Khai Tran

Hi guys,

I need some advise on what to do. I had a flight from London to Philadelphia with US Airways. When I arrived at Philadelphia, I stupidly misread the screen and assumed that I can reclaim my checked bag at the gate. However, I realized that I missed the baggage claim after I passed custom and they won't let me come back in to get the luggage. The airport staffs and US Airways workers assured me that my bag will be picked up and send to my final destination. I arrived to Denver with US Airways and then Denver to San Jose with United Air. Fast forward, when I come back to get my delayed bag the next afternoon, I found that many of my belongings are missing. Many of them are expensive clothes that I bought as well as souvenirs, a camera, and Ray Ban sunglasses. I also noticed that my TSA lock was opened and left unlocked(so only TSA has access to this). The theft seem like he has time because he selectively choose items that are more casual than dressy clothes as well as have time to take my camera as well as it battery that I kept separately in another compartment. I was told to file pilferage claim with United Airline(as they are the one that take me to my final destination and not US Airways). I am so devastated as many of these items are sentimental to me. Anyone has experience with stuffs missing from their luggage and how is it solved? Is this considered under Montreal Convention or Domestic? Please help!

WineCountryUA

Sorry to hear, it is quite disappointing when something like this happens. Unfortunately it is very unlikely the missing items will be return but you can make a claim for stolen items. The airlines liability for stolen items is quite limited.
Claim form for checked baggage that is missing items

Some earlier threads on stolen items that might content useful info
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ed-advice.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-suitcase.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ag-united.html

FAllWay

Basic packing tip. Do not pack anything valuable in checkin bags. Clothes it hard to avoid but cameras and such shouldnt be packed in those bags

cordelli

Anybody can watch a video on youtube and learn how to pop a TSA lock in seconds (depending on which type of lock it is). I was stunned how easy it was to open the locks I have here. There's no way to know it was the TSA who opened your lock, or that it happened after you arrived in the US. Anybody who handled your bag could have helped themselves.

I'm actually fairly stunned your bag actually showed up at all.

Sorry to say, I think won't be solved, I would not plan on seeing any of that stuff again.

rbphilip

If you bought your tickets with your American express gold or platinum card you have insurance for stolen property while flying. Perhaps with other cards too.

You'll never see your stuff again, so you may as well start replacing it and take this as a lesson not to check anything valuable..

docbert

Did the bag have any tags/paperwork on it that showed which flights it had taken back to SJC? Was it with United or US Airways when you collected it from SJC?

Given that the flight either side of where you got separated from it was with US Airways I wouldn't be surprised if if ended up going all the way to SJC with them, and didn't actually travel with United at all.

The most likely place for it to have been "officially" inspected would be in Philadelphia, based on you not being there to carry it through customs. Was there any paperwork in it to say that TSA/Customs had inspected it?

DCBob

How do you know it didn't happen in London after you checked in?

Steve M

Not only that, but most airline baggage coverage specifically excludes things like cameras, so you'll likely get nothing from the carrier for that. Also, even the Amex coverage, if you have it, appears to have a $250 limit for items like cameras.

As others have said, never pack valuable or irreplaceable items in checked bags. There's a high risk of theft, it's nearly impossible to track down when and where it happened, and most insurance specifically excludes things like electronics.

As for the issue with baggage locks, I've never understood the fetish some people have with locking their luggage (and I don't mean the OP). Some act like they want it to be like a traveling bank vault, with one of those locks that can withstand a direct gunshot. If someone wants to steal what's in your checked luggage, the tiny lock on the bag isn't going to stop them. It will keep the bag from opening accidentally, and perhaps keep the honest people out, but not much more.

WineCountryUA

Ditto for many of the Chase cards and in some cases your homeowners / renter policy.

Mike Jacoubowsky

I should look into that regarding my Chase card and the disappearance of a bike-mounted video camera that disappeared coming back from France a couple weeks ago. A $200 camera so not the end of the world, and I was certain that I was going to discover it packed away in a different bag than I thought it had been placed in, but no, and my son knew exactly where he had packed it.

Bikes in general are getting screwed up pretty badly by TSA these days. Can't tell you how much damage I see coming into the shop, typically due to the TSA folk pulling the bikes out of their boxes or cases and just haphazardly tossing them back in, in particular not installing the axle end caps that keep the wheels from punching through the box as well as damaging the frame inside the box. If chase covers such things, even with a fairly-low limit, it would be of interest to my customers.

garykung

OP - it sounds like that the MSC in this case may be US.

So it is best you contact US Airway as soon as possible, as UA may summarily deny your claim based on that.

Asuka

Yeah, Bolt Cutters do the job quicker and are often used by the TSA regardless of lock used.

Hence I don't check bags.

3Cforme

Wrong. By IATA convention, the carrier operating the last segment is responsible for the baggage claim. UA is going to handle this.

kyte

In other words, OP, don't waste your time ..

garykung

I don't want to argue with you. Read:

http://www.atpco.net/atpco/download/...gage_facts.pdf

U.S. DOT rule prevail IATA.