that part aint right: if something happens to someone but they dont know about it, it doesnt always make it OK.

This whole thread should be mailed to someone with a brain at the TSA or airports or something. I agree with the problem of possible theft occuring (like you said when the last bags can be picked up by anyone after employees have left) and I think it stinks. We were lucky in our case but I could soooo see this all going the other way.

I still do not agree with the ability of the airline to send the bags on a different flight.

How many of you here have ever waited for bags when you land, and then go home after filling out the paperwork and the bags get sent to you 3 days later or whatever, only to find out that if you had just waited one more 1/2 hour for some other flight to land, you could have picked them up yourself?

I learned that one a long time ago and I recall hearing why it may happen:

This is not necessarily set in stone but it sure makes sense to me (told to me by employees of worked in baggage once):

if the plane weighs too much it burns too much fuel. If it cannot get out ontime because they load the bags too slowly, they send it without the bags. These two together will prompt the airlines to send your bags on some other flight. The other flight may have had less people and less bags and less weight on it, and may leave a bit later so there is still time to load your bags on it and send it away. Let's hope the both land, though, right?

Well, I think my bag should be trackable the ENTIRE trip. YOu should be able to get to the luggage counter and say, "You have a computer... tell me exactly where my bag is now" and they should be able to do this, instead of saying, "I dunno sir... you will have to fill out this form and we could care less if you are connecting to India and you may never see your bags again!" Smile...type type type... tick tick tick... "...NEXT?!"

That's my feelings on it. The whole thing is a mess and this whole TSA thing has been their chance to also fix other problems but they dont.
MM