I have read that because of heightened airport security, passengers should leave their luggage unlocked! Otherwise security will cut one's luggage open if the machine shows anything which looks suspicious! One article suggests using plastic cable ties to keep luggage from accidentally opening up, so airport security can inspect it, if need be, without ruining the luggage. Hopefully, they will tie it back. Has anyone had experience with this? Are most of you locking your luggage when flying or not? Does the plastic cable tie system work? Thanks for your advice.

I have never locked my luggage, even when I was flying 3X/month. Never lost a thing.
My understanding of the plastic ties is that inspectors will not reattach them if they remove them to search your luggage. I think the idea is that at least you will only have lost a plastic tie, rather than a metal lock.

We have used the plastic locking devices for years, even before 9/11. Sure enough, on our recent trip back from Canada, when we got home, 2 of the 4 suitcases had our clear plastic ones removed and they were replaced with blue ones, so someone was searching them. Nothing missing, and they did lock them back. I definitely would not use a regular lock now.

I never lock my luggage. But I don't put anything in it worth stealing. Valuable stuff is hand-carried or in my carry-on.

Btw, if they search your bag, they leave a white one-page flyer inside describing your rights, what to do if something is missing, etc., so you can always tell if your bag was searched.

We didn't lock our luggage. We didn't put anything of value in the luggage we checked.

On our return trip home we found a little note in our big suitcase tell us that it had been choosen at random to be searched. Glad I didn't lock it because it's an OLD samsonite and it would never stay shut again if the lock was broken!

Utahtea

I've switched from the traditional luggage locks to the plastic cable ties. When checking in at at airport without the x-rays in which your check-in luggage undergoes inspection when you check in, I give the ties to the inspectors who put them on after they're done with the inspection. (This is where you have to stand on the side and can watch them do the inspection, but you're not allowed to come near the luggage.)

So far when I've reached my destination, the tags have still been on indicating that my luggage didn't undergo any further checking.

I don't lock my luggage either. I figure lock or no lock, zip tie or no, if someone wants to get into my luggage and steal something, they will. I've always carried anything of value with me onto the plane.

I used the platic ties on a recent trip Boston-Calgary and return. On the Calgary-Boston leg, one of our three checked pieces had the ties cut, with no note or replacement tie. Nothing appeared to be missing. Before 911, we locked all our luggage. Now, for us at least, the plastic ties seem to be the best option - nothing is perfect.

Just a side note - recently I was talking to someone at the airport who said that security was inspecting her carryon bag and she noticed the person pull his hand out in a fist. She asked him what he had and at first he said nothing. She made him open his hand and he had $50 that he stole from her purse. He denied it and said he found it on the floor. Luckily, she was watching him search her bag.

Just flew Southwest from New Orleans to San Diego. I told check-in security that I wanted to put metal locks on all suitcases after screening. I was escorted to this area and after the bags were screened with some being opened and searched, I was then able to hand the locks to the screener who locked the suitcases in my presence. No problems.

When I went to New Orleans/Houston last March, I used plastic cable ties. My luggage wasn't opened or searched at that time. And no, I don't have anything of value in any checked bag, but I do not like the idea of my luggage spilling all over the baggage carousel (as I've seen happen to one or two other people), so I lock it.

I have built-in combination locks on my luggage. I always leave it in the 'unlocked' code but worry that they'll get locked accidently if something bumps into one of the numbers. I thought about putting the combination code in the luggage tag, but do you think they'll even bother to look for it or just break the locks?

I tied a bandana to the handle of each of my 2 checked suitcases (for easy identifying purpose) oops no more bandanas. They did not fall off. Lesson learned, now I use ribbon. Also alot of the luggage looks the same. Especially when your luggage doesn't make the return flight (1 bag out of 2). That's my story and I'm sticking to it........

What was the blue plastic lock with numbers they put on one of my bags? I had to leave locks off mine last trip. One came back to me with some type of search tag.

OK, here's my story. I don't lock my bags and never have in the past either and I've been lucky. I flew from Chicago to Dallas and when I picked up my bag, it had a plastic tie thru the zippers. That's fine...but...and here's the problem...my scissors were INSIDE the bag that I couldn't get undone because of the plastic tie. We can't carry scissors in a carry-on bag, so I had to get clippers to open my suitcase! Bet the airlines didn't think about that inconvenience...LOL

Direct quote from the Transportation Security Administration website, the "horse's mouth," as it were. Excellent source for all sorts of information regarding air travel. http://www.tsa.gov

"In some cases the TSA will have to open your baggage as part of the screening process. If your bag is unlocked then TSA will simply open the bag and screen the bag. However if the bag is locked and TSA needs to open your bag then locks may have to be broken. Therefore TSA suggests that you help prevent the need to break your locks by keeping your bag unlocked. In the near future TSA will provide seals at the airport for you to use to secure your luggage as an alternative to locking your bag. Until that time you may want to consider purchasing standard cable ties to secure your bags if it has zippers."

I had bought a new rolling case with it's own matching locks to use on my first business trip. Got to STL w/o problems. Trip home another story, bag was 9 lbs overwieght which I had to pay for $25 extra for. Not the problem, the suitcase was cut open and some of my new clothing was gone.

Using a plastic cable tie or metal lock is a good option on suitcases with zippers. What about the hard-sided suitcases that just have a latch with a keyhole? These can come undone quite easily with a simple flick of the latch, so locking has been a necessity in the past. I like my hard-sided as so many of my other soft-sided with zippers have ended up with torn zippers, broken wheels, etc., which the airline says are exempt from any monetary recovery. Similarly, many golf club cases are hard-sided, and there is no way my clubs are going unlocked. So I just stand around, wait for security to finish, then smile nicely and pray they'll take my key to lock it. Makes me very nervous, however.

Patty- If you cover the numbers of your combination lock with a piece of tape, it will keep them from being accidently turned.