Last time when I took cathay pacific flight, I lost an expensive camera which I put in my check in baggage, and I suspect that the STA staff in JFK took it out of my baggage. This time I have to put some expensive cosmetics in the baggage which I can't carry it on flight. I am worried about their safety. what can I do? could anyone recommend a good travel insurance? thanks!

Quit putting expensive items in your bags would sound like a good idea or pack a midget with kung fu skills and an air tank.

Buy a TSA approved lock

Well, yes, but that doesn't eliminate the problem completely. I've only experienced problems in this regard with TSA facilities, never outside the U.S. I did lose a netbook once (departing JFK), but they're only a couple of hundred dollars, and it had no critical info (I travel with a thumbdrive in my pocket). At LAX, a TSA officer at a scanning station advised me to remove my laptop from checked bag. As he said, he wasn't saying that TSA employees aren't trustworthy, but might as well remove the temptation.

+1

Yeah, have to agree unfortunately. I never ever put anything like laptop or cameras into check-in luggage and other valuables only if I can't avoid due to limitations on carry-on.

At first there is the Warsaw/Montreal convention not covering for any substantial replacement value if it's about valuables. Some other airlines like Air China even state in their conditions of carriage that such items are "prohibited" in check-in luggage and try to exclude it from Warsaw/Montreal convention (not sure whether that's legally effective at all). A colleague's friend tried to import two iPhone 4GS and one got lost. That's how they painfully found out about "prohibited" items afterwards...

As for CX they don't have such clause, but I think you can declare valuable items and then pay an extra on insurance at check-in. So if it gets lost, then you could ask for more compensation above Warsaw/Montreal convention. Don't have it in memory, so you may want to confirm by looking it up or asking.

TSA lock really won't help much. But on the cosmetics (because they're exceeding liquid restrictions?): I don't know the ratio of men/women working at TSA, but for some reason I believe that cameras and other electronics like laptops are in higher demand than cosmetics.