Let me begin by saying that I know not to put anything valuable in my checked bags. My purpose of asking the question, consider those rare times when a bag containing valuables (laptop, iPod, etc.) were out of sight, yet in a somewhat secure area. I'm thinking of if I were to leave my PC bag in the care of a hotel bellman, a store merchant that held bags while you shopped, or in a foyer at the World Club while I grabbed a snack.

Is it safe or logical to hope the small padlocks are a deterrent? I envision a super-secret website where in-the-know baggage handlers can purchase a key that will open the "TSA-approved" combination locks.

If this is the case, I guess I should travel with a non-TSA padlock (i.e. Master brand) that I use in these instances, but didn't know if anyone knew if the TSA style keys were readily available to people that shouldn't have them.