Red dot with "TSA" on it attached to baggage
 

Red stick-on dot, about 3/4 inch with letters TSA was attached to my checked baggage label, carefully folded to be visible on both sides of the tag.

No piece of paper inside indicating bag had been checked. Is this new? What does it mean?

I mostly ask because the bag went in with combo lock unlocked and came out with the combo changed. (I did NOT forget the combo!!)

Probably a new form of labeling the bags that TSA checked.

Travel tips:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travel.htm

I've had red dots, blue squares and a spiffy gold star attached to my bag tags in recent months. All they seem to indicate is that your bag was screened by the TSA in whatever city you departed from.

I have had this done on my bags for over a year now. Just the TSA sticker with the Airport Code on there, guess that tells you where the bag came from and that it had been checked, even if they do not open it up and look in, I guess it means that they put it thru the x-ray machine, but who knows if hte machine is really on or not.

~icorproadie

nothing here

Almost every bag.

I think we're supposed to eventually go to one standard sticker. Don't know when. I guess they have to decide on a real cute design, then award the contract to someone who can produce these after giving them time to come up with "additional unanticipated costs and expenses" which will be passed on to you, the paying customer.

There are some things about government bureaucracies that never change. I don't have a problem with the various stickers, labels and other markings used at the different airports. The important thing is that the baggage handlers understand how to recognize a bag that has been screened by TSA. Shouldn't matter whether those markings are cool-looking or just plain ugly.

Kind of reminds me when the Army was experimenting with the rough exterior boots, or as we called them, the "inside outside" boots. We were skeptical that we would really ever get to wear them simply because there was no way to polish them to a bright shine. "If it can't look pretty, we can't wear it" seemed to be the rule. Yeah, when you're out in the buckwheat playing cat and mouse with the bad guys, the last thing you want is anything shiny, reflective or glaring to draw their attention. But when you're standing in formation for the end-of-month parade, those boots certainly do look sloppy!

Same mentality applies here: appearance over functionality.

I guess it depends on airport size, passenger load and availability of screening technologies. The article you posted is somewhat accurate but also misleading.

Every checked bag is screened before being loaded aboard a commercial airliner. Is everything screened by the CTX? No. Do they have to be? No. There are acceptable alternatives that allow us to screen items other than CTX.

However, if we were to screen everything through the CTX, then you would either have flight delays or simply have some bags that wouldn't be loaded aboard your aircraft.

Again, this is a matter of risk management versus risk avoidance.

They've already done that. We've been using them for a while now. They're shiny gold holographic stickers with scoring on them that make them a real pain to remove.

What a huge waste of money!!! Do you really need a sticker to show your bag was screened???

Saw one of these the last time I flew with checked bags (in January), but if I recall it did have some DCA-specific label to it, too.

After seeing the clusterf*** that is the baggage screening area at IAD after clearing ICE, yes, I do think they would need the stickers.

They've been using them here in DEN for quite awhile. They have the airport code on them.

We have the holographic stickers too, just not using them until we exhaust our genereic stickers first.

It's not a matter of using a specific sticker; it's a matter of marking a bag that has been cleared. I think you'd agree that there needs to be a mechanism in place to identify bags that have already been cleared as a double-check method to prevent uncleared bags from mistakenly being placed on board. Shouldn't happen, but why take chances? I see the use of stickers as a smart, inefficient method. However, I don't agree that using the fancy TSA holographic stickers as a standard. It makes no difference to you as the customer whether a green, red or yellow dot with the letters TSA stamped across are used. All that matters is that the bag handlers recognize that a bag has been cleared before they load it on the plane. Should they come across one that doesn't have one of these distinctive markings, then they need to notify an airline ramp supervisor to have the matter handled.

I don't think using stickers is a waste of money. I do think that using these holographic stickers is. However, it is the nature of government bureaucracies to make everything appear official, uniform and standard in appearance.

Go back to using the highlighter on the bag tag like they used to do! 20 Highlighters - $10.00
Speciailzed Stickers per day - $my guess would be hundreds?????

Waisted expenses at our cost! No wonder they want to bump up the Security Tax, I think 5-10$ is already too much to pay for it. Stick the tax to the pleasure travlers not the business travlers.

~icorproadie

If they use stickers, I would consider keeping them on the bag for the next time through. In that way, the TSA would think that the bag has been cleared when it hadn't.

With baggage tags, they are removed after each trip (unless you want your bag to go someplace else from you). So that would seem to make much more sense.

Uh, the stickers are affixed to the baggage tags. It would do no good to re-use the same baggage tag because the dates, times and destination would not match. Also, we would see the sticker prior to loading, which would draw our attention. I usually remove old baggage tags to prevent any mix-ups by the airlines.

It is affixed to the luggage tag not the bag itself. If you want your bag going to where you just came from, go right ahead!

~icorproadie

Holographic sticker
 

I've noticed in the last 4 or 5 weeks that my checked bag always has the holographic sticker (from IAH to CLT and vice versa). It never previously had any sticker, and I also have noted that other checked baggage from the same flight does not have the sticker.

