sowalsky, Thanks again for the tip. I don't have time to get the locks, but I do have plenty of plastic cable ties.

Moderator, you may close this thread.

Not international, but...

Flew Toronto to Fort Lauderdale this week, returning this afternoon.

Toronto to Lauderdale, from T-3. I asked at the check-in whether I had to remove the lock on our suitcase, and was told not to do so,

Fort Lauderdale to Toronto, from T-4. Told to remove the lock before the suitcase was scanned before it was sent to the conveyor to the baggage room. Note that the scanners in FLL are beside the check-in desks (at least at T-4). I asked the TSA lady if she would put our locks back on the suitcase after she had it scanned (they didn't need to open it after the scan), and she did so without any problem. We wouldn't have been allowed to put the locks back on after the scan, but she did so as we watched. Also noticed that they had a supply of those plastic tie-tags available at the scanners had we wanted them.
As to the long security lines, and taking off our shoes and boots.........another story, but no major delay or problem.

bj-21.

What does one do with hardsided luggage that has built-in locks and a combination lock? Plastic ties won't work.

Plastic ties work as well as the disposable locks. Get a batch of medium size from the hardware store for a couple dollars.

Remove with finger nail clippers, which are legal carryon.

Put a belly band on the bag.

The combination of plastic tie tie & belly band make it too much of a problem to be broken into.

I think locked hardsideds are sprung as quickly as possible, and if damaged, taped shut.

Do you know what works better than "disposable locks" and tie-ons?? *REAL LOCKS* using a real airport that doesn't have the bogus "unlocked checked bag policy"!

T.F. GREEN (PVD) has all bags inspected with the owners present until ready for shipment.

People check in boxes. How are they supposed to be checked? Opened? Untaped??

I lock all my bags. I don't see the problem as to why the TSA cannot check bags before ticketting. Keep fighting the TSA "unlocked" checked bag policy. It's against the Bill of Rights and allows the terrorists to win, so long as the government and the TSA ignores the efficient way to do their proceedure.

Remember that when cocaine is put inside your unlocked checked bag by personnel going against LE (Law Enforcement), or remember that when you are sitting in 9A and you see your bag opened outside the plane and your bra held up by joking employees.

LOCK 'EM

[This message has been edited by SHADO (edited 04-12-2003).]

Anybody using a hard shell suitcase for international trips (the ones you can't use plastic cable ties)? Do you lock them?

I have hardshell luggage. My last int'l trip was before summer. Left them unlocked but strapped on the way to FRA and CDG, but locked them from LHR after the agent informed me that they could scan them and if the bag needed to be opened, I would be paged (how civilized!).

I think I'll lock them. I'm only carrying clothing.

Anybody here got their bags opened for just carrying clothing?

Can anyone tell me how this works on international flights between the US (all bags to be unlocked for checking) and "certain" third-world countries where anything unlocked is always pilfered by the baggage loaders on arrival.

(Shan't name the countries concerned to avoid the Political Correct police, but we all have a good idea of where they are).

The way I understand is the TSA doesn't care whether the bag is domestic or international. They will force it open if they have to.

My friend was travelling from Italy to PDX with a Samsonite hardshell combination case, he didn't know about the TSA policy and locked it, it arrived with the combinatipon clip smashed off it was taped shut and had the nice letter from the TSA saying sorry but we don't care inside.

It doesn't always matter what's inside. At Seattle, you can see what they're doing since it's right out in the open: for many of the domestic flights, they're opening and swabbing all bags that are flagged by the computer, not X-raying. Not enough X-ray machines to do them all, so they employ people to just open, swab, check, and close. (people are cheaper and take up less space than X-ray machines)