dave1013

This is a real stretch, and, hindsight is always 20-20.

When I first read the post, the thought came to me that this sounds a lot like theft. Especially if the skycap didn't proclaim the bill was his. I mean, come on - what kind of skycap wouldn't immediately pick up a $100 bill that had (just) fallen from his pocket.

When you took possession of the bill (i.e., picked it up off the ground), it became your property. And from your accounting, it sounds like it was rightly so. I agree the skycap had no right to take your property. As you say, the "maybe" piece of all this has to do with the bill belonging (or not) to the elderly lady. What's not at issue is that you had something taken from you, and in a not-too-polite/professional manner.

In terms of hindsight, you could have reported this event to the airport police. I'm not meaning to sound judgmental/critical; just making a 20/20 hindsight observation. In my fantasy world I'm envisioning that a cop would have been nearby, you would have walked over and reported the theft to him, he would have walked over and confronted the skycap, and the skycap would have returned your property to you. The fantasy ends there, because if you ended up checking your bags with this guy, they probably would have ended up in Cape Town.

I'm not getting the piece about you not feeling you were in a position to challenge the skycap. Maybe it's that you didn't feel comfortable with initiating such a confrontation - that, I would understand. Did you get his name? That would help if you decided to file a complaint.

The theft occurred on airport property so it should also have been reported to the Port of Seattle (airport management).

Again, it's all part stretch, part 20/20, and part fantasy. But those are my thoughts.