you guys will like this one.

my wife (then fiancee) flew UA MIA - ORD - SAN at some point to visit me when I was still living in La Jolla. On the flight over, her luggage was severely damaged (2' long cut/gash just above the zipper) and there was a nice TSA note inside stating that they had checked her bags. The curious part was that her TSA-approved lock was still locked and intact on the zipper pulls when she her suitcase came out on the conveyer belt leaking clothing everywhere.

we were both a bit irritated about the whole thing and started a claim, but resolved to enjoy the rest of our weekend together. the wife went to the mall and got new luggage for her return trip. she also did a significant amount of shopping while at the mall. on the way back, she packed up her new purchases and the rest of her things in the new suitcase and got on the plane. as far as UA can tell, the suitcase left SAN, arrived in ORD, and then never left. we never got it back. UA even admitted at some point on the phone that it was probably stolen. the wife was devastated and although the claim process was relatively straightforward, she "lost" a number of things that weren't easily replaceable. lesson learned. we never check bags at this point. i pack very light and ship anything that doesn't fit via UPS overnight.