Practical Travel Safety Issues - Why was my bag opened?

Hello Everyone :)

I am a Canadian who travels to the US once or twice per year. On a trip home from a beach vacation in Florida in May, I returned to Canada to find that the lock had been cut off my suitcase and my personal belongings examined which i now know, according to all your posts, is a fairly common occurance.

Though this didn't necessarily bother me, i did find it a little bit shocking to think that something in my bag made a TSA agent want to physically inspect its contents, especially since all i had in there were clothes, personal items (cosmetics, toiletries etc) and some newly purchased items from Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret (which we dont have here)


My question is this (and i pose it to the TSA employees who subscribe to this forum) , why would my bag of all bags have been selected for a physical search? is it really random?

Call me sheltered but this doesn't happen in Canada so i find it all a little bit frightening!

if anyone can shed some light i would really appreciate it.

Cheers

Welcome to FlyerTalk. :)

Your checked bag was probably opened because the examination by the minivan sized CTX machine (like a gigantic x-ray machine) probably caused the operator to suspect there was something about your bag that could not be resolved without looking inside.

Many, many common items in luggage resemble problematic items. Examples of items the TSA has said can cause a physical inspection include stacks of books or papers, chocolates, soaps, shoes, peanut butter and other somewhat "dense" items.

It is highly unlikely that your checked bag was examined at random.

Welcome to the "September 11 changed everything" lunacy that has gripped too much of the USA in the past 3 years. A truly shameful period in our history.

There is a bright side: At least your bag wasn't "disrupted" (TSA-speak for blown apart with a water canon). :)

Hello Everyone :)
Call me sheltered but this doesn't happen in Canada so i find it all a little bit frightening!
Cheers

Yes it does, your checked bags were inspected on the way from Canada to the US too, if you flew. Right now only US-bound bags are checked but I believe the plan is to have all bags checked in the future.

Also, some Fragrances, I know Angel for sure are contained within lead bottles therefore making them look like solid chunks to the CTX machine.

Thanks everyone for the replies :)

About Canadian bags being checked, i know they are scanned and x-rayed but my bags have never been opened here and I live in toronto, the busiest city in the country.

yeah i actually had some soaps AND i did have a bottle of Victoria Secret Angel in there so i guess it could have been either of those things.

I automatically thought that since they felt the need to open my bag, i'd automatically be placed on some "Watch List" or something! but i guess that's my paranoia talking.

interesting world we live in now isn't it? nothing we can do i guess but grin and bear it.