Originally Posted by Loren Pechtel
Yeah, I submitted and was paid for one claim with the TSA. One of the questions on there is why do you think the TSA was at fault.
Given this case I would have a very hard time answering that question--this looks far more like normal luggage theft than TSA
Look at it from the other way around.
If there was a knife found in your carry-on bag, do you really think the TSAer is going to care? It's your bag, you put it through the x-ray, but someone else put the knife in the bag. All the evidence points to you.
That's almost not a fair comparison. But when the TSA puts a notice of inspection in there, that's evidence that they opened up the bag. In a criminal case, that's called "opportunity."
Does this mean that baggage handlers couldn't have taken it? No, of course not. But since the TSA wants to keep everything, even an airline's operations, under their precious SSI guise, you aren't able to demonstrate how the airline folks could have taken it.
That leaflet isn't absolute proof that a TSA took it, but it is tangible proof that someone at the TSA opened up the bag (again, "opportunity"). Short of a sworn statement from an eyewitness, you can't prove an airline baggage handler took it.
The evidence points at the TSA. Do the right thing.