Baggage tag check after claim
#32
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: OC, CA
Programs: AA EXP, 2MM, HH Diamond
Posts: 831
If someone unknown to you approaches you and begins asking you about your baggage, trying to gain access to your baggage, refusing to let you proceed until you give them access to your baggage, do exactly what the voice on the public-announcement system tells you to do: refuse, and notify airport police immediately.
What if this was a bag thief impersonating a baggage checker? Or even some nefarious person trying to plant something in your bag during their "check" of it? One simply cannot be too cautious when it comes to securing our vital transportation infrastructure, and the people deriding you for your attempt to do the right thing obviously don't understand security.
What if this was a bag thief impersonating a baggage checker? Or even some nefarious person trying to plant something in your bag during their "check" of it? One simply cannot be too cautious when it comes to securing our vital transportation infrastructure, and the people deriding you for your attempt to do the right thing obviously don't understand security.
#33
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I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that it's possible that you are in a very small minority.
Last edited by Dr. HFH; Feb 7, 2016 at 6:27 am
#34
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 5,270
At any rate, comparisons to retail outlets aren't really appropriate since the right to request baggage claim checks are explicitly written into airlines' contracts of carriage.
#35
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,863
What does this have to do with someone requesting access to your baggage claim check? And if someone making the request is wearing the uniform of airline or airport staff (almost all of whom also wear some sort of ID) I would tend to assume they were with, well, the airline or airport. And no, I wouldn't call the police. But feel free if you feel it's appropriate.
#36
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I'm not so sure about that. I believe that they have the right to match the bag contents against the receipt to see if you've paid for everything. It also may differ from state to state based on statutes.
#37
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: MDE
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Personally, I wish that every airport had security match the claim check to the bag upon exiting the baggage claim area. Although I rarely check anything of significant value, the hassle of filing a claim with the airline and buying the items I lost is not something I schedule into my travel time.
Thankfully, baggage theft at the claim area seems to be rare. Confusing identical bags is less rare, however. We have all read the stories here about people losing their carry-on bags due to two travelers having identical bags and mistakenly taking the wrong one.
Admittedly, I don't always check my bags coming off the conveyor to ensure they are mine, but I usually do. It's rare that I see anyone else using the same large B&R duffles that I carry. Still, I would not want to inconvenience another passenger simply because I am in a hurry. It takes a lot less time to confirm that I have the right bags than to go through the effort of correcting it if I don't.
Thankfully, baggage theft at the claim area seems to be rare. Confusing identical bags is less rare, however. We have all read the stories here about people losing their carry-on bags due to two travelers having identical bags and mistakenly taking the wrong one.
Admittedly, I don't always check my bags coming off the conveyor to ensure they are mine, but I usually do. It's rare that I see anyone else using the same large B&R duffles that I carry. Still, I would not want to inconvenience another passenger simply because I am in a hurry. It takes a lot less time to confirm that I have the right bags than to go through the effort of correcting it if I don't.
#38
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: WFBF
Posts: 963
What does this have to do with someone requesting access to your baggage claim check? And if someone making the request is wearing the uniform of airline or airport staff (almost all of whom also wear some sort of ID) I would tend to assume they were with, well, the airline or airport. And no, I wouldn't call the police. But feel free if you feel it's appropriate.
As we're advised by the people who look out for our best interests: if you see something, say something! It's never wrong to take precautions and be sure about security, and any person who's really involved in transportation security would of course welcome such actions and be wholly supportive of you summoning the airport police to verify someone's identity and right to carry out security-sensitive inspections.
#39
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,072
Uniforms can be faked (especially since most people doing this legitimately would probably be contractors), and do you really check the ID that thoroughly before just completely trusting them with your safety and that of everyone around you?
As we're advised by the people who look out for our best interests: if you see something, say something! It's never wrong to take precautions and be sure about security, and any person who's really involved in transportation security would of course welcome such actions and be wholly supportive of you summoning the airport police to verify someone's identity and right to carry out security-sensitive inspections.
As we're advised by the people who look out for our best interests: if you see something, say something! It's never wrong to take precautions and be sure about security, and any person who's really involved in transportation security would of course welcome such actions and be wholly supportive of you summoning the airport police to verify someone's identity and right to carry out security-sensitive inspections.
The baggage-check person in the OP didn't attempt to make off with someone's bag, engage in a "security-sensitive inspection," or otherwise compromise the OP's or anyone else's security. She simply asked for the guy's baggage claim check.
#40
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: SFO
Programs: WFBF
Posts: 963
Then she won't mind at all if OP does the right thing. Securing our transportation infrastructure is everyone's responsibility, and anyone who objects to actions taken with the stated purpose of improving security is either an entitled DYKWIA or up to no good (or both!).
#42
Join Date: Jan 2013
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#44
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
Or in which Houdini had been resurrected.
Or in which Houdini had been resurrected.
#45
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Tucson, AZ
Programs: AA Platinum, HIlton Gold
Posts: 191
I would be annoyed if they demanded the claim check since my name is clearly printed on the tag these days. Claim check or ID. Call it a day. And yes, the checker needs to prove their authority to ask me the question.