milepig

Departing from ITH yesterday I was appalled to see the TSA folk open and rifle through bags before they emerged from the chute and without informing the pax or asking permission. As in, the person was waiting for their bag at the end of the chute and bags were being pulled off the belt after the X-ray in the middle and then opened and searched and then put back on the belt.

I thought all searches needed to be in front of the owner?

But then they also made me remove my tiny airline pack of pretzels...

Loren Pechtel

Gotta have more chance to pocket the good stuff.

chollie

This is why I lock my carry-ons before putting them in the x-ray. TSOs are not required to notify pax before searching their bags - or even to identify who the bag belongs to. They are also not required to allow the pax to observe the search.

Often1

This is very common, especially now that there is a "secondary chute" which allows an Officer to pull a bag off the line without holding up those behind it. The bag sits there until another Officer comes along to handle the issue.

chollie

You are correct - the bag sits there, often out of sight of the pax, available to sticky fingers, both TSA and pax.

Randyk47

Same here. Got fussed at about it once and was told bags ought not to be locked. Rather than get into a debate or argument I just said “OK. Didn’t know that.” Of course next time I locked my carry-on again and continue to do so.

milepig

I had no idea. At major stations the bad is diverted, they ask “who’s bag is this” and they take you and the bag over to a table where you watch them. I had zero idea that this is wasn’t required.

chollie

FORUMI thought someone had stolen my bag once. I picked up my personal item and waited...and waited...and waited. Seven or eight bags later, still no sign of my bag. I started speaking up, saying that someone had stolen my bag.

It turned out that a TSO had taken the bag as I was getting groped, took it out of my sight, and was searching it while I was standing waiting and wondering where it had gone.

On a subsequent occasion, the TSO had to identify the owner of my bag because it was locked. I couldn't give him the key because it was in my personal bag, which was locked with a combination lock. After discussion with his supervisor and a minor scolding, I was allowed to open the combination lock so the TSO could rifle my personal item to locate the key for the lock on the rollaboard. I guess I was lucky they didn't insist on cutting both locks.

On one notable occasion (ATL), my bag was pulled for a check. It was a gym bag with a separate shoe compartment on one end. In that compartment was a spare lock, all by itself. The screener said the xray operator had 'never seen' (?) one of those locks (basic TSA-approved) and that they weren't allowed on carry-on bags, but he would let it pass 'just once'. Um...it wasn't ON the gym bag, it was floating around in an external pocket, unattached to anything, but I didn't point that out. I can't help but wonder if a luggage lock purchased airside would be subject to confiscation during a gate check....

Loren Pechtel

Yup, we lock what we can of our carry-ons. (My laptop backpack has no way of locking it.) I think the TSA threat is a lot higher than the on-board threat.

FliesWay2Much

Me, too. When questioned, I always say something like: "Well, with over 500 of you people (...love that Ross Perot quote from 1992!) arrested for stealing from passengers, what do you expect me to do?"