airports and train stations.

I wonder if there's a market out there for it?

I'm sure they could arrange a giant jumble sale or swap shop based on all the lost luggage. Trouble is, they'd all be in the wrong airports.