Aileron

(Excuse me for any errors; haven't posted in a while.)

I was flying out of DCA yesterday with a companion. They told us we should leave our checked bags at a pair of large X-ray machines. Something made me decide to wait even though the TSA guy tried to discourage us. Lo and behold, they announced that they wanted to open my bag. I offered to unlock it and they refused. "We're the TSA; we have the keys," declared the first guy.

I saw the second guy fiddling around with something on my suitcase for a good five minutes after which he called over two more TSA guys. The bag was still locked. Number 1 then comes back to me and says, "Looks like the keys are not working today. We'll need you to unlock it." He brought the bag back, I dialed the combination, they searched the bag, all was well.

I have no doubt that had I not been there, these guys would have damaged my brand new Rimowa bag.

Can anyone shed any light on what happened here? I mean, what's the point of having "TSA-approved locks" if the TSA can't (or won't) open them?

Randyk47

Aileron

Uh, how could there be something wrong with a key?

Do I need to bring my bag in to the service center to have the locks checked? Seems odd it would be both locks.

Often1

If you lock your bags, you run the risk that TSA will simply force the lock if it chooses to inspect your bag.

Not worth the effort to lock bags.

Randyk47

Often1

OP is lucky that DCA is now one of the few major airports left which lack the interior space to physically house TSA bag inspection. In most circumstances, the bags go on the belt behind check-in and that is the last the passenger sees of them. Yet another reason not to lock bags.

gfunkdave

I long ago just started using zip ties to lock my bag. I keep a nail scissors in an outer pocket so I can easily cut the zip tie. When I started using zip ties, I used to leave a couple extra and a note in the bag asking the TSA to please retie it if they needed to open it, but they never open my bag so I stopped.

I don't often check bags, but it's worked fine when I needed to.

WillCAD

I don't know how robust the TSA keys are (never actually seen one), but any key can be bent or broken by improper use or storage. If the TSA keys are made of cheap, soft metal, I could imagine them bending easily enough to stop working and need periodic replacement.

My guess is, there is nothing wrong with your locks, there was something wrong with the keys - or the TSO was simply trying a No. 1 key in a No. 2 lock. Stranger (and stupider) things have happened.

I disagree. Locks don't add much security, since the locks are easily bypassed on a zipper bag, but they do add an extra physical restraint to prevent accidental opening during rough handling by machines and people in transit.

I personally put a lock on my bags zipper to keep the pulls together, as well as use a locking strap around the outside of the bag to keep the lid closed if there is a zipper failure. Both locks are TSA approved, and while I have had my bag opened by TSA on roughly one third of my trips over the last ten years or so, I've only lost a lock once (unclear whether it was cut off or merely discarded), and never lost the locking strap.

Randyk47

chollie

My bags are all soft-sided and most have nylon zippers.

I secure the zipper pulls together and anchor them to the handle of the bag. That prevents the old trick of using a pen to open a zipper and then resealing it afterwards. You can't reseal it if if you can't move the zipper pulls around.

I use zip ties on checked bags and TSA locks for domestic carry-ons.

Jeannietx

I use zip ties, I prefer that over having them go in through the zipper.