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Old Sep 21, 2014, 6:52 pm
  #1  
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Wrapping Luggage from USA to Australia

Will be traveling from New York to Sydney and then traveling domestically in Australia by plane before returning home to the US. Is it best to shrink wrap luggage to prevent luggage tampering?
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Old Sep 21, 2014, 7:23 pm
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Wrapping Luggage from USA to Australia

If I was customs I would immediately cut it open and search your bag, just because it's shrink wrapped....
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Old Sep 21, 2014, 7:59 pm
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Originally Posted by popoemt
If I was customs I would immediately cut it open and search your bag, just because it's shrink wrapped....
Agreed. And TSA is more likely to want to open it before it even gets loaded on the first flight.
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Old Sep 21, 2014, 8:02 pm
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Waste of time, effort & money. If someone wants to tamper with your luggage, they are going to.
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Old Sep 21, 2014, 9:17 pm
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I would just get yourself a TSA lock if you are worried about tampering or theft.

TSA can and does cut open bags.

If you were in bound from South America or South Africa I'd recommend a wrap to protect your stuff prior to getting to North America. Otherwise, you should be ok.
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Old Sep 21, 2014, 11:48 pm
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Originally Posted by worldtraveller73
I would just get yourself a TSA lock if you are worried about tampering or theft.
Some TSA locks have indicators that show if someone with a TSA key has opened it.

Perhaps wrapping the bag serves a similar "indicator" function. Some people use unusually colored zip ties for this purpose.

Obviously, such measures would not prevent tampering or theft, but could alert you of the possibility of such when your bag appears at the baggage claim.
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 12:54 am
  #7  
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Originally Posted by tjl
Some TSA locks have indicators that show if someone with a TSA key has opened it.
It would be nice if the TSA captured videos of bag searches, and uploaded them to a web database. They could print a url and a QR code on the piece of paper they place inside your bag after they're done with their routine. This would help put a rest to the "it's your word against ours" conversation that often ensues when luggage contents go missing.
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 12:57 am
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Given Australia's strict import regulations on foods and plants, I'd be pretty certain that the shrink wrap will be cut open by them, if the TSA has not already done so.
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 1:13 am
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Can you even shrink wrap in a US airport? I have not see this offered, and for sure TSA would just cut it off. (Like they enjoy doing to my TSA locks, especially in ATL!)
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 2:52 am
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I have not see this offered, and for sure TSA would just cut it off.
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 3:58 am
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The only US airport I have seen the shrink wrap stations has been Miami
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 9:17 am
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In addition to the practical advice above, I would add that travel between the USA and Australia isn't the first itinerary that I would think of for shrink-wrapping luggage.

Certainly there are many other travel routes in the world that might benefit from the shrink-wrap treatment, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 9:42 am
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Wilbur
In addition to the practical advice above, I would add that travel between the USA and Australia isn't the first itinerary that I would think of for shrink-wrapping luggage.

Certainly there are many other travel routes in the world that might benefit from the shrink-wrap treatment, but this doesn't seem to be one of them.
...unless you happen to be connecting in Manila. (Before anyone flames me for singling out MNL, it is a well known fact that valuables in checked luggage frequently disappear there.)
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 11:13 am
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Originally Posted by chichi
The only US airport I have seen the shrink wrap stations has been Miami
EWR had it for a while, too.
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Old Sep 22, 2014, 2:17 pm
  #15  
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Originally Posted by moondog
It would be nice if the TSA captured videos of bag searches, and uploaded them to a web database. They could print a url and a QR code on the piece of paper they place inside your bag after they're done with their routine. This would help put a rest to the "it's your word against ours" conversation that often ensues when luggage contents go missing.
Might be better if the airport check in area were redesigned so that the baggage drop were into a TSA inspection area where (a) passengers can view the inspection, and (b) passengers can lend any needed keys or combinations to locks if the TSA needs them to look inside. Then the TSA just passes the inspected bag to the baggage belt.
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