Just got back from a trip to California, brought a few bottles of wine back in my checked bag, and for some reason I don't really understand they felt it necessary to slice through the clear bubble wrap I used to protect each bottle. I think it was really obvious what it was, and they made absolutely no effort to tape them back up, which I was pretty shocked to discover when unpacking. Luckily none of them broke, anyway, so no harm done this time.

I'm curious if there is a way I can accompany my checked baggage for TSA screening in the future, so I can ensure that such things are at least repacked well if they decide to inspect my bag?

I always thought it would be nice to at least have the option of being present for the screening of our checked luggage after which point the luggage could be wrapped in tamper-evident packaging (shrink wrap, tamper evident tape, etal). Obviously it would take more time and not everyone would prefer to take that extra time, but it would be nice to have some choice in the matter. But that would require procedures that do not yet apparently exist, in which case a need would have to be established first and then policy implemented which as we know in the case of government bureaucracy could take YEARS to accomplish. Next time pack extra bubble wrap and tape? or just ship those bottles?

I often fly back from the CA wine country out of SFO with half a dozen bottles in my checked bag and have never had this happen.

Perhaps the TSO who inspected the bag moonlights as a Sommelier and wanted to see what vintage you were carrying.

There are a few airports (BDL is one) where the screening of checked luggage is done in front before the bags are sent off to the bowels of the airport and so you can be present for the screening.

Whenever I travel from BDL, I ALWAYS, much to the annoyance of the TSA people there, watch my bags being screened. I stand nearby inside thyeir little roped off area and if any of the bags have to be opened (and they often do because pancake syrup and peanut butter are such hazards to aviation safety), I watch them unpack my bags and mess around with my belongings, politely making repacking suggestions. And once they are finished I apply my wire ties to lock the zippers closed. I know this annoys the TSA people, but I do not care. I am always polite. Because I had carefully packed my bags, I expect them to respect that and carefully repack them if they open them and I make that known to them when necessary. I do not leave the area until my bags are placed on the conveyor belt and disappear through the magic door into the unknown, past the check-in counter and the TSA people.

Some people have great success checking a starter pistol (legal nearly everywhere) without any blanks by following these regulations. It is considered a firearm by the TSA regulation. Once the bag is checked, it has to be checked on your presence, it is locked and no one can open it until it is brought to you at your destination.

TLH is this way too; the giant scanners are in front of the check-in desk, and you can watch your bag come out of the scanner and into the airline's custody. If the TSA clerk finds an OBL in your bag, there are hand-check observation tables where the passenger can observe the search close-up.

IMHO, if checked bags are to be screened, it should be this way. The screening equipment should be in the public, and once the bags are in airline custody, the TSA clerks should have no authority whatsoever to access checked bags once they are screened.

Along that same line, TSA clerks should have zero authority to touch or interact with passengers once they have gone through the security checkpoint--IIRC, they already can't enter non-public areas like vendor work areas or airline lounges, and I would kill to see a YouTube video of a standoff between a the manager of a vendor of airline lounge and a TSA clerk who wants in. I'd also kill to see an airside vendor refuse to serve uniformed TSA clerks--they could say the uniforms go against their dress code and make other patrons feel uncomfortable, just like malls that don't allow do-rags.

Of course, airlines would hate this, since theft from checked bags could be placed 100% on the airline employees. That having been said, I trust airline employees a _lot_ more than TSA clerks with regards to not stealing anything.

This was LAX, I imagine SFO is a lot less uptight about wine, they must see a lot more!

So basically if the airport is setup in a way that I can watch, I can, but it depends on that airport. And they get a little agitated if I stand there and watch. :-( That sucks, but I guess not much of a surprise. I was hoping there was some procedure I could request.

Shipping isn't really an option, I live overseas in Colombia and basically, shipping is really expensive and the locally available selection is limited & pricey. We're only allowed 3 bottles (well, at least without having to plead with a customs officer after a 12 hour trip) so I can't even just check a case as my second bag, or I definitely would.

That said, I have a lot of experience with having my bags searched here, for obvious reasons, and they're a whole lot better about doing it with you present and repacking properly afterwards. I'm shocked that things are so bad in this respect stateside, and I have pretty low expectations!