boybi

I'm thinking that anyone can just grab a bag from the belt and just walk out of the airport. But I haven't heard of such incident. But I've heard of friends experience of getting the wrong bag that are similar to theirs.

:D!

Theft of bags happens occasionally. But most people want to retrieve their own belongings and don't want to take other people's bags, which may be heavy and generally contain items which are not that valuable. Some airports require arriving passengers to present their luggage tags before they can walk off with bags they have collected. But at most airports there is no real way to prevent someone taking your bag unless you arrive at the belt first and stand right where the bags are sent out and pay close attention to everyone.

Boggie Dog

Several years ago I watched a lady take my bag off the luggage carousel. I was exactly opposite of her position and had to hustle to get to her before she walked away. Accident in this case but several reports have surfaced of theft rings doing exactly this type of thing.

GUWonder

It happens at some airports more than at other airports.

I find that passengers accidentally pick up the wrong bag more often than there is theft of an entire bag. Theft of contents from within a bag seems to be a more frequent problem than theft of the entire bag. Damage and damage-related loss of bags/contents of bags is pretty prevalent too.

Randyk47

A few years ago there was a theft ring in Phoenix that was stealing bags from the airport. I don't remember now if they were stealing them directly off the carousel or if they were grabbing them before they hit baggage claim. I recall they found a stash of several hundred bags out in the dessert surrounding a small ranch house. Locally we've had at least one case about two years ago where baggage handlers were caught on a hidden camera sting operation taking small items from bags. Personally we've only suffered one loss and that was probably 8-10 years ago when my wife absentmindedly left a pair of designer sunglasses in a checked bag side pocket and they disappeared. The wrong bag grab happens. I can't say how often it has happened to us but never to the extent that the person walked out of the airport with one of our bags.

T-the-B

I've been travelling quite a while with only a few incidents of theft.

I began travelling for business in 1975 and I have almost always checked my bag. While my travel has fluctuated over the years I guess I've probably averaged between 30-45 legs per year.

Perhaps I've been lucky but I've rarely had any issues with theft. I did have one bag destroyed and one lost by the now-defunct Eastern Airlines. Theft of items contained within my bag never happened once from 1975 until the advent of TSA. In the early years of TSA I had items missing a few times. I have had no issues with theft in the past 5 or so years.

All my travel has been US and Canada.

Boggie Dog

The most likely chance of having your bags or items from your bags stolen will come from airport insiders, baggage handlers and other airport workers pose the greatest threat.

Some recent examples:

Nashville December 2016

http://www.newschannel5.com/news/loc...hville-airport

Las Vegas February 2017

http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/34451...f-checked-bags

Miami September 2015

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/13/us/airport-luggage-theft/

Austin March 2017

https://www.rt.com/usa/379257-airport-stolen-handguns-marijuana/

susiesan

If everyone is forced to put their electronics in checked bags just watch this kind of theft soar. There will be a much greater chance that the stolen bag does contain some valuable items if the cabin ban on electronics goes into effect.

Often1

Everyone? TSA?

OP is based in the Philipines and asked about bags off the carousel

Answer is that it ought to be rare. But, your friends didn't "get" the wrong bag, they took the wrong bag.

While most of these incidents are likely due to carelesness, there are airports where thieves do walk off with bags. Airport solutions including limiting access to the belts and comparing the tag on the bag to the passenger's bag tag.

You can minimize risk by being at the carousel when the bags come out and stationing yourself as close as possible to the chute or wherever the bags come from.

Boggie Dog

I have seen very little control of access to baggage claim areas or having to display a claim ticket to an airport worker in recent years. That use to be the norm but in efforts to cut cost seems to be one of the things that have gone away.

In years long gone, at DFW a person had to exit past a control point and produce the baggage claim check, not true any longer. Same in LAS, and that is one large combined baggage claim area with access straight to the street. Same story in FLL and MIA which are the airports I am most familiar with.

Would be interested to know which airports still offer positive baggage control.

Randyk47

I don't know of any airport in the US that still has bag checks. Of the airports I used to frequent I clearly remember DCA, IAD, ATL, LAS, and SEA having checks but not now. Probably were more but those were the airports I flew in and out of frequently. We moved here to San Antonio 14 years ago and I don't remember ever having baggage claim checks in even the early years here. Maybe early on but SAT has been in the remodel, tear down, rebuild, etc., etc., mode almost the whole time we've lived here so the fenced off carousels may have disappeared in one of the first remodels.

kb9522

I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.

I suspect it might have something to do with the fact most people are smart enough to not keep anything remotely valuable in their checked luggage. I would guess most times the luggage itself is the most valuable item, and that's not saying much. Maybe if someone checked LV bags or something...

OTD

LAX had them for years, but it's been so long that I arrived there with a checked bag that I don't know if they still do.

TWA884

Not in a couple of decades.

KRSW

It happens, but not often. As others have said, it depends upon the airport and more often than not your bag will be pilfered by employees in the "secure zone" rather than Joe Public swiping your entire suitcase from the carousel.

That said, I've found that having a unique suitcase or having sufficiently-marked up your suitcase to be unique seems to be a deterrent. Some people will opt for the ugly method:
,

while others will resort to other ways of marking their bags:
.

My suitcases have colored gaffer tape over the handles and some ratty-looking and faded FlyerTalk tags on them. Someone's not going to be able to "accidentally" pick these up thinking it's theirs.