Section 107

At MEX for international arrivals they frequently (although not nearly as often now as in the past) have screeners checking bag tags to tickets before going to aduana (customs).

At DCA a few years ago a congresscritter claimed someone stole her bag. Took the airport police dept only a few hours using surveillance footage to identify the taxi the thief used and then track him to a hotel room. They found him with all her stuff spread around the bed.

nmh1204

I saw on here a while back that there are airports which allow people to walk straight into the baggage area and just take stuff

Insurance companies probably won't cover you. And america wants things "larger than a phone" in the hold on flights from certain middle east countries - this would apply to headphones, laptops, cameras, medical devices - it didn't specify whether they would allow medical devices in cabin if needed.

Might not always work - a lot of tourists use garish suitcases like pink leopard print etc, so thieves might look for those

they're either stupid or intended to steal it

And they say they don't profile?

I read somewhere that putting well worn underwear on top, and squishing a hershey's kiss into it will put off baggage handler/security thieves

I was trying to read the tags of generic black suitcases after returning from IAD, forgetting I had put a multicoloured scarf round the top and side handles, I noticed it as soon as it came round to me lol I should've waited instead of almost getting dragged along with the carousel lol

Mr. Vker

HAHA

I do it after pulling the bag. I generally get it right, but can put it back on if I'm wrong.

SunLover

In my experience MCO (Orlando FL) is the worst airport for this. The combination of cognizantly unaware senior citizens and harried families acting in haste to get to the mouse house is the perfect baggage claim storm.


SL

shopgirlblonde

Totally guilty at MCO. Husband grabbed bag thinking it was mine. Staying at hotel near MCO so he returned it within the hour, and fetched the correct one. But still concerned that the soft areas of the airports no longer have heightened security.

notquiteaff

No longer? I haven't experienced bag tag checking in the US in 20+ years (OAK)

Loren Pechtel

My wife tried to do it at SHA recently on board! She told me to take a particular bag, it was only once we were out in the jetway that I figured out she thought it was mine, I thought I was being told to carry her sister's bag. Returned to the FA.

It was quite similar to my backpack but smaller--but my backpack was sitting in SHA, it hadn't taken the trip at all.

yandosan

Interesting thread.
I imagine luggage thieves would be much more common if people put valuable new stuff in their checked bags. How much are you going to get in cash for used beach towels, used denim jeans, used sunglasses, used novels, used shirts, used camera. Not worth a trip to ye olde gaol. We know by now that TSA and other airport staff, who can inspect the items first, are more likely to do the pilfering than mere amateurs.

Boggie Dog

I've long suspected that TSA Baggage screeners use the xray vision they are given to alert others out of eyesight on which bags to pilfer.

chipmaster

Understand the challenge and thus always try and do carryon

kochleffel

I always check the tag of my bag before I leave the carousel.

I've only had someone take my bag by mistake once, but it was in a supermarket, not an airport. The cashier had bagged my purchases so quickly that the customers ahead of me had not yet taken theirs, and they took the first bag of mine as well. I ran after them and they were deeply affronted, as if they thought that I was trying to steal their groceries.