Unfortunately, I think the only way you'll see restitution is through your home insurance company, if you have theft coverage for the items taken (not all items are covered unless you have a rider for them). If you bought the items with certain credit cards (why I use my Amex for just about everything), they're also covered.

My family laughs at me when they see my Aeronaut. I have locks on every compartment, and some of the packing cubes are also locked. Certainly, the packing cube with my insulin and needles is locked up and tethered to a o-ring. I won't unlock it for anyone at the airport, either. There's no reason why TSA or anyone else at the airport needs to handle my med bag, by their rules. That hasn't stopped workers from trying. If they ask me to display the items I have no problem. But they're not touching any of it. It's my word against theirs and we all know the passenger is always wrong vs. the TSA.

I have certain prescription meds hidden so my bag would have to be shredded to get at them unless I was the one doing it. To a thief it's just money on the black market. To me, those needles and meds keep me alive.

I pay to ship items home via USPS Priority and FedEx or UPS every trip; at least they're insured and usually won't get stolen enroute without me getting my money back. If something goes missing at an airport or enroute it's gone. Even if I could get a police report it's not worth the hassle.

I ride buses and light rail and trains with TSA and ramp employees all the time. The TSAs board the buses with backpacks riding light and high, and going home those bags are packed, heavily. What's in them? I don't know, but I think some of you with missing items might be able to tell me!

Just sign me 'never a checked bag since 1993' and leave it at that - and yes, US Airways did find a way to lose that box on a nonstop, end-of-cycle, evening flight out of PHX. Last checked cargo I ever tried to get home.