Well, I haven't seen one yet, so I was basing it on the ICN stickers that they stick on luggage when coming back into the States.

If the sticker would draw your attention prior to loading, then why at some airports does it take so many to double-check my boarding pass to see if it has SSSS on it? I would think that would also be noticed first time through. :)

Even with the stickers, I could see taking it off my luggage tag and placing it on the luggage for the next time. May not make a difference, but it might save an internal check.

It would seem to me that it would still make the most sense to use a marker instead on the luggage tag.

Ah, that's the beauty of these new stickers; once they're stuck to something, anything, they won't come off.

Is it possible you're thinking about carry-on as opposed to checked luggage? I don't see the connection between your boarding pass and checked luggage which is why I'm asking.

I check tags for two primary reasons:

1) To make sure that it is the correct tag for the airline I'm screening for. We have checked baggage pods located in close proximity and passengers sometimes come to the wrong pod. So I sometimes have to direct them to the correct screening pod.

2) To note the flight times. When we're busy, I have to make sure that the earliest flights are screened first so that they are loaded on the plane on time. Our goal is to have the bags back in the airlines' hands no later than 30 minutes prior to scheduled departure times. The airlines agree to put late tags on bags checked in within this 30 minute window. Since TSA is financially liable for any missed bags, I take the extra measure of marking the times on the tag itself of when I received the bag whenever they are within the 30 minute window but don't have a late tag attached.

The problem with markers is that anyone can use one to mark a tag unless we go to a color code system. For example, today we'll use red, tomorrow blue, etc. The problem here is that there is always 10% that don't get the word or will post the day's color code somewhere where everyone can see it which defeats the purpose of having a code. TSA tags are much easier. Airline baggage personnel know to notify their supervisor immediately if they don't see one on a bag . It's simple.

What I object to is TSA's obsession with uniformity by spending additional money to have these cool-looking holographic TSA stickers when the plain Jane ones we currently have suffice.

I haven't used them yet. I guess we have to exhaust our current supply of tags first. One of the "time savers" we use is to pre-position our tags by attaching them to the edge of the stop pad at the end of the CTX as well as along the top edge of the ETD machine. That way, all the screener has to do is just peel them off and stick 'em to the tag instead of peeling them off of the reel. It saves time and hassle, especially when during peak periods. I hear you can't do that with these new tags. Once you peel them off, you have to stick them or else you can't use them. Is that true?

Wow I will be sure to hand you my bag next time I am in SAT and running late! Thanks for actually taking notice of the bags and if they need a rush screening.

~icorproadie

I appreciate your thoughtful responses and from what I hear I only wish the other stations would emulate SNA.

I was trying to make an analogy between checking the checked baggage tag and checking one's boarding pass. It would seem that if the checked baggage tag only has to be viewed once, then the boarding pass should only have to be viewed once by the TSA (a maximum of twice if you include the airline ID checker) to ensure whether it is marked SSSS. Unfortunately, a number of stations check more than once.

And even at the same station, there is inconsistency. Last Thursday I flew COEX out of IAH B in the morning. Showed my boarding pass and ID to the ID checker and that was that. That evening on my way back out of IAH B, I passed by the security line and a TSA person was barking for all to keep out their boarding pass to be viewed by TSA after the ID checker. Same line, same day but different requirements.

Sounded like they would come off in many pieces if someone tried to remove one that was alrady stuck on, probably as a security measure to keep people from trying to remove them from one tag and put them on another, etc.

Yes, Bart, that's true. We used to stick ours to the edges of the machines as well and you just can't do that with these. They're scored, so you have to pull them off the sheet in a certain direction or they tear and then you can't use them. Once you pull one off, you have to stick it on the bag tag and once it's stuck to something, that's it. They stick to your shoes, your fingers, your pants, you name it. I still haven't been able to master using them while wearing gloves; I tore more than I used, until I just gave up and removed my gloves when it's my turn to unload the machine.

RDU has the pretty holographic ones. First checked bag in a long time.

But what imagination the TSA has!
 

Ahh, but have you read what is embedded in the hologram??

(I got one when I checked a bag at MKE)

"Genuine" and "Original"

Felling safe yet?

umm................

Reason for the new tags is to keep breaches off aircrafts.

Such as... LOADING A BAG THAT WASNT SCREENED.

Using a marker?

Anyone can scribble TSA on a tag prior to throwing it on the belt to go into the bag room/sceening location.

These holographic stickers are for us, as well as the bag loaders from the airlines to KNOW that the bag is/is not screened.

The old stickers were junk and re-usable...

They didnt break apart easily for a specific reason.

As soon as all cargo is screened that goes into the belly of the aircraft I am flying on, then I will start worrying about how to mark bags to denote that they have been screened. Having said that, why isn't a self-inking stamp that is rotated among a few different ones used? Seems that it would be cheaper in the long run, easier to use and not as likely to be reused by passengers as the stickers might.

I wish that the TSA would stop rearranging the deck chairs.

:D ^

"Nearer My God to Thee!"