A little while back I indulged in a piece of Tumi luggage which suits my needs perfectly on longer trips. It has a nice looking TSA lock. We flew Jacksonville/Newark/Berlin in June. The lock was missing when we arrived in Berlin. So I went to the Tumi store when I got home - and bought a replacement. We just traveled home to Jacksonville from Phoenix via Houston (first trip since our trip to Germany). This time - not only was the lock missing - but so were the zipper pulls where the lock was placed.

Did a little bit of internet research - and this problem doesn't seem to be unusual. Moreover - I looked at Ebay - and "brand new" Tumi TSA locks seem to be a hot item there. The lock costs $20 - and when I looked at the TSA claim form - well it is more trouble than it's worth to submit a claim for $20. So I called Tumi customer support - described what happened - and asked if it could do anything about the situation in general (I'm sure Tumi has more clout than I do).

Anyway - I wonder if anyone else here has had his/her TSA lock stolen?

Note that nothing was stolen from my luggage on either occasion (nothing much of value there though - except a nice evening purse - very small - and cigarettes). And from now on I'll be using twist-ties to hold the zipper ends together. Robyn

If the zipper pulls are missing I would suspect the lock is laying under the baggage handling machinery rather than stolen.

Here's a quick illustration of why your lock went missing courtesy of the Onebag.com website. It's likely not theft, just the mechanics of the baggage handling system.

Very interesting replies. So perhaps I should buy another lock - and then use duct tape to keep it from dangling (I'll see what's left of the zipper things - and whether I can thread the lock through what's left)? Robyn

These locks keep disappearing on me too. I suspect it's the TSA people, or whoever inspects the baggage. Who else? It doesn't happen with my other locks when flying outside of the country.

M8

Use wire ties / zip ties. they are cheap and of the hundreds of bags I've checked, I've never had a single one opened by anyone including the TSA.

Perhaps when they took it off to examine your bags (did they leave the TSA love note?) they just didn't put it back on either out of forgetfulness, laziness, or spite.

When you get your luggage randomly inspected, don't you guys ever read the sheet they put inside? They will break your lock to get inside if need be. That's what happened to your lock: it got broken.

Isn't it called TSA lock because TSA can get inside without breaking it?

The OP used a Tumi TSA lock, which the TSA should be able to open without breaking:
http://www.tumi.com/tsa_combination_...?modelid=46338

My Travelpro bag recently turned up with the cheap TSA lock it came with missing. I just figured they forgot to put it back on after searching.

Yes except they'd rather break the lock than find the one guy with the TSA lock key. Just use plastic zip ties.

I didn't find the TSA "love note" inside my baggage - but the luggage tag from the airline outside the bag had an orange sticker that read "TSA PHX". Probably doesn't matter - but the luggage tag was Continental Elite Access Priority.

Guess I consider myself lucky to find that only my lock and zipper pulls were missing. Kind of a sad commentary. I am old enough to remember when flying was fun <sigh>.

FWIW - when we were going through customs in EWR on our way back from Germany last month - one of the baggage handlers put my bag to the side after we passed customs and bags were supposed to go back "into the system" for connecting flights. He didn't put it on the conveyor belt. So I stood there for maybe 15 minutes. He yelled at me to go away in very very basic English - perhaps he thought I was a foreigner - but I stood there and didn't say anything. And kept motioning for him to put my bag on the conveyor belt. Which he did - after a pretty long time. Think my bag might have been toast had I not done that. Robyn

I had the missing lock/broken zipper pulls thing happen on an outbound flight a couple of years ago. Nothing missing and no TSA love note, so I assumed it was damaged in handling. For the return flight I got one of those big nylon strap things with an integral TSA lock, since I didn't have time to replace the zipper pulls.

How come the TSA doesn't cut your zip ties? Shear laziness?

Also, how do you get it off when you reach a hotel (when you aren't allowed to carry a small knife to begin with)